an exhortation to friends in and about the county of worcester and elsewhere sankey, william. 1689 approx. 6 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a94201 wing s684 estc r42489 36282101 ocm 36282101 150261 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a94201) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 150261) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2238:7) an exhortation to friends in and about the county of worcester and elsewhere sankey, william. 1 sheet ([1] p.). printed for thomas northcott ..., london : 1689. reproduction of original in the friends' library (london, england). created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng quakers -england. persecution -england. broadsides -london (england) -17th century. 2007-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-06 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-08 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2007-08 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an exhortation to friends in and about the county of worcester , and elsewhere . dear and well-beloved friends , brethren and sisters , my spirit salutes you in the lord jesus christ , who hath gathered us together out of the land of darkness into his marvellous light , that we might walk before god in the land of the living , to the praise and glory of god our father , and the lord jesus christ , world without end , amen . now dear friends , there is something upon my mind to writ unto you . viz. that you be all diligent to meet together to wait upon the lord in your spirits ; for the lord hath appeared to you for that end to gather you near unto himself , to worship him in spirit , and in truth , in this the day of his great power , that hath made many of you willing to bear reproach for his heavenly names sake ; esteem the reproach for christ's sake great riches , and lend no ear to the unfruitful works of darkness of what name soever they may be , or how fair soever they may speak ; nor to the unfruitful works of darkness in your selves , but rather reprove them , and keep you vnder the cross of christ , which is the power of god in you , that would crucifie every evil thought , word and work in you , that through the cross you may all come to be heirs of the crown immortal ; that your souls being risen with christ , you may seek those things which are above , where christ is at the right hand of god , administring eternal life to every hungry , and refreshing every thirsty soul with his heavenly divine presence , thereby to grow in his strength over the world , and the evils therein ; the pride of life , the deceitfulness of riches and the praise of men. and friends , trust not in man , nor in the favorableness of times , but trust you in the lord ; for in his almighty power is everlasting strength , which will strengthen your immortal souls to live and love his heavenly appearance , in which is eternal life . and what christ said unto one , he said unto all , watch ; so friends , be ye watchful , and wait with retired minds on the lord , that you may receive daily bread from the hand of your heavenly father , by which you will grow up into a good vnderstanding in the things of god's kingdom , wherein you may give answer to the men of this generation that may ask you questions of the hope in you ; you may answer with meekness and godly fear , having your eye to the seed of god in you . what we have heard , what we have seen , what our hands have handled of , viz. the good god of life , that we shew unto you . and as you keep your eye to the seed of god in you ; it will keep you from desiring discourse with men of corrupt minds who are destitute of the faith of god's elect ; yet rich in profession , fair in discourse , full of deceit to draw your minds by little and little , to love and affect them and their doings ; so may you lose god's kingdom by flattery , and become vain . now the god and father of our lord jesus christ , keep your minds staid in him ; that when you are absent one from another in body you may be watchful , that your soul's enemy prevails not over you , to the wounding of your innocent life ; and when you are assembled together to wait upon the lord , be diligent and watchful , that a spirit of slumber or sleeping get not over you , but like good servants and diligent waiters in true silence for their lord 's coming , for as much as you have found your labor hath not been in vain in the lord , into whose hand i leave you with my own self who am imprisoned in body for testifying against tithes in this free gospel-day , yet at liberty in spirit in his love to praise him , who hath not only called me to believe , but made me truly willing to leave all , and suffer for his sake , to him be praise and glory , and everlasting renown who is god blessed for ever , amen . william sankey . worcester county . goal , the 27th . of the seventh month. 1687. published on the behalf of truth in the year 1689 , the prisoner being yet retained . london , printed for thomas northcott in george-yard in lombard street , 1689. god's zeal thundered forth, against all those magistrates, bishops, priests and people of this city of london, who have deserted their brethren in this day of sore calamity. r. c. (richard crane) 1665 approx. 6 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a80764 wing c6812a estc r171589 45789256 ocm 45789256 172566 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a80764) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 172566) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2639:5) god's zeal thundered forth, against all those magistrates, bishops, priests and people of this city of london, who have deserted their brethren in this day of sore calamity. r. c. (richard crane) 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n.], [london : printed the 4th. day of the 6th. moneth, 1665. signed: r.c. [i.e. richard crane]. place of publication suggested by wing. date of publication from colophon. reproduction of original in: friends' library (london, england). created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng apocalyptic literature. persecution -england -early works to 1800. broadsides -england -17th century. 2007-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-10 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-11 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2007-11 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion gods zeal thundered forth , against all those magistrates , bishops , priests and people of this city of london , who have deserted their brethren in this day of sore calamity . thus saith the lord , behold , oh city ! i have visited thee with my judgement , to the end thy inhabitants through true repentance might learn righteousness ; and therefore have i given my angel commission to smite in thee , to cut off and destroy ; who is fulfilling my decree , prophecyed of in thee o city , by my servants , whom thou hast rewarded evil for all their love unto thee ; and the cry of their injurious sufferings , and oppressions are entred into my ears , for whose sakes i am arisen to plead with all their adversaries , and will lay wast and make desolate ; yea , and i will even lay heaps upon heaps , for all thy abominations wherewith thou hast provoked me year after year , and time after time ; yea , in my zeal have i declared it . and you who have most shamefully deserted your brethren in this day of calamity , and have fled the judgment , and have taken sanctuary in the holes of the earth , and clifts of the rocks , thinking thereby to hide from my presence ; i will visit you , i will visit you , and you shall know i am god of the country as well as the city , and my hand shall search you out , and your gods of silver and of gold , in whorn you have trusted this many years , and do trust , shall not be able to save you from my wrath , for i am god of the whole earth . is this christianity to your brethren , to leave them sick and wounded , with my judgments ? what , all pass by , yea , levite and all , surely , surely , my hand shall follow you even to the remotest hole and corner , whereunto you are fl●d : and for you that have taken upon you to promote a national church and worship , and are ministers thereof , and are found in this ungodly desertion ; my hand is against you for ever , forasmuch as you have given the magistrate no rest till he hath wrought your vengeance upon my people ; my woes for ever is your portion : what did you make mention of my name in your assemblies in a time of prosperity , and in a time of judgment do you flee ? am not i the same god still ; if your worship was good then , it is good now ; and surely in such a time as this all hands and hearts in holiness are to be lifted up ; but to me have you been known of old , and the wayes of your hypocrisie and deceit , your inventions , traditions , and all your vain imitations , mine eyes have beheld , and my very soul hath loathed them , and long ago have i spued them forth , in these nations , and these your deceitful performances , are a very abhorency unto my soul. and would you have a people whom i have gathered forth of all people to magnifie my name , and in whom i have placed my righteousness and truth , manifested unto them by my eternal spirit , to bow unto your wayes , which my very soul abhors ? though you have been permitted for some years to inflict penalties upon them according to the rule of your lusts ; and some you have slain , and some banished , and many imprisoned , and are at this time in your cruel goales held ; for your better effecting your barbarity of banishment on them , i tell you and that in my holy zeal , you shall fail in your purpose , for i have not gathered them into my holy truth , any more to conform , or bow to an harlot , for my wayes are purity , in which i am leading of them . and thy wound o national church of england which thou hast given thy self in this day and time shall never more be cured , for all the balme that thy halberts , clubs , and staves , with all thy ungodly coercions of all sorts pour'd into it ; shall not heale it , for if thou would have exalted thy way , now had been thy time to have been zealous , and those eyes which were blinded , with thy charmes and sorceries , behold i will open them , yea and they shall hate thee with an utter detestation , and my great dispensation at hand will i manifest , which hath been spoken of old , i will , i will , yea i will , devide between priest and magistrate , and this my work is in order unto it , the eye in me doth behold it : and though you may in your hearts treasure up vengeance in your holes whereinto yee are fled , and may think so soon as my hand is a little removed , to fall to your old cursed work of persecution , and inflicting your barbarous penalty upon my people ; i say i will honour and magnifie my name in and through all these things , remember pharaoh , for his second plague was worse and more heavy then his first ; and at last he paid dear for all his aggrevation . and you who have lived like divels in the flesh in ramming , damming , sinking , and confounding , with numberless execrations , your very lives have been hell on earth , your heaven hath been in taverns , alchouses , whorehouses , and all manner of ungodly stage-playes , and other places of debauchery ; you even have made my fury to smoke , and your cursed desires in belching forth oathes , plagues , and other hideous execrations , are now , even now falfilling upon you . and thus with my judgements which are pure and just , will i sweep this nation till the hypocrite , prophane , persecuter , and ungodly be no more . r. c. printed the 4th . day of the 6th . moneth , 1665. an appeal for judgement unto the righteous principle of god in every conscience, against the persecutors of the innocent. r. c. (richard crane) 1664 approx. 8 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a34912 wing c6808 estc r37686 17000600 ocm 17000600 105702 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a34912) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 105702) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1612:37) an appeal for judgement unto the righteous principle of god in every conscience, against the persecutors of the innocent. r. c. (richard crane) 1 broadside. [s.n.], printed at london : 1664. signed at end: r.c. [i.e. richard crane] attributed to crane by wing. reproduction of original in the huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng freedom of religion -england. dissenters, religious -england. persecution -england. great britain -history -charles ii, 1660-1685. 2008-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-07 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-08 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2008-08 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an appeal for judgement , unto the righteous principle of god in every conscience , against the persecutors of the innocent . a woful lamentation is taken up for you , who make it your work to persecute the innocent peaceable people of god , and do devise cursed and wicked snares , to bring them under the penalty of the late cruel and bloody edict , in malice forged against the righteous , and in greater malice by many of you put in execution ; god eternal judge between you and us in this matter . i do chalenge you all in the fear of god , one by one ( i say , our persecutors ) to make it appear what wrong is it we have done to the nation in general , or to any one of you in particular , that we must be made the mark of your implacable fury , and that nothing will serve or satiate that blood-thirsty spirit , but an utter extinction and extermination of us all out of our native soil , where god eternal hath given every one of us a lot ; and as we are english-men and a free-born people , our interest is as large and ample , in that lot by god bestowed on us , as yours is who persecute us ; and we have as much right to breath in england as your very selves , ( setting your places aside ) seeing it is given us of god , and enjoyed through his favour , and not of man. must it be so , that except we do prostrate that pre●●●●s life that god hath raised in us through the son of his love , at the feet of your perverse wills , that we must not abide in the land of our nativity , but be most cruelly banished from wives , children and relations ? and except we will commit the deadly sin ( that is ) to sin against the light of god in the conscience , must we be exposed to seek our sustenance in an unknown land , and there to spend the remnant of our dayes , which are but few ? the will of our god be done , and let his will be my life for ever , saith my soul : but let this be unto you known , it is for well-doing , and not for any evil , that any of you can , or ever could justly charge or accuse us with ; and in god's fear we challenge any of you our persecutors , to prove our meetings seditious , or that we do , or ever did contrive insurrections therein . what though you have a president which ye urge , is it anything to us ? we are clear from henceforth and for ever from that spirit ; and as for any false charge or accusation against us concerning our meetings , as hath been said , it never could nor will be proved , that we were or are seditious , or contriver of insurrections ; therefore god eternal arise , and judge in the consciences of all concerning this thing , and make decision , holy father , that our innocency may appear to our adversaries . and our lives and practives are well known unto the people of this nation of england , and therefore we do make our appeal to the just principle of thee in them for judgement , and our life in which we have held forth the testimony of truth amongst them , is of a longer date and standing than yesterday , and not a certain sect , as hath been said ; for our gathering is out of sect and schism , into that life that erreth not , and in which is no rent ; and this will god eternal in due time make known , not only to the people of this nation , but unto the whole world. and do not call this your cruel work of persecution , execution of justice , as i have heard some ; for the execution of justice is a work of another kind , than to come with armed men amongst a company of innocent men and women , ( who are really met together in the peace and fear of god , to worship him in the movings of his power , life and spirit , which is neither subject to time nor place , because that that life & spirit comprehends both ) and most inhumanely to hale them out , and so to lead them before men appointed to send them to prison , and then to drive them like flocks of sheep through your streets unto your dismal holes , there to remain during the wills of our drivers ; who , because they would accelerate and hasten their cruel work begun , they even take the shortest way to destroy us , by cutting short the time ordered in their cruel edict , having a liberty allowed them therein ●or that purpose . o dreadful god! is the long imprisonment ●nd extent of time , all the favour that must accrue unto us ( if it may be so called ) for the respite we are to have in our native land ? my very soul bleeds within me , to see the cruelty and ●ard-heartedness of this generation of men ; and all this for our well-doing , in answering the requirings of that life god infinite hath raised in us in our day and generation . and known be ●t unto you , this is not the execution of justice , but the oppression of the just , which seeks no revenge against you , neither can do , ●ut leaves it to the lord who is a righteous judge , and will in due ●ime recompence every one according to his work . and is not justice perverted , and truth turned into a lye amongst many of you ? cast your eyes abroad , and behold , behold , the intolerable wickedness that is committed here in and about this city , of all sorts ; o what swearing , whoring , drunkenness , carding , dicing , stage-playing , puppit-playing , and mountebank shewes , with all manner of unclean , obscene , wicked and scameless sports and vanities are practised , and most of them allowed without controul , and as i have heard say , licenced by authority . now here is justice to be done , and the execution of it would be pleasing both to god and good men . o take pitty and compassion upon the young and tender plants of this great city , who are poisoned dayly with these abominable practices above-mentioned ! o turn your sword upon these cursed vanities , which tend to nothing but the ruine both of body and soul ! my life hath been bowed down even unto death , having felt the weight of these wickednesses committed in and about this city , and considering with sorrow the state of the youth and tender plants of this place , who are made to drink-in the poison of the devils drollery , poured forth of these execrable bottles , who manage those cursed practices above-mentioned . consider , consider , are these meetings to be tolerated , and to enjoy full fruition of liberty , and ours to be suppressed ? are these more congruent with a righteous and well-disciplin'd government , than meetings to worship god eternal in his spirit and in his fear ? and are they more for the benefit and profit of a nation , than they that wholly are peaceable in all their practices , as experience hath shewed , and could never be otherwise proved ? let god's just principle in all your consciences answer unto these things , and give judgment : and what you do , or may be suffered to do unto us , we in the will of god forgive you ; and know and be assured of this , we have no enmity unto any particular of you whatsoever , and to such as know not what they do , we can say , father forgive them . r. c. printed at london , in the year , 1664. the slanderer rebuked, or, the vindication of thomas grantham against the malicious slanders of one mr. toathby, a seller of wool in the city of norwich grantham, thomas, 1634-1692. 1691 approx. 9 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a41791 wing g1549 estc r39438 18419200 ocm 18419200 107515 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a41791) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107515) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1634:9) the slanderer rebuked, or, the vindication of thomas grantham against the malicious slanders of one mr. toathby, a seller of wool in the city of norwich grantham, thomas, 1634-1692. 4 p. s.n., [london : 1691] caption title. signed at end: tho. grantham. imprint suggested by wing. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng baptists -catechisms. baptists -england. persecution -england. 2007-11 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-11 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-12 pip willcox sampled and proofread 2007-12 pip willcox text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the slanderer rebuked : or , the vindication of thomas grantham against the malicious slanders of one mr. toathby , a seller of wool in the city of norwich . it is now about fourteen years , i think , since two of my neighbours being desired by me to coard or geld a ram for me , one of them , ( robert hareby by name ) having ground joining unto mine , finding a ram ( very much like mine ) in his pasture , caught him , ( verily thinking he was mine ) and brought him to my yard , where my other neighbour ( mr. john lark by name ) did coard him , as i had formerly desired him , and let him go , not doubting but he was mine , and they both knew my sheep as well as my self . * but we were all mistaken , for this ram proved a poor man's , who dwelt near us ; and the ram dying of his gelding , the owner complained , and desired my self and mr. lark to consider his loss , which i willingly did , and gave him half the value of his ram , which was six shillings eight pence : and here was an end of the business without sute or trouble , though some ill men advised the poor man to sue us , and to put us to trouble . but as ill men desire to abuse the innocent , so this accident became a reproach to me ; and from gelding a ram , they turn'd it to stealing a ram. but my neighbours knowing my innocency , did vindicate my reputation , so that the clamor ceased in those parts where i then lived , [ which was at ashby next spilsby in the county of lincoln ] insomuch that none but vile persons would so much as mention it . now since i came to dwell in norwich , there came a seller of wool under the title of mr. toathby , ( whom i could not see , though i went to his inn as soon as i heard of him ) and he was pleased to reproach me by this accident , in the vilest manner that might be , ( as the inn-keeper told me ) and his slander was very pleasing to such as delight in falshood , insomuch as i found it needful to detect this lying slander , by the testimony of such of my neighbours at ashby aforesaid , who are yet living , and who very well know the circumstances of this matter . what i wrote to them , with their answers , i shall here commit to posterity , to detect the wickedness of such as have or hereafter shall attempt to abuse me upon this occasion . to my loving neighbours in ashby next spilsby , greeting , &c. sirs ; i am now settled ( as the place of my residence ) in the city of norwich ; and here came a person out of lincolnshire , a seller of combed wool , and defamed me as a great rogue , and a † tup-stealer . now some of you being yet living to testify how innocent i was in that accident , which happened by the over-sight of robert hareby and mr. john lark ( our neighbours , ) in bringing up to my yard , and coarding a ram for mine , which , unknown to them and my self , was another man's , as you very well know . i do therefore earnestly intreat you , to send me your testimony of the truth concerning this matter , and of my conversation among you , for i am much abused by the false report of this unworthy person . you have heard mr. lark speak of this matter , and his son can testify the same . thus with my kind love to you all , i remain , your loving neighbour , tho. grantham . norwich may 1. 1691. the testimony of my neighbours in ashby aforesaid , may 7 , 1691. these are to satisfy whom it may concern , that whereas our neighbour thomas grantham , late of ashby , in the county of lincoln , and now resident in norwich , hath been defamed by some person for stealing a tup : we do here testify that he is innocent as to what he is charged withal in that case , and that the said thomas grantham did not intentionally nor actually do any unlawful act or deed ; and that in respect of his behaviour amongst us his neighbours , he was always accounted a very honest man , and a good neighbour . witness our hands , george coddington , john robison , thomas atkin , anthony robison . may 7 , 1691. we are here informed that thomas grantham , late of ashby , and now at norwich , is taxed in his life and conversation , and particularly about a tup . these are to satisfy that the said thomas grantham always behaved himself well , and led a very good life and conversation amongst us , and was always esteemed a very honest man. witness ben. smith , edward reed . to the right worshipful the mayor and aldermen of the city of norwich ; the humble petition of thomas grantham , inhabitant in the said city . doth shew ; that whereas many abuses , reproaches , and affronts , have been and are daily offered to my person , name and reputation , insomuch that i cannot pass peaceably in the streets , nor be peaceable in my habitation , nor injoy my self quietly in my service to almighty god , according to the law of the land , by reason of the rudeness of many of the inhabitants of this place , unknown to me by name ; save that from one mr. harman's house in st. martins , at the unicorn , a report is spred abroad , that i did steal a ram in the place where i formerly lived : which forgery i have detected , by the testimony of divers of my neighbours , who have sent certificates of my innocency under their hands concerning that matter , ( copies whereof i have herewith sent to your worships . ) and seeing the rudeness of the people , and their insolency to be so great in promoting that and other slanders , that i go in danger of my life , i thought it my duty to spread my complaint before your worships , and to beseech you to do for me what you lawfully may for my preservation from violence . and your humble petitioner shall pray , &c. norwich may 28 , 1691. this petition was received by the mayor of norwich , who was pleased to say , they were satisfied the report was false , and that he would do me justice . and seeing that satan so violently rages against me , meerly because i endeavour to serve god and this generation in my ministry , with all possible fidelity , i doubt not but after my decease he will by such base ways do what he can to deface my poor ( though sincere ) labours . i do therefore here , in the fear of god , challenge all the world , whilst i am yet alive , to bring a just accusation against me , if they can , in respect of my conversation , from my youth to this day : for though i am a man of infirmities ( as all are ) yet by the grace of god , i have been kept from all these things whereof i have by the tongue of infamy been so unworthily accused . tho. grantham . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a41791-e10 * this account is testified under the hands of john hareby ( brother to the said robert hareby ) mr. roger lark , ( son to the said mr. john lark ) tho. atkin , and william bradshaw , anno 1680. who all are yet living ( except john hareby ) . † in lincolnshire they call a ram a tup . note that these gentlemen who have given these testimonies , are all of the church of england , except one ; and they offer the testimony of many more if it be desired . some queries proposed to the bishops and ministers of england, for them, or any of them, to answer that there may be an understanding why persecution is so violently prosecuted / [by] w.s. smith, william, d. 1673. 1664 approx. 12 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a93430 wing s4330 estc r43762 42475209 ocm 42475209 151363 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a93430) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 151363) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2256:20) some queries proposed to the bishops and ministers of england, for them, or any of them, to answer that there may be an understanding why persecution is so violently prosecuted / [by] w.s. smith, william, d. 1673. 1 sheet ([1] p.). s.n., [london : 1664] imperfect: creased, with loss of text. reproduction of original in: friends' library (london, england) created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -doctrines. persecution -england. 2007-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2009-01 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2009-01 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion some queries proposed to the bishops and ministers of england , for them , or any of them , to answer ; that there may be an understanding why persecution is so violently prosecuted . query 1. whether was not man created good , and whether had he not power in that state over all creatures ? and whether did he oppress or afflict any creature by his power ; or whether was not the creation in love , peace and unity together ? 2. whether did not the fall disorder the creation , and whether was not the serpent the cause of it ; and whether doth not the serpent govern over all people in the fall , and whether any in that state be in a right capacity to govern others ? 3. whether was not the serpent the original of sin ? and whether is not persecution , sin ? and whether did cain well in killing his brother , and for what cause did he kill him ? 4. whether is there not a day of restauration to be expected , and by whom is all things to be restored ? and whether is that day past , present , or to come . 5. whether is not the serpents head to be broken in the day of restauration ? and whether must not his government fall when his head is broken , and whether is not that come which is to do it ? 6. whether is there any persecution in the restauration , or whether doth not love , peace and unity grow again ? and whether such as persecute be in love , peace and unity with those they persecute ? 7. whether is not persecution an evident mark of the serpents enmity ? and whether any in enmity be in love , peace and unity ? 8. whether is not christ the author of faith , and whether do such as live in the faith persecute any ? 9. whether unbelievers can be converted by persecution , and whether persecution be a good religion to convert any into ? 10. whether are not such as are contrary-minded to be convinced , and the mouthes of gainsayers to be stopped ; and whether persecution be the way to do either ? 11. whether is not persecution an effect of your doctrine ; and whether is your doctrine sound that produceth such effects ? 12. whether do not you promote the persecution that is , and whether have you not laid the greater part of that work upon others to ease your selves ? 13. whether do you walk as christ and his apostles walked ? and whether is not your practice of persecution contrary to their practice and doctrine . 14. whether is not the love of god manifest in christ , and whether is not christ the light that makes it manifest ? and whether is not the love of god shed abroad in the hearts of all that believe in the light , and whether is not 〈…〉 15. whether doth any persecution rise from the love of god , 〈…〉 such as know it shed abroad in their hearts do walk in that way ? 16. whether doth not love endure all things ; and whether are not such in the love of god that endure persecution , and whether are not such in the enmity that persecute ? 17. whether is not the doctrine of christ to be believed and followed ? and whether such as love their enemies , and follow peace with all men , do not believe and follow his doctrine ? 18. whether are any worthy to be persecuted , that believe and follow christ's doctrine ; or whether they are not worthy to be encouraged ? 19. whether is your faith and doctrine the same as the apostles was , and how may it be known ? 20. whether doth your practice and worship agree with christ and his apostles , or whether it is not nearer the popes inventions ? 21. vvhether do you preach , pray and sing in the same spirit as the apostles did ; or whether are you not apostatized from it , and observing the traditions of men ? 22. vvhether do you take tythes from any precept or president of christ or his apostles ; and whether are tythes to be taken and paid for maintenance of a gospel-ministry ? 23. vvhether do you sprinkle infants from any precept or president of christ or his apostles , or whether hath not the pope introduced it ? 24. vvhether is the whole , or any part of your practice and worship according to the plain truth of scripture ? if it be , then prove it by the scripture ; but if you cannot , then it is not to be owned as infallible . 25. vvhether is it error in the sight of god to dissent from your practice and worship ? if it be , then convince the dissenters by sound doctrine , and maintain your practice in the spirit of love and meekness , without persecution and violence . 26. vvhether is it error for some to meet , besides the family , contrary to your lyturgy ? or , whether may not four so meet without transgressing the late act ? if so , then whether may not four hundred meet in the same truth , seeing four are not concluded to be in error ? and whether doth the number make it an error , or whether is it not the same truth in many as in few ? 27. vvhether is not that a true worship which is performed to god in his spirit , and whether such a worship may not be performed contrary to your lyturgy ? and whether have you ever proved the quakers meetings to be seditious conventicles , and contrary to the true worship in spirit ? and whether is it reasonable to persecute for that you have never proved to be irregular ? 28. vvhether appearance only be a good ground to judge and conclude error by ; and whether dissenters from you in appearance may not truly worship god ? and if so , then whether you do well to persecute them ? 29. vvhether is a peaceable meeting a seditious conventicle , or what makes a seditious conventicle ? and whether is not the late act wrested , when executed upon such as meet peaceably ? 30. vvhether must not the lamb and the saints have the victory , and what must they have victory over ; and whether must not the lamb reign over all that war against him ? and whether doth not persecution war against him ? and whether such as persecute be not his enemies , that would not that he should reign , and whether must they not be overcome and slain before him ? 31. vvhether is it not the lamb and his followers that patiently endure persecution ; and whether is not persecution the dragon's flood ? 32. whether is it a work of christianity to banish people for meeting peaceably , and no other thing proved against them ? and whether is there any law in england that gives power so to do ? and whether is true judgment executed by those that do it ? 33. whether is it not better to suffer afflictions with the people of god , than to enjoy the pleasure of sin ? and whether pride , rioting , and drunkenness be not sin ? and whether do not such as enjoy those pleasures cause the people of god to suffer affliction ? 34. whether is not christ the prince of peace ? and whether is not peace the fruit of his spirit ? and whether are such governed by his spirit , as persecute his people for meeting peaceably , which is the fruit of his spirit ? 35. vvhether is not persecution exposed to termination , and whether such as prosecute it be not exposed to termination with it ? 36. whether is not love and good-will a sure mark of christianity ? and whether is not envy and cruelty a sure mark of the contrary ? and whether is there love and good-will in persecution , and whether is the nature of christianity in such a work ? 37. vvhether is the name of a christian a sure evidence of salvation , and whether may not such as have the name and not the nature , be liable to condemnation ? 38. vvhether is religion an outward thing , or whether is it contained in outward observations ? or whether doth it not stand in the principle of life ? and whether is that religion which stands in the life to be denied , and they that live in it to be persecuted ? 39. vvhether are not all outward things of a perishing nature , and whether is a perishing nature a good foundation to settle religion upon ? or whether is not christ the true and only foundation ? and whether that religion that is setled upon him ought to be suppressed ? 40. vvhether is not all power in heaven and earth in christ ? and whether is not he the chief shepherd and bishop of the soul ? and whether is any ●ing , bishop , or judge to limit his power ? or whether are not 〈…〉 to be subject unto him , and in all things give him the preheminence ? these queries are proposed in meekness and fear for you , or any of you to answer , for the heat of persecution is violent upon the innocent ; and it is but a reasonable thing to demonstrate your minds for the nations satisfaction , and in plainness make it known wherefore such things come to pass ; and if you can make it appear that it is for any cause of evil that we are so afflicted , then you will manifest something to satisfaction ; for it 's believed you have very much provoked the present authority unto it , and also promote the execution of it ; and though the magistrates in doing of it give you ease , and so you keep your selves more close from appearing in action , yet it is believed that you follow it with your strength , and that by your strength the magistrates hand is both lifted up and pulled down : and if it be not so , then clear your selves from it , by endeavouring to restrain the evil of it , that the backs of the righteous may be smitten no more , and all that have their hands in that work may say , it is enough , lest judgment fall merciless because no mercy is shewed : for is it a light thing to drive innocent people from their peaceable meetings with armed men , and to thrust them into holes and prisons , for no other cause but the exercise of their consciences towards god , and then to send them away , and banish them into remote countries , and so tare and rend the bowels of the nation , and lay families waste that are a good service in their places ? o preach the doctrine of love and peace amongst them , and let pitty and mercy oversway cruelty , that god may divert his vengeance which unto cruelty belongeth , from which none can escape that persist in persecuting the innocent : therefore you bishops and ministers consider your places , and do not preach and promote that which will draw down god's vengeance , but preach and promote the gospel of peace and salvation , that the noise of cruelty and persecution may cease and no more be heard in the land. and all you magistrates and people hear what your bishops and ministers will answer , for this matter is not to be carried on with clubs and staves , these were the weapons of judas's band ; that 's but a bad religion that must be so upheld : therefore stay your hands , and let those that are accounted spiritual , stand forth in the spirit of meekness ; and if in that spirit they will appear , we are ready in the same spirit to make our defence , but we cannot use clubs and staves in it , for our weapons are not carnal , and our consciences are tender towards god ; therefore be you still and quiet , and let them have time to consider and give their answer ; which if they do not , you may well forbear standing in their defence , and also stay your hands from afflicting or persecuting us any further ; for we have a good cause , and our patience and peace is in it ; and in the midst of our afflictions that is our joy and crown of rejoycing . glory be unto the lord god for ever . w. s. the 12th of the 7th month , 1664. a hue and cry after bloodshed, or, a short relation of that inhuman, barbarous, cruel, and bloody tragedy acted upon the innocent people of god called quakers at their meeting at bull and mouth within aldersgate, upon the 31 and the 6th month, 1662, by some of the trained bands of the city of london r. c. (richard crane) 1662 approx. 12 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a34916 wing c6813 estc r27283 09790749 ocm 09790749 44103 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a34916) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 44103) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1353:22) a hue and cry after bloodshed, or, a short relation of that inhuman, barbarous, cruel, and bloody tragedy acted upon the innocent people of god called quakers at their meeting at bull and mouth within aldersgate, upon the 31 and the 6th month, 1662, by some of the trained bands of the city of london r. c. (richard crane) 1 broadside. s.n.], [s.l. : 1662. signed: rich. crane. reproduction of original in the huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -great britain -history. persecution -great britain. dissenters, religious -england. 2008-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-07 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-09 megan marion sampled and proofread 2008-09 megan marion text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a hue and cry after bloodshed ; or , a short relation of that inhuman , barbarous , cruel , and bloody tragedy , acted upon the innocent people of god called qvakers , at their meeting , at bull and mouth within aldersgate , upon the 31. of the 6th . month , 1662. by some of the trained bands of the city of london . hearken and give heed , ye that are called magistrates , and likewise all people , of what condition soever , of this great city of london and elsewhere : what have we the poor innocent people of god called quakers done , that such cruel and bloody usage we should receive from your hands ? have we been at any time found plotters against the life of any person ? or have we been sowers of sedition ? or have we been peace-breakers , or tumult-raisers ? or any that have in the least fomented mischief , or trouble to the government ? i say , the god of our life cleareth us in all such cases . therefore who is not astonished at such bloody actions , to have persons come with swords drawn , and other weapons , and with unheard of violence , to cut and hew , and knock down , sparing neither age nor sex , spilling so much blood as there was ; who will not blush at such actions ? and as though we were appointed for nothing else , but to satiate the minds of blood-thirsty men , and to do it by order , as they say . oh fear , dread and tremble , ye citizens of london , and others ; and as if there were no law in england , but club law : was there ever such things acted in times of peace , and at such time as it is said , the restoration of the antient laws of england is ? i tell you , i have read the history of the martyrs in queen maries dayes , but then they dealt with them by law , though exceeding wicked and cruel , yet not by club-law , as now ; doth not this exceed bonner and gardnor's cruelty ? for they would still endeavour to convince before they murdered ; but you wil kil before you convince , all which considered , far exceeds their cruelty : must innocent blood be the cry in this great city , that must bring down the fierce vengeance of the eternal god upon you , and to make an utter desolation , devastation , and to lay it on heaps ? i tell you , the cry is heard , and judgement is at hand ; therefore lay it to heart all people : and as for the acters of this bloody tragedy , your portion you will have in the lake , amongst your brethren . o london , london , is there no bowels of compassion left in thee ! is all given up to obduracy and hardness of heart ? wo is me for thee ; dost thou sport thy self , and make such actions thy mirth ? and must our innocent blood be mingled with thy daily sacrifices ? why do you hunt our lives , as a partridge is hunted upon the mountain ? and is it because our religion is different from yours ? do you think to force us to yours by sheding our bloods ? i tell you nay , that will never be ; we abhor in our souls all such actions , and do also loath that cursed way of ( heaven driving ) which never was practised by true christians , but by cruel heathens altogether , and such as were professed enemies to every appearance of god ; and will ye of this generation practice their cursed bloody works , that ye may pull down the plagues of god upon you and your posterity , as they did ? and have ye not read , how that the wicked and blood-thirsty shall not live out half their dayes ? think ye god eternal is not as just as he hath been , and that he will not recompence your work into your bosom ? oh london , london , how am i smitten for thee ! oh , how am i bowed down under the unheard of wickedness that is committed and practised daily , and then covered up in thy skirt ! oh , where is the man in power , that seeks to suppress vice ! i say , he need not hunt it in the twy-light , or search into corners and holes for it ; but at mid-day , and high-noon , in the chief streets of thy city , and every where else doth it appear ? is it past the magistrates power , or cannot his sword comprehend it ? i say , if so , then an overflowing scourge from the hand of the lord , is as natural for you as your food and sustenance ; and i faithfully believe from god it attends you . oh my soul , my soul , mourn and weep till thou hast emptied thy cisterns of sorrow ! oh , that ever a city , a professing city , a city whose inhabitants are called christians ; ( and besides , the cry that is now , that the antient laws are restored , and true religion again setled on its basis , ) should see her inhabitants blood laid upon the pavements , for their unpolluted consciences in the worship of their god ; yea , and by their own neighbours , and by authority and order ( as is said . ) oh , my very soul bleeds within me for these things ! where are you that call your selves overseers or bishops , and by some ( reverend fathers in god ? ) where are you that you come not forth in this great day of scattering , and of gathering , and seek out the poor , hunted , worried , and driven sheep , and carry them on your shoulders to your fold . if we be in an error , why do not you come and convince us of that error ? if we be deluded , why do not you come amongst us , and tell us wherein ? i tell you , it would be worth your while , to come into our meetings , and there both openly confute us , and convince us , before the people ; which actions , in meekness and pure moderation performed , would make you honourable in the places wherein you are set , and then those names wherewith you are entituled , would not be vain and a lye , ( which otherwise seems to be ) and by that means you might haply convert many to your faith , which you say is the true faith ; and we much question it , because of the fruits , which manifests it : but alas , alas , instead of your coming with humility , in your own persons , your messengers treat us far otherwise ; for they come to kill , and not to convince , and to shed our bloods , and not to convert us . behold ye bishops , ye cannot be ignorant of this , for known be it to you , it hath not been once or twice , nor many times more , that the like tragedy hath been acted in that place , though not altogether so bloody as on the day precited ; for it was taken notice of , at that time and place , there came one or more papists to the assistance of the party , and one was seen to take a drawn sword out of a soldiers hand , who cut and hewed all that in his way stood , which made that daies work more bloodie than usual ; [ but in prudence to his cause , he might have had more patience ; ] these were by-standers , and no soldiers , but well-wishers to that bloodie work , which was that day perpetrated by those that cry out , we will make you conform to the church of england , and the laws . now o ye men , that bear the name of bishops , do you justifie these men in these actions , or do you think that conformity will ever be wrought by that means , and in that way , by spilling of innocent blood ? oh , what shall i say , if these be some of the fruits of your religion , that you would have us conform to , i must and do call it a bloodie religion ; we are not ignorant what true religion , pure , and undefiled before god is , viz. to visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions , &c. which religion we own , love , and are in , and for which we suffer this day ; and i do aver in gods fear to this religion , there is no law , either secular or military ; for it wholly consists of love and charity , which never was , is , or shall be forced or compelled , nor ever did it mix it self with any coercive power since the world began , but hath remained a pure , chaste virgin from eternitie , and will remain to eternitie : but what shall i say ? this is a mysterie to you learned ones ; and if at any time it be told you , ye call it ( canting , or chymical divinitie ) but that matters little what you call it ; i aver it to be so , and the spirit of the eternal god , which hath instructed and guided me therein , hath sealed it unto me . and further , know you that presume to set your posts by the posts of the lords house , your religion , and not only yours , but the religion of the whole world , from head to tail , not being instituted by the spirit of the eternal god , and founded upon love [ which is free from force ] i tell you , it is all a lye , and a juggle , and indeed the great cheat of the world ; for the eternal being is neither to be limited to time , place , as when , and where , or by quantitie measured , so much and no more , so little and no less : i say and do aver , god eternal knoweth no such service , as to be limited or comprehended . oh vain man , what art thou doing ! wilt thou that comes forth of time , and ends in time , go about to comprehend eternitie in thy vain imaginations ? thou pot-sheard , thou heap of dust , thou attome of dust , not seen but in the suns ray , for littleness ; hast thou not read , that the nations of the earth are as grashoppers about his throne ? how darest thou then go about to limit and set bounds to his holy spirit , in any appearance whatsoever in his people ? now consider these things in the pure fear of god , for they are wonderful weighty , and if you can , stop those bloody incursions and inroads that are daily made upon gods innocent people in their meetings , it may be well for you ; but if you persist and persevere in these tragical works , know this , and be it known unto you from the lord god , that as you thirst after blood , blood shall be given you to drink , with which you shall be choaked , and you shall be spewed out of every mind , as nautious , unsavoury , indigested meat is cast out of the stomack , when it is burdened with it . this is gods eternal truth to you , which will stand on your heads for ever : and as for us , who are the only objects of your cruelty , many and great have been the provokations wherewith we have been provoked , not only from you , but from the powers gone also , though our provokations from you are much more vehement and cruel , and i may say , more barbarous and inhuman , many degrees ; and though it hath been your intents , both of you , to make us break forth into rebellion , that you might have but one stroke at us , and no more , and so cut us off from the face of the earth , from being a people ; i know in gods fear , this is , and hath been your ends , but the lord hath prevented you , and doth prevent you even to this day ; for the lord god hath brought us forth in his lamb like spirit : and know you this , we have not the envy that is said to be in a worm , which being trod upon , will turn again ; and the lord hath cloathed us with his patience , which was before your cruelty , or any cruelty in the world was , and i do aver , will also out-live your fury , be it as hot as hell fire ; and so in the strength of god , which is the patient suffering seed in us , we bid all cruelty and fury of men defiance ; for we well know the power that gives you power , and we further know , he can restrain the wrath and fury of man when he pleaseth , and can turn it to his praise , and in his due time he wil also accomplish what he hath determined , concerning the enemies of his holy seed , not only in this nation , but throughout the whole world , which this day groans for deliverance , from under that horrid and cruel oppression of conscience , in matters of religion . therefore be awakened all you magistrates of both orders , and people of all sorts , lest you dip and plunge your selves into the blood of the innocent , as some did , not many generations since , the stench of which remains upon the face of earth to this day , and is yet not wiped away ; therefore what they left undone , do not you finish , lest you bear the burden of their wickedness upon your shoulders , and so go out of your generation with a stench , as they did ; and what hard measure we have received from you , if it be the will of the lord , that ye may , both high and low , and every soul who hath contributed to our troubles , be forgiven . rich. crane . printed in the year 1662. to the king and both houses of parliament, (who have made laws and decrees, and caused them to be put in execution, to restrain and prohibit people from having the liberty of their consciences in the exercise of the worship of god) : this is sent as a warning from the lord. coale, josiah, 1632?-1668. 1664 approx. 14 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a79991 wing c4759 estc r224303 45789248 ocm 45789248 172558 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a79991) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 172558) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2638:23) to the king and both houses of parliament, (who have made laws and decrees, and caused them to be put in execution, to restrain and prohibit people from having the liberty of their consciences in the exercise of the worship of god) : this is sent as a warning from the lord. coale, josiah, 1632?-1668. england and wales. parliament. england and wales. sovereign (1660-1685 : charles ii) 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [london : 1664] signed: ... kingstone upon thames the 5th of the 9th month, 1664 ... jo. coale. appears at 2639:12 as wing (2nd ed.) item c7214a. reproduction of original in: friends' library (london, england). created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng liberty of conscience -england -early works to 1800. persecution -england -sources. broadsides -england -17th century. 2007-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-10 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-01 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2008-01 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion to the king and both houses of parliament , ( who have made laws and decrees , and caused them to be put in execution , to restrain and prohibit people from having the liberty of their consciences in the exercise of the worship of god ) this is sent as a warning from the lord . friends , what do you mean by these practices ? or what do you expect to bring to pass by these your undertakings and proceedings ? do you think thereby to root out the holy seed and royal off-spring of god , which he hath raised and brought forth in these north parts of the world , to rule and reign ( according to his promise made by the mouths of his prophets in ages past ) to which nations must bow and bend , and become subject ; i tell you plainly and truly , that if this be your expectation ( which your proceedings give me cause to believe it is ) you will certainly fail therein ; and god will assuredly frustrate these your expectations , and by this very way and means that you take to suppress and root out the people of god from having a being amongst you , even thereby you will provoke the lord to root you out , if you persist therein : wherefore beware , lest that which you think ( and expect ) to bring upon the people of god , be by the hand of god brought upon your selves . for ( be it known unto you ) the lord god almighty is with his people of a truth , whom you have turned your sword and power against ; and what is done unto them , he certainly takes as done unto himself ; and in as much as you go about to suppress his people , or to limit them in the exercise of their consciences towards god , you therein are found fighters against god , and thereby you go about to stop and hinder the work of god ; which will be as hard for you to do , as it was for saul to kick against the pricks of the witness of god in his own conscience : wherefore consider these things , and remember that many warnings and tender visitations of love the lord hath sent unto you in times past ( which you have little regarded hitherto , but go on exercising cruelty towards the people of god ) and now at this time also i am moved ( and it is upon my heart ) by the spirit of the lord , to lay these things before you , and do tell you in plainness what the lord will do and bring to pass in despite of all that you can do who seek to oppose him : for , notwithstanding the many laws and decrees which you have made or shall make , yet the work of the lord which he hath certainly begun , that shall go on and increase , and the truth must flourish and prosper , and spread forth its self , and the kingdoms of the world must become the kingdoms of our lord and of his christ , according to his promise ; and they that will not bow unto his throne and government , who is king of kings , ( whose right it is to rule in the consciences of people , and to bear the government there , and to exercise them in matters of worship towards god ) but will seek to stop and limit him and his government there , even such must and shall be broken by him , and bruised under by his eternal power ; the lord hath said and spoken it , and it must come to pass . wherefore friends , be you once more warned that you meddle no more with the consciences of people , so as to go about to limit them in matters relating to the service of god ( for it 's not the place of a civil magistrate to meddle or have to do with those things ) but leave them free in those things to do as they are perswaded in their own consciences by the light of the spirit of the lord ; for you cannot give an account unto god for them if they do amiss , but they must all ( and so must you also ) give an account unto god , every one for himself : and this is just and equal that ( in things of this nature ) every one should be left to the exercise of the spirit of the lord in his own heart ; because that spiritual worship consisteth in obedience to the spirit of god , and you your selves would not be willing to be prohibited from , or denied of this liberty ; but ( i dare say ) you would look upon it to be a very great oppression unto you , to be restrained ( by any civil power or goverment ) from that , which by the spirit and power of god you were perswaded in your consciences you ought to do ; and you could not but judge that those ( who should go about to lay or impose such a restriction upon you ) did do unto you as they themselves would not be done by ; and so ye might wel conclude that it were unrighteousness in them so to do : wherefore if you seriously consider whether this unrighteousness and oppression be not found in you , i know you cannot but lay your hands upon your mouths and confess , guilty . so let my counsel be ( at this time ) received by you , and take my advice ( as from one that hath received the counsel of the lord , and ( in measure ) knows the mind of the lord by the revelation of his spirit as touching this matter ) that is this : shake your selves out of these cruel practices of persecuting about religion and worship , and lay aside these cruel impositions , which are and have been laid upon the people of god , by reason whereof many ( who are dear unto the lord ) have suffered very greatly ; some the loss of their liberties , and some the loss of their lives , occasioned through being thrust together in noisom holes and prisons , and others are obnoxious to exilement from their wives and children , and from their native country & dearest relations , and no evil at all justly charged against any of these , for which these cruel sufferings are inflicted upon them ; 't is only for worshipping god in spirit that these sufferings are sustained by them , that is the greatest charge that hath been by you at all proved against them ; and for these things sake the lord's controversie is certainly great with you , and will you continue in these things through which you have provoked the lord to anger ? his wrath will not be appeased towards you , neither can your government be established in safety , nor you cannot establish your selves in safety and security , for fear will surprize you ( while you go on in these practices ) because of the guilt that is upon your consciences ; and although we cannot , neither do we desire to make outward opposition against you by plottings and insurrections , &c. ( out of which things god almighty hath redeemed us , and hath brought us into his covenant of peace , and unto his mountain of holiness , where nothing hurts nor destroyes ) yet we know that the lord is with us , & on our side , and takes our part , will plead our cause and fight for us , and he is stronger ●han you all ; and his power is above yours , and our trust and confidence is in him alone , and not in the arm of flesh : and it s in vain for you to strive against him , or to oppose or resist him ; for he will in the end be too hard for you , and will break you to pieces as a potters vessel of clay , except you repent . and now friends , there is but one only way by which you may or can possibly escape and prevent the dreadful judgments of the lord , or by which his anger may be appeased which is kindled against you , and that is this ; to humble your selves before the lord , and to repent of the evil of your doings , and to loose the bands of iniquity , and to undo the heavy burdens , and let the oppressed go free , and turn the sword against the evil-doers , and suppress vice and profaneness , and do not tolerate licentiousness and those wicked practices ( as rioting , drunkenness , stage-playes , and the like ) which day by day even greatly abounds in your streets , while the servants of the lord lie in noisome holes and prisons ; and give liberty of conscience unto the people of god to worship him ( which is the main thing that i contend with you for ) that the servants of the lord may have free liberty to labour for the reducing of people from those afore-mentioned , and all other vices , which tend to the destruction of youth , and to the destroying both of soul and body : and this is the way for you ( if there be any ) to purchase the good-will and favour of god , and to be established in safety and security in your government ; and if any ( who are self-seekers and time-servers ) shall ( for self-ends ) counsel you otherwayes , such ( you shall know in the day of the lord ) are evil counsellors , and ought not to be received by you , but denied . and friends , one thing more i would present to your consideration , which hath been oft laid before you in times past , and as oft forgotten by you , that is this ; what hath been the ground and original cause of all the late overturnings which have been in this nation ? if it be rightly weighed and considered , will it not appear that cruelty and oppression of mens consciences in matters relating to the service of god , was the main original cause thereof ? i confess i cannot but marvel that you should be so blinded ( with your present prosperity ) that you cannot see and consider these things , and labour to avoid that which was the cause of their overthrow and ruine that are gone before you , but to run on so headlong and inconsiderate , as though you were hastning with desire to bring the wrath of god upon you : for mark friends , when did any escape the hand of god in any age or generation , or where were any established in safety that took in hand this work of oppression , and persecuting the seed of god and his people ? consider from pharaoh ( that great oppressor ) unto this day , and you will find that in all ages , this work of persecuting and oppressing the people of god , was the very cause of the overthrow and ruine of the persecutors ; as for instance , the great persecution and cruelty that was exercised by the then powers of the nation in queen maries dayes ; what was the issue thereof ? was it not the very overthrow and rooting out of that persecuting power , religion , and faith ? &c. and doth not their name ( who exercised that cruelty ) remain as an ill savour unto all sober people ( truly fearing god ) unto this day ? and could they by all their tyranny then exercised , root out or extinguish that faith and religion , that they then strook at ? nay , they could not , though it was but ( as i may say ) the beginning of reformation and coming out of the apostasie ; but its true indeed , they killed , destroyed , and murthered many , but blessed be the lord that did not shake the rest so , as to make them fall , but rather establish them . and certainly friends , although you should be permitted ( as they were ) to destroy many of us by your laws and decrees made , or to be made , yet you cannot thereby destroy the faith of others , neither can you possibly accomplish your desire , nor root out the holy seed which is now sprung and risen , and must replenish nations , and cause the desolate places to be inhabited , though indeed you may thereby root out and destroy yourselves ; which is sad to consider . so friends , much more might be said unto you , and many sound reasons and arguments might be produced to convince you , how unsafe it is for you to persevere in this work of persecution and cruelty , but i know you will ( many of you , if not most of you ) kick against it , and harden your hearts , and will not believe ; wherefore i have chosen rather to be as brief as i may , only to discharge my conscience to you in the sight of the lord , that i may be clear of your blood , and so shall conclude even with a few words , telling you , that this work which you have begun , and put your hand unto , will be too hard for you ; for when did ever any yet rise up against the lord and prosper ? or do you think to prevail against the ancient of dayes , although your predecessors could not ? o nay , it cannot be . but then you will say , that it is not the work of god that you oppose , but heresie and sedition , &c. i answer ; so said your predecessors , the persecutors in all generations , when they slew the prophets , and crucified the son of god , and persecuted the apostles ; they charged them with blasphemy and sedition , and turners of the world upside down , and said , the earth was not able to bear them , &c. yet that would not be a sufficient excuse for them in the day when god took vengeance , neither will it be a sufficient excuse for you in the day when you must ( all without respect of persons ) give an account unto god for all your deeds done in the body : wherefore beware lest that come upon you , which was spoken by the prophet of old , saying , behold ye despisers , and wonder , and perish , for i work a work in your dayes , a work which you can in no wise believe , though a man declare it unto you . written at kingstone upon thames the 5th of the 9th month , 1664. i am a friend to the whole creation of god , and have the mind of the spirit of the lord , who wills not the death or destruction of any , but rather that all should return and live . jo. coale . fifty questions propounded to the assembly, to answer by the scriptures: whether corporall pnnishments [sic] may be inflicted upon such as hold different opinions in religion. by s.r. richardson, samuel, fl. 1643-1658. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a91792 of text r201507 in the english short title catalog (thomason e388_11). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 19 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a91792 wing r1407 thomason e388_11 estc r201507 99862008 99862008 114155 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a91792) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 114155) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 62:e388[11]) fifty questions propounded to the assembly, to answer by the scriptures: whether corporall pnnishments [sic] may be inflicted upon such as hold different opinions in religion. by s.r. richardson, samuel, fl. 1643-1658. [8] p. [s.n], london, : printed, 1647. s.r. = samuel richardson. signatures: a⁴. annotation on thomason copy: "may 20th". reproduction of the original in the british library. eng westminster assembly (1643-1652) -early works to 1800. toleration -early works to 1800. persecution -early works to 1800. a91792 r201507 (thomason e388_11). civilwar no fifty questions propounded to the assembly, to answer by the scriptures:: whether corporall pnnishments [sic] may be inflicted upon such as richardson, samuel 1647 3481 4 0 0 0 0 0 11 c the rate of 11 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-05 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-05 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-06 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2007-06 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion fifty questions propounded to the assembly , to answer by the scriptures : whether corporall punishments may be inflicted upon such as hold different opinions in religion . yee are bought with a price , be not the servants of men . 1 cor. 7. 23. yee suffer fools gladly , 2 cor. 11. 19. and yet i may not be suffered . by s. r. london , printed , 1647. fifty questions , &c. whether corporall punishments can open blinde eyes , and give light to darke understandings ? 2 whether carnall punishments can produce any more then a carnall repentance and obedience ? 3 whether the destroying of mens bodies for errours , be not a means to prevent their conversion , seeing some are not called untill the eleventh houre : and if they should be cut off for their errours the seventh houre , how should they have come in ? mat. 20. 6. 4 whether those who would force other mens consciences , be willing to have their own forced ? 5 whether it be wisdome and safe to make such sole judges in matters of religion , who are not infallible , but as lyable to erre as others ? 6 if a father or magistrate have not power to force a virgin to marry one shee cannot love ; whether they have power to force one where they cannot believe , against the light and checks of their own consciences ? 7 whether the scripture makes the magistrate judge of our faith ? 8 if the magistrate may determine what is truth ; whether we must not beleeve and live by the magistrates faith , and change our religion at their pleasures ? and if nothing must be preached , nor no books of religion printed , nor be allowed to passe , unlesse certain men may please to approve and give their allowance thereto , under their hands , whether such doe not by this practice , tell god , that unlesse he will reveale his truth first to them , they will not suffer it to be published , and so not known to be ( even with him ) notwithstanding the magistrate may and ought to hinder the printing and publishing of that which shall be against the safety and welfare of the state . but we must distinguish between matters civill and religious : we question their power in the latter . also , whether the licenser setting his hand to the booke to licence it ( he being a priest by his ordination , and from the pope ) be not the marke of the beast spoken of , revel. 13. 17. and whether all such as have gone to them to licence the truth ought not to repent of it , and do so no more ? also whether these men be fit to be licencers of the truth , who when the truth hath been tendred them to be licenced , they have confessed the truth of it , as they have been free to licence it ; but refused , because they durst not ? and whether it can be made appear , that god hath revealed his truth first to these ministers of england , and so the first spreaders of it ? instance , who opposed the prelates , the ministers or the people , first ? and so of the rest . 9 whether it be not the command of christ , that the tares ( those that walke in lies ) and the wheat ( those that walke in the truth , should be let alone , and the blinde ( led in a false religion ) which are offended at the declaration of the truth should be let alone mat. 13. 30 , 38. mat. 15. 14. 10 whether he was not reproved that would have fire from heaven to devoure those that reject christ , luk. 9. 54 , 55. 11 whether the servants of the lord are not forbidden to strive , but to ▪ be gentle towards all ? 2 tim. 4. 2. 12 whether the saints weapons against errours , be carnall or no : 2 cor. 10. 4. 13 whether it was not christs command , that his disciples when they were persecuted , they should pray , and if cursed , blesse ? 14 whether the scriptures declare , that the saints should persecute others , and whether the gentle lambs of christ can serve the wolves so , seeing he sent his as sheep among wolves , and not as wolves among sheep , to kill and imprison , matth. 10. 16. 15 whether christ hath sayd , he will have an unwilling people compelled to serve him ? 16 whether ever god did plant his church by violence and blood-shed ? 17 whether tares may not become wheat , and the blinde see , and those that now oppose and resist christ , afterwards receive him : and he that is now in the devils snare , may get out and come to repentance : and such as are idolaters , as the corinthians were , may become true worshippeers , as they that are strangers may become gods people ? 18 whether to convert an heretick , and to cast out unclean spirits , be done any other way then by the finger of god , by the mighty power of the spirit in the word ? 19 whether he that is not conformable to christ , may not at the same time be a good subject to the state , and as profitable to it as any ? 20 whether men that differ in religion , may not be tollerated , seeing abraham abode among the canaanites a long time , yet contrary to them in religion , gen. 13. 7. & 16. 13. and he sojourned in gezer , and king abimelech gave him leave to abide in his land , gen. 20. 21 , 23 , 24. and isaac dwelt in the same land , yet contrary in religion , gen. 31. the people of israel were about 430 years in aegypt , and afterwards in babylon , all which time they differed in religion from the state , exod. 12. 2 chron. 36. christ and his disciples differed from the common religion of the state , acts 19. 20. and when the enemies of the truth raised up any tumults , the wisdom of the magistrate most wisely appeased them , acts 18. 14. & 19. 15. 21 whether it be not better for us , that a patent were granted to monopolize all the comand cloth , and to have it measured out unto us at their price and pleasure , which yet were intollerable ; as for some men to appoint and measure out unto us what and how much wee shall beleeve and practice in matters of religion . 22 whether there be not the same reason that they should be appointed by us what they shall beleeve and practice in religion , as for them to do so to us , seeing we can give as good grounds for what wee beleeve and practice ( as they can do for what they would have ) if not better . 23 whether men heretofore have not in zeal for religion , persecuted the son of god , in stead of the son of perdition ? 24 whether it is not a burden great enough for the magistrate to govern and judge in civill causes , to preserve the subjects rights , peace and safety ? 25 if the magistrate must judge and punish in matters of religion , the magistrate must ever be troubled with such persons and such causes : and if after his conscience be convinced , hee had no such power , or see that it was truth he punished ; what horrours of conscience is he like to possesse ? 26 whether he is fit to appoint punishments , that is not fit to judge ? 27 if the magistrate must punish errours in religion , whether it doth not impose a necessity that the magistrate is to have a certainty of knowledge in all intricate cases ? and whether god calls such to that place , whom he hath not furnished with abilities for that place ? and if a magistrate be in darknesse , and spiritually blind , and dead ; be fit to judge of light , of truth and errour ? and whether such be fit for the place of the magistracy ? then whether it be not a scruple to a tender conscience to submit to such in civill causes , because not appointed to that place by god ? whereas if the magistrates power be onely civill , the doubt is resolved , because such as may be fit for magistrates , and men ought in conscience in civill things to submit unto them . 28 whether there be any scripture that saith , that any mans conscience is to be constrained , and whether the magistrate can reach mens consciences ; and whether he be fit to make a law to conscience , who cannot know when conscience keeps it , and that cannot reward conscience for keeping it , nor punish the conscience for the breaking of it ? 29 whether it be not in vain for us to have bibles in english , if against our souls perswasions from the scriptures , we must beleeve as the church beleeves ? 30 whether the magistrate be not wronged , to give him the title of civill magistrate onely , if his power be spirituall ? 31 whether laws made meerly concerning spirituall things , be not spirituall also ? 32 whether if no civill law be broken , the civill peace be hurt or no ? 33 whether in compulsion for conscience , not only the guilty , but the innocent suffer also ? as if the husband be an heretick , his sufferings may cause the innocent wife and children shall suffer as deeply also ? 34 whether such as are spiritually dead , be capable to be spiritually infected ? 35 whether god will accept of a painted sepulcher , a shadow , a meere complement of obedience , when the heart is dead and rotten , and hates god and all that is good ? god hath no need of hypocrites , much lesse of forced ones : god will have those to worship him , as can worship him in spirit and truth , john 4. 36 whether the scriptures appoint any other punishment to be inflicted upon hereticks , then rejection and excommunication ? tit. 3. 10. 37 whether freedome of conscience would not joyn all sorts of persons to the magistrate , because each shared in the benefit ? 38 whether those states ( as the low countries ) who grant such liberty , doe not live quietly , and flourish in great prosperity ? 39 whether persecution for conscience doe not harden men in their way , and make them cry out of oppression and tyranny ? 40 whether some corporall punishments would not make thousands in england face about to popery as it did in queen maries time . 41 whether laws made concerning religion , have not always catched the most holy men : witnesse daniel , and the three children : the rest will be of what religion you will . 42 whether the saints crave the help of the powers of this world to bring christ to them ; or fear their powers to keep him from them ? 43 if no religion is to be practised , but that which the common-wealth shall approve on : what if they will approve of no religion ? shall men have no religion at all ? 44 whether the saints ought not to continue their assemblies of their worship of god , without , or against the consent of the magistrates ; they being commanded to do so , mat. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. heb. 10. 25. by an angel from god , acts 5. 20. it was the apostles practice ( who were not rebellious not seditious ) acts 4. 18 , 19 , 20 , 23. and 5. 22. 28. 45 whether uniformity in religion , in the state , doe not oppresse millions of souls , and impoverish the saints bodies ? 46 whether gods people have not disputed and taught a religion new worship , contrary to the state they lived in , and spread it in travelling and open places ; as appears , acts 17. 2 , 17. and 18. 48. yet no origancy and impetuousnesse . yea , contrary to publike authority in the nations uniformity , in false worship , dan. 3. the three children ; so the apostle , acts 4. 5. the saints have openly witnessed , that in matters spirituall , jesus was king , acts 17. 7. and for this christ suffered ; as appears by his accusation . iohn 9. 19. jesus of nazareth king of the jews , psal. 2. 6. acts 2. 36. gods people have seemed the disturbers of the civill state , upon the apostles preaching , there followed uprores , and tumults , and uprores , at iconium , at ephesus , at ierusalem , acts 14. 4. acts 19. 29 , 40. acts 21. 30 , 31. 47 whether jesus christ , appointed any materiall prisons for blasphemers of him ? whether notwithstanding the confidence of the truth they have , to which they would force others , whether the bishops , their fathers , &c. have not been as deeply mistaken ; for now they , are found to be antichristian . 48 whether it be not a naturall law for every man that liveth , to worship that which he thinketh is god , and as he thinketh he ought to worship ; and to force otherwise , will be concluded an oppression of those persons so forced . whether it be best for us to put out our eyes , and see by the eyes of others who are as dim-sighted ? in my judgment , your judgement is a lye : will ye compell me to believe a lye ? compell ye a man to be present at a worship which he loaths ? 49 eyther the civill , or the spirituall state must be supream : which of these must judge the other in spirituall matters ? if the magistrate , then hee is above the church , and so the head of the church ; and he hath his power from the people : ( to govern the church ) whether it will not follow , that the people , as a people , have originally as men a power to govern the church , to see her do her duty , to reform and correct her ; and so the spouse of christ , wife of christ must be corrected according to the pleasure of the world , who lye in wickednesse ? 1 iohn 5. what power a church hath over a magistrate , if he● be a member of the church : if members , they may be excommunicated , if so discerning . reason 1 because magistrates must be subject to christ , but christ censures all offendors , 1 cor. 5. 4 , 5. 2 every brother must be subject to christs censure , mat. 18. 15 , 16 , 17. but magistrates are brethren , deut. 17. 5. 3 they may censure all within the church , 1 cor. 5. 1● . 4 the church hath a charge of all the soules of the church , and must give account of it . heb. 13. 17. 5 christs censures are for the good of souls , 1 cor. 5. 6. but magistrates must not be denied any privilege for their souls , else they by being magistrates , should lose a priviledge of christs . 6 in which priviledges , christians are all one , gal. 2. 28. col. 3. 11. sins of magistrates are hatefull and condemned , esay 10. 1. mich. 3. 1. it s a paradox , that a magistrate may be punished by the church , and yet that they are judges of the church . 50 whether every man upon that religion , which in his conscience he is perswaded is true , whether hee doth not upon the truth thereof venter his soul . if that religion the magistrate , be perswaded be true , he owes a three-fold duty . first , approbation , esa. 49. revel. 21. with a tender respect to the truth , and the professours of it . secondly , personall submission of his soul to the power of jesus his government , matth. 18. 1 cor. 5. thirdly , protection of them , and their estates from violence and injury , rom. 13. to a false religion he owes . 1 permission ( for approbation he owes not to what is evill ) as matth. 13 30. for publike peace and quitenesse . 2 protection of the persons of his subjects ( though a false worship ) that no injury be offered to the persons or goods of any , rom. 13. object . the kings of judah compelled men to serve the lord , ergo , kings may now compell , &c. answ . they who lived under the jewish worship only were compelled , strangers were not . secondly , they were not compelled to any thing , but what they knew and confessed was their duty , 2 chron. 6. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. thirdly , if they did compell , their actions were not morall to obliege other kings to do so . may not the prelates by the same reason alleage the order of the priesthood for their episcopacy , as you for the kingly . fourthly , the kings of israel did not imprison schismaticks , pharises , herodians , &c. fifthly , the kings of israel had extraordinary profits to direct them what to do infallibly ; these kings have none such to direct them . sixthly , if the law be morall ; where is it set down in christs testament ( which is to be our rule ) that the magistrate shall compell all to his religion : for to another he will not . object . then every man may live as he list . answ . had not he as good live as he list ; as live as you list ? object . then it seems errours may be suffered . answ . if truth may be suffered also , it will prevail against errours . it s no more in their power to hinder errours , then it was in the power of the prelates to hinder mens preaching , writing , and speaking against them . if you can hinder satans suggestions , and the vain imaginations of mens hearts , and expell the darknesse in men , and place light in stead thereof ▪ and hinder men from speaking each to other , then you can suppresse errours , else not , the lord only can surprise errours by the mighty power of his spirit with his word , and wee believe hee will certainly do it in his time to his glory , and the comfort of his people , amen . one thing more i desire to know why the priests of england assume to themselves the title of a ( divine ) is it because they are exercised in divine truth , or because they pertake of the divine nature , or both , if so , then many tradesmen may as well have the title of divine given them as well as they , because they pertake of the divine nature , and are as much exercised in matters divine , as the most of them , but it is a question to mee , whether the title divine is to be given to any man , but only to god alone ; whose being , is onely divine . finis . a true discoverie of the ground of the imprisonment of francis ellington, thomas cocket, and edward ferman whose outward dwellings is in northamptonshire, who are cast into the common goale in northampton by the men that are now in commission to do justice, who never read us any law, or any evidence came against us, shewing our transgression as the following lines make manifest : he that hath an eye to see, let him see, and he that hath an ear to hear let him hear. f. e. (francis ellington) this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a63511 of text r37161 in the english short title catalog (wing t2683). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 25 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 7 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a63511 wing t2683 estc r37161 16263311 ocm 16263311 105155 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a63511) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 105155) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1602:10) a true discoverie of the ground of the imprisonment of francis ellington, thomas cocket, and edward ferman whose outward dwellings is in northamptonshire, who are cast into the common goale in northampton by the men that are now in commission to do justice, who never read us any law, or any evidence came against us, shewing our transgression as the following lines make manifest : he that hath an eye to see, let him see, and he that hath an ear to hear let him hear. f. e. (francis ellington) [2], [10] p. printed for giles calvert ..., london : 1655. signed: francis ellington (p. [7]), edward ferman (p. [9]), and thomas cocket (p. [10]) reproduction of original in the british library. eng society of friends -apologetic works. persecution -england. a63511 r37161 (wing t2683). civilwar no a true discoverie of the grovnd of the imprisonment of francis ellington, thomas cocket, and edward ferman, whose outward dwellings is in no f. e 1655 4771 5 0 0 0 0 0 10 c the rate of 10 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2006-11 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-11 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-12 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2006-12 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a true discoverie of the grovnd of the imprisonment of francis ellington , thomas cocket , and edward ferman , whose outward dwellings is in northamptonshire , who are cast into the common goale in northampton , by the men that are now in commission to do justice , who never read us any law , or any evidence came against us , shewing our transgression as the following lines make manifest . he that hath an eye to see let him see , and he that hath an ear to hear let him hear . and judgment is turned away backward , and justice standeth a far off , for truth is fallen in the streets , and equity cannot enter ; yea truth faileth , and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey . isaiah 59. 14 , 15. verses . london , printed for giles calvert at the black-spread-eagle , at the west end of pauls , 1655. a true discovery of the ground of the imprisonment of francis ellington , thomas cocket , and edward ferman , &c. i francis ellington , living in wellingborough in the county of northampton , about the 9. day of october 1654. being in my calling and employment at a faire at harborough in lecestershire , and hearing that there was one willing dewsbury a yorkeshire man at a friends house there ; and he was that day to declare the word of the lord to the consciences of the people ; and being free in my spirit to go to hear him , i went to the friends house , and heard him declare the word of life to my conscience , which raised the witness of god in me , that did own what he spake to be the word of the lord ; which my understanding did enlighten to see the way to eternal life , which i had long sought in my imagination of the saints condition . then was i moved of the lord to desire his servant , who to me declared his word , when he was free in his spirit , to come to my house , which he did upon the 27. day of the 10. month called december , and a friend with him whose name is joseph storre , who stayed at my house that day and night ; and on the morrow richard denit constable of the town , came to my house with a warrant from thomas pentlow called justice , and said , that he came to apprehend one of those two that were at my house ; i asked him if he had a warrant , he said he had : i desired him that he would let me read his warrant : which he did , and i reading it , and finding no name , in the warrant , of him he should apprehend , but for one he called quaker ; i replyed , that i could not see how he could apprehend any of those two in my house by vertue of that warrant , seeing there was not any name in the warrant , but the constable laid hands on william dewsbury , and said , that he was the man , and that he should go with him before the justice , which he did the same day , and joseph stor was moved to go with him to thomas pentlow's house in wilby ; then i being free in my spirit , did with other friends go along with them to thomas pentlows house , and there hearing the examination of william dewsbury and joseph stor , and after that thomas pentlow had made their mittimus , and gave the constable charge of them , the said thomas pentlow came forth of the room into another room whete i and other friends were , and asked me , and one richard smith what we did in his house , and who gave us leave to come into his house ? and threatned us to make us answer our affronting him in his house at the next sessions . then i , and richard smith told him ▪ that we came not to affront him in his house , neither could he prove it by our carriage since we came into his house ; but the occasion of our coming thither at that time was to require of him to do us justice . he asked for whom would you have justice against ? we replyed for one bridget makernes of findon , which was at that instant in his house . he asked us , what she did to us ? we answered , that about two weeks before , the said richard smith and my self , and another friend with us , went to findon , and the said briget makernes ( as we were peaceably passing through the street in findon ) did abuse us in throwing water at us , and stones , and dirt , and calling us rogues , witches and divels ; yet we gave her no cause , not spoke not to her , but left her ; and for this abuse and affront done to us , we come to thy house , to desire justice of thee against the said bridget . thomas pentlow answered , that she had served us right for ought he knew , and further said , that hewould not do any thing for us against her ; but charged us , to be forth-coming ▪ and he would send a warrant to the constable before the sessions to bring us to answer for the coming into his house . we replyed and said , that he might do his pleasure , and so departed . about three days after , i was moved of the lord to write these following lines , and sent them privatly sealed up , to the hands of thomas pentlow . the letter . thus saith the lord god ▪ be wise ye kings , be learned ye that are judges ( or justices ) in the earth ; serve the lord in fear , stand not in your own will when you judg between man and man ; but stand in the will of god , and execute true judgment ; for you must all give an account to him of your deeds done in the flesh , whether good or evill ; and now the lord begins to roar out of sion , and to utter his voice from jerusalem , and wo to all the inhabitants of the earth , saith the lord god ; and now the time is come that we shall no more say , the lord liveth that brought the children of israel out of the land of egypt ; but the lord liveth that hath brought up , and led the seed of israel out of the north country , and from all countrys where i have scattered them , and they shall dwell in their own land , jer. 23. 7 , 8. and now the lord hath made the tidings out of the north to trouble the inhabitants of babel , and it will more trouble them yet : it will make them gnaw their tongues for sorrow , and blaspheme the god of heaven ; for their plagues shall be exceeding great . now to the light in thy conscience which christ jesus hath enlightned thee withal , am i commanded to speak these words , that with it thou mayest examine , and see how thou executest justice ; and how thou didst execute justice upon those two faithful servants of the living god that thou hast committed to prison ; the law of god in thy conscience saith , that he that preacheth the gospel hath a lawful calling , and is no vagabond though he have no outward habitation , and the spirit of truth made it manifest in the person of christ ; and he that saith he abideth in christ , ought so to walk as he himself walked : and he that is commanded of the lord to preach the gospel , though he be a judg ▪ justice , or whoever , must when god calls him , leave father and mother , wife and children , and all , and must go preach ; for whoever he be that sets himself down in a parish , and there to stay during his life to preach ( as he calls it ) to a people , i affirm that person was never sent of god to preach , but is a false prophet ; for there is not one such example in all the scripture , and christs commission is contrary to it ; but blessed be the god of heaven , the lord hath now raised both justices , colonels , captains , and many hundreds of others in the north , that go hundreds of miles preaching the gospel , as those thou hast sent to prison did : now i do tell thee , the light of christ in thy conscience would not have had thee to have been offended at me , and others that did not put off our hats , and bow to thee ; but it was thy will , and the will of man is the beast spoken of in revelation ▪ that ascended out of the bottomless pit . thou shouldest have put a yoak upon thy beast , for it belongs to him , and not have desired honor , for that belongs to god : thy will is the beast , the beast is the serpent , and dust shall be the serpents meat ; therefore look for no other meat for him of the servants of the living god , and the light of christ in thy conscience tells thee , thou shouldst not have been offended at me , and others for speaking to thee , in the language of thee and thou ; but here thy will , thy beast , thy serpent having not his yoke on , began to be unruly , and would have had flattering speeches , as yes forsooth , and i pray you sir , and i thank your worship , sir ; but the language of the spirit of truth , and of god himself , was that i & others spake , to thee which was thee and thou , and if thou beest offended , thou maiest , i will ask thee , did'st thou ever put up any petition , or request to the god of heaven in all thy life time ? and di'dst thou not desire it in the language of thee and thou ? speak , and blush for shame , and cover thy lips that thou shouldest be so proud to desire more of thy fellow-creature than thou wilt give to the god of heaven thy self . besides , thou art in a begging condition , when thou speaks thee and thou to god ; but i and others came not a begging to thee when we spoke thee and thou to thee ; therefore look to the light christ hath given thee , it will learn thee to put a yoak upon this unruly beast thy will , and to give thy serpent dust to eat , for childrens bread must not be given to dogs . i know i speak a mystery to thy dark mind , and the whore that sits upon the scarlet coloured beast thy will , which is thy imagination , and carnal wisdom , shall never understand me ; but to the light of christ in thy conscience i speak , and that bears me witness , i speak truth , and it understands me ; the light of christ in thy conscience tells thee , that there was never any persecution of the truth , but a priest had a hand in it , and he gets the wicked powers of the earth , to carry him to do his mischief ; for as the carnal wisdom , and imagination cannot do any thing without the will : ( which is the beast that carries them ) no more could never the wicked priest ( which is the whore ) do any thing in persecuting the righteous seed , but by the help of such magistrates as are evil , and corrupt in all ages , ( which is the beast to carry them ) and these in all ages joyned together ; but the beast was taken , and with him that false prophet , and cast into a lake . now i am commanded of the lord to speak a word to thee concerning thy family ; for i see unfruitful works of darkness acted by them ; and therefore i give them a word or two of reproof , i see divers of them when i was at thy house laughing at the servants of the lord ; and solomon saith of laughing , that it is madness and folly , and they gave out in my hearing jeering words , and scornful words , and those that sit in the seat of the scornful , read what will become of them : and i see them given to pleasures , and he that lives in pleasure is dead while he lives , and bodily pleasure profiteth little , but godliness is profitable unto all : their tongues are all unbridled , and when the tongue is unbridled , it is an unruly member , and it is set on fire of hell . i charge thee and them to repent , and fear the living god ; for the lord is now arisen in england , and you must be purged ; for the haughtiness of man he will bring down , and lay low : and though you prison the servants of the living god , yet god will bring up others amongst us that will be faithful in doing his message , in crying out against the sins of high and low , priest and people , in city and village , markets , and steeple-houses : and they cry , repent and fear the living god , and return to the light of christ in your own consciences , which convinceth you of sin , and of evil deeds : and for this the wicked world persecutes them , to fulfil the scriptures ; but a body god hath prepared them , and they can suffer more then the wicked world can inflict upon them ; and when the wicked have punished what they can , they will forgive them and pitty them and when they are beaten they resist not , when they are cursed they bless ; and thus the seed that the lord hath brought out of the north country is grown to a thousand , and ten thousand in all parts of england : and the high cedars begins to fall apace in england , to this mighty power of god ; for the lord is very terriblè before the northern army , that the scornful world call quakers ; yet not one of these souldiers hath so much as a stick in their hands ; but they have a sword in their mouths , and with it they slay the nations ; therèfore you that are called justices , you may put them in prison , but you cannot take away their swords ; for they can slay as well in prison as without : and one of them through the power of god , dare encounter with a thousandi , and overcome them ; him whom thou hast cast into prison , with his sword slew two mighty men , and their familiès in bedfordshire this last week ; and he hath slain me , and hundreds more in these parts : and now thou hast sent him to slay some in north-hampton with this sword in his mouth ; and i am sure the slain of the lord will be many thereabouts : and happy had thou been if he had slain thee when he wàs at thy house ; for thou must be slain with the sword , or else thou shalt nèver see thy saviour ; therefore look to the light of christ in thy conscience , and with that light bring all thy evil deeds to light , and to the sword of the lord , and wait in this : light for the power of christ , to cross thy will and imagination , and that power will lead thee up to christ , and then thou wilt take up thy cross to thy will , and untill thou doest it thou art no disciple of christ , profess what thou wilt ; for if thou doest profess more than thou doest possess , thou art an hipocrite . thus in love to thy poor soul , i àm moved of the lord to write this to thee ; and if thou hast an ear to hear thou wilt hear it : so i remain a friend to that which is pure of god in thy conscience , called and known to the world by the name of francis ellington . the superscription was , this to be delivered to thomas pentlow called justice of the peace , in wilby . i beeing free in my spirit to go to the general sessions holden at northampton , the 10. day of the 11. month called ianuary 1644. to hear the tryal of the two friends william dewsbury , and ioseph stor , which were committed by thomas pentlow ; the men called justices , which sat to have done justice , hearing i were there , called me into the court , and read this foresaid letter , that i were moved to write to thomas pentlow , as a charge against me ; and asked me , if i would find sureties for my good behaviour ; but i replyed , and desired them to read me a law , wherein any thing writ in that letter were a transgression of ; but they denyed to read me any , and forthwith commanded the jaylor to put me in prison , which was accordingly done . it were ordered afterwards that i went forth of prison upon bail for appearance at the next sessions ; and according to my engagement i did appear upon the 24. day of the second month called april 1655. at the castle in northampton , where the sessions were then holden ; and at that time there sat upon the bench , iohn clark serjeant at law , george benson , henry bartlet , iohn brown , iohn thornton and iohn mansfield , who sat there to have done justice ; and when i were called in , not any accuser appeared to my face , nor any charge was read ; but the men that were in commission required of me , to find sureties for my good behaviour till the next assises . i desired them to read me a law which i had transgressed , before they required bond , and here i am present to answer what the law required . but they no law would read me ; but commanded the joaler to put me in prison , where i am in the low goal amongst those arraigned for fellony and murther , waiting on the lord , until he judg my cause , and establish righteousness in the land . francis ellington . to that of god in all consciences , i lay this before which is formerly written , to judg between me & those that proceed against me , who hath twice cast me into prison , and never read me any law i had transgressed ; but hath separated me from my wife and five children , and my outward calling , and employment i had in the world . here , by their fruit they are made manifest whose children they are ; for to satisfie their wills , they acts contrary to the righteous law of god , and the law of the nation in what they have done ; but to the lord god of heaven and earth , who pleads the cause of the innocent , and will arise in his mighty power , and deliver his people forth of the hands of all that oppress them , on whom i wait , and will me deliver out of the hands of these unreasonable men , that in their dark minds do , they know not what . therefore be warned ye rulers of the earth , and take heed of abusing the power put into your hands to satisfy your wills in oppressing the innocent , as the late king and his adherents did , whom the lord hath cast out in his wrath , and consumed in his displeasure ; and if you who hath acted in your wills contrary to the law of god , do not speedily repent , and turn to the light of christ in your conscience , to guide you in obedience to the will of god , to do as you would be done unto ; the lord god of heaven and earth will cut you off , as he hath done , and will do the evil doers : and peace shall be upon the israel of god . f. e. a true declaration of the ground of the imprisonment of edward ferman , in the county of northampton . i being moved of the lord the 15. day of the second month called april to go to farndon steeple-house ; and samuel glover , who the people calls their teacher , being there speaking to the people , i went to the place , and there stood peaceably , and the priest seeing of me called to the officers three several times , to take me out of the house , which they did : and forced me forth out of the door ; and there i stood until the priest had done , and was come down out of his high place , and the people were some of them departed ; then i was moved to go in again , and spoke some word unto the people : and the priest seeing me went up again into his high place , and named a text of scripture , and called to the people to keep their places , but they would not ; and then he came down , and commanded the constable ro keep me in his custody , which he did ; and the next day samuel glover procured a warrant from john mansel of thorp , wherein it were expressed , that i were a wanderer , and an idle person ; yet i lived within four miles of that place , wrought hard for my living with one thomas cocket of dingley in northamptonshire , shoomaker . the constable the next day had me before john mansel , and john brown , who then was at thorp aforesaid ; and when i came before them , they told me i were there accused for disturbing mr. glover ; answer to them was made , that before i spake samuel glover had done , and came down , and he was the disturber in going up again , and named a text : which it was declared to him before the men that there sat to have don justice that what he did it was for a snare , and he answered that he would do so to all that came thither ; then john mansel , and john brown a mittimus made , and sent me to the common goale in northampton , where they say i must lye for three months , where by the power of the lord i in patience wait , until the lord plead my cause in his righteousness . edward ferman . a true declaration of the cause of the imprisonment of thomas cocket in the county of northampton , that no lye might rest upon the truth : for the simple sake i am moved to give it forth . i meeting with a friend that walked honestly , and soberly in the truth ; about two weeks after , i hearing this friend were in bonds , i went to visit him at one william steel's in kettering , and desired to speak with him ; answer were made , that he had an order from justice brown that none might speak with him ; i went away , and afterwards could find no rest in my spirit , until i writ the following lines , which was sent to john brown . the letter is as followeth . john brown , i went to william steel's house , where there were a friend prisoner , and desired to speak with him ; he told me he had order from thee , that none might speak with him . is this to do as thou wouldst be done unto ? thou hast a light of christ in thy conscience , which bears witness with the law of god , and tells the thou shouldst do as thou wouldst be done unto : in persecuting one of christs little ones thou hast done it unto him ; and wo is thy portion . a lover of that which is pure of god in thy conscience , thomas cocket . this is the substance of what was writ , which was about the 4. day of the first month called march . and on the 16. day of the second month called april , i heard that edward ferman my servant , were apprehended with a warrant for a wanderer , and idle person , and carried before john mansel , and john brown , who is in commission to do justice : i went to john mansels house to justifie that he was no wanderer nor idle person ; but with me wrought painfully with his hands . iohn mansel seeing me there , required bonds for my behaviour , for writing the aforesaid lines to iohn brown : and iohn brown being there , i desired of them to shew that letter i writ , and a law which that letter had transgressed : but they refused both , and told me if i would not find men to be bound , i should go to prison : so no law they would me read , but a mittimus made , and sent me to the common goale in northampton , and a copy of the mittimus i am denyed by iohn snart keeper of the goale . and at the general sessions holden at north-hampton the 24. of the 2. month called april , i was brought before iohn manssil , henry bartlet , and iohn thornton , who was in commission to do justice , and the mittimus was read as a charge against me , & the substance in it was , for writing the foresaid lines to john brown , i desired them to read me the letter , and a law that any thing writ in the letter was the transgression of ; but they denyed to read any law , and they required bond for my behaviour , before they proved me a transgressor of the law : so sent me back to prison , where i had been , and am in the dungeon amongst those arraigned for fellony and murther , so am separated from my wife , children , and family ; yet through the power of god , i am kept in measure , to stand as a witness against the unrighteous practices of men , and am made to wait patiently , until the lord judge the cause of the innocent . thomas cocket . finis the persecution of them people they call quakers in several places in lanchashire this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a26351 of text r15214 in the english short title catalog (wing a502 p1661). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 30 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 8 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a26351 wing a502 wing p1661 estc r15214 12255713 ocm 12255713 57433 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26351) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 57433) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 162:2) the persecution of them people they call quakers in several places in lanchashire holme, thomas, d. 1695. fell, leonard, 1624-1700 or 1701. addamson, william, 17th cent. [1], 15 p. printed for giles calvert ..., london : 1656. caption title. written by leonard fell, thomas holme and other friends. wing attributes authorship to william addamson. imprint from colophon. reproduction of original in huntington library. eng society of friends -england -lancashire. persecution -england -lancashire. a26351 r15214 (wing a502 p1661). civilwar no the persecution of them people they call quakers, in several places in lanchashire [sic]. [no entry] 1656 5793 144 0 0 0 0 0 249 f the rate of 249 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the f category of texts with 100 or more defects per 10,000 words. 2006-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-05 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2006-05 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the persecution of them people they call quakers , in several places in lanchashire . first upon thomas butler in the beginning of the fifth month , 1655. we being met together peaceably to wait upon the lord , and to worship him in his own spirit . the meeting was at richard johnsons house of lunt in sefton parish ; there came a man ( who goes by the name of cornet hikson ) rudely into the house , amongst the lords people , and gave forth many threatning words , which within short space was brought forth into actions , by hayling and pushing with much violence against the said people , by beating them , and cutting some with the edge of the sword , one very dangerously with other cruelty , as cutting bridles , stirrup-leathers and pillions into pi●ces , yet did not this harmless people so much as say , why haft thou done so to us ? but prayed to the lord freely to forgive them . and this i was an eye witness of . william addamson . upon the five and twentieth day of the ninth month , being the first day of the week , two of those people called quakers , came into the town of blackburn in lanchashire , and going to the steeple-house , and standing there peaceably before him ( whom they call their minister ) and spoke not a word till he had done . and then one of them said unto him , friend do●st not thou know , that he that addes or diminisheth is accursed , and then the fruits of the priests ministry a peared : some pulled him by the haire of the head , others beating him with the p●ims of their hands , and ●ne took him by the hair of his head , and haled him forth , and did no let him go , till he came into the street , and hurled him against a wall , and so he returned back again towards the steeple-house , and did meet the priest , and did declare against the fruits of his ministery , but the deal adder stopped his car , so he came toward the steeple-house again , and the rude multitude did beat him again , some with the palmes of their hand , some with their bibles pushing him violently , and did not let him stay till they had driven him into a friends house , where the meeting was appointed that day . and the other of them called quakers standing peaceably , and not speaking any word , three of them took hold of the hair of his head , and h led and pulled him down under their feer , and some cryed kill him , and others said they w●ll kill him ; and some punched him with their f●e● , and scra●ched his face with their hands , till the blood come down his cheeks . and when shame began to strike some of them , they pulled them off him , and did let him rise up ; and when he stood up he declared against their persecution , as being the fruits of their priests ministery , and they cryed , away with him , and he said unto them , to whom have we offered any violence , or whom have we wronged ? and they cryed away with him , and did not leave pu●hing him till they c●me at the door of the house where the meeting was . and the next day following , being the second day of the week , came to him , he whom they call their clerk , and asked him how he did , and he answered w●ll , and he said , he thought they had killed me , and said he was sorry they should so abuse me . william simpson , leonard addison , who by the wo●ld are called quakers . to all ye the inhabitants of berry , and the priests thereof , this i am moved of the lord to write , that all the people may see the fruits that proceeds from the two prie●ts of burryes ministery , we whom the world in scorn c●lls quakers , being come to a meeting at henry woods of to●tington , upon the 26. day of the tenth month , and being ●et pea●e●b●y down in the house , and some people being met together , which no law that is now in force in the nation , doth forbid . and one whose name is isaac y●at , being speaking ( as he was moved of the lord ) to the people . there came in violently a deal of rude people from the town of b●rry , who did not ●tand to hear what was spoken , and according to the scriptures to prove all things , and to hold fast that which is good . but violently pulled the said isaac by the hair of the head , from off the place where he was sitting , very likely to have murthered him , and ha●ing h●m ●or●h of the door , they said we spoke against their m●n●sters . o shamel●ss ministers who have such members in your church as these , who are fighters , swearers , and dr●nkard , a●e these the fruits of your ministery and members o● your church , who came violently with staves to pers●cute the innocent ? when we desired to have moderation , that the ministers of christ might have been tryed who they had been , according to the scripture . o ye priests of berry are you not ashamed to have your names recorded , who sends forth such brawlers , fighters , contentious ones ? is this the order and custome in your church ? this is contrary to the apostle , who said , ifany man seem to be contentious , we have none such custome in the church of god . so from the apostles , example , and the church of god , ye have cleared your selves , who are contending for hire , and for the fleece at this present time , but feed not the flock , who runs , but the lord never sent you , and therefore you do not profit the people at all , who seek for your gain from your quarter . now all people honestly consider , whether these two priests be in the doctrine of christ , yea or nay ? who are contending about their wages ( the parsonage of berry ) as they call it . they are here found in the way of baalam , who erred from the spirit , who loved the wages of unrighteousness , who feed themselves with the fat , and cloath with the wool , but feed not the flock of my pasture , saith the lord . give over professing your selves to be ministers of christ , and of the gospel , who are found out of the doctrine of christ , and own your selves to be hireling● , which the lord sent his true prophets to cry against . and all people take warning , and uphold not these deceivers any longer , but return to the light in your conscience which conv●nce●h you o● sin , which lets you see you should not lye , nor swear , nor be drunk , nor envy , for such go in cains way from the command of god , and example of the churches of the saints . read whose example ye follow ●n the scriptures , the priests go in the way of balaam for gifts and rewards ; shame may cover your fac●s , to see your names recorded ; for hirelings who profess to be ministers of christ , as william alt , and john lightfoot of berry do . and you who own them to be ministers , who are going in the way of cain , to envy and murther , as you whose names are here written , tho. banister , henry banister , richard overy , richard taylor . edward hunt , thomas battersby and divers others , who may be ashamed to profess to be christians , and practise such things as never was practised by christ , nor the church in god . therefore all people fear the living god , and depart from the evil of your doings , partake not of their doings , least you partake of their plagues . from us who witness the promise of the lord fulfilled , that he would teach his people himself , john branthwait , isaac yeats . and at manchester , one william barret ( who is a teaching elder , so called ) at sto●ford having formerly had some words with some of them called quakers , challenged a meeting to be at the house of john maddocke in manchester , and in writing gave forth these words as followeth . by the assistance of god , i shall undertake to prove , that whosoever doth entertain the opinions of the quakers , and do live and dye in those opinions without repentance , cannot be saved . provided that i may have fourteen days warning before the meeting , and that the conference may be orderly managed according to what was proposed to tho. taylor in m●nchester , in the presence of mr. wiggin , and divers others . o ▪ thus . that whereas the said persons do pretend to be guided by the spirit , i shall undertake to prove , that it is not the spirit of god , but the spirit of the devil . november . 9. 1655. by me william barret . the day may be , if god permit , upon teusday forthnight , at the house of john maddocke in manchestor , in case the said persons be pleased to give the meeting . thus far barrets words . and according to this time which he appointed , one leonard fell , and several others of them called quakers , c●me to the said place which he had appointed , and demanded of him what he had to charge them with . then the said barret spoke the words before mentioned in his paper which he had given forth . and leonard fell bade him prove what he had spoken , which was that the spirit which we are guided by , is not the spirit of god , but the spirit of the d●vil , but nothing he could prove against any that was there present , but did accu●e o●e that was not then pres●nt , whom he named thomas holme o● something that he had written a year agoe . and leonard fell and the rest said he witness●d christ manifested in them , and that scripture , receiving the end of your faith , even the salvation of your souls , 1 pet. 1. 9. to be true . and leonard fell said further , that if thomas holme did witness the end of his faith , even the salvation of his soul ; the scripture doth testifie of the same . and then barret replyed , i utterly denyed that the scriptures speaks any thing to this purpose . now le● all judge whether this be not the spirit of a divel that spoke in barret , that denies plain scripture , as in 1 pet. 1. 9. and this was taken from his own mouth , by his own writer , with much more vain empty words , not worth ▪ mentioning , which passed from him at that meeting . then another meeting was sent for by him in writing , and the day he appointed to meet upon , was the tenth day of the eleventh month to be at manchester ; and he in that paper engaged to prove what he had formerly given under his hand ; and when we came to the place that barret and john wiggin●ad appointed to meet in , and so soon as the said barret and wiggin ▪ with some others with them came , and went into a certain place called the colledge g●rden ▪ and when we came to them , there came in certain rude p●r●●n● , and thrust into the company , and before many wo●ds were spoken , they laid violent hands upon several of them called quakers , with many blows , and so in a rude manner tales some of them over the bridge out of the town ; and being demanded the reason why they were so rude and cruel ; they answered and said , the constable ( whose name is arthur buckley ▪ a woolen d●●per ) had sent them so to do ; and many of the people so haled forth , told them they had horses in the town , and some other business to do in it ; but they replied and said , they should not come into the town again , and so for a certain space they kept them forth of the town , and some others of them b●ing at a friends house in the town peaceably met , waiting upon the lord , the said constable hearing of it , he with a rude company went to the said house , and the said constable himselfe laid hands on first , and drew one forth , a●d then the rude persons which he brought with him laid hands upon the rest , and violently thrust them forth with many blows . and one of the inhabitants of the town ( of their own party ) seeing their cruelty , asked why they did so use them , and one of the rude persons a●sw●red and said , he did nothing but what the co●st●bl● had given him order to do . and after so doing , some friends were taken and haled before the magistrate , and ●or some time kept in ●old , till the magistrate could have time to exa●ine the thing and then being brought before the magistrate again , and many false accu●ations and sl●●der● laid ●gainst them by the constable ( arthur buckley ) ●s that they were vagabons and wanderers . t●●n one of them answered ( before the magistrate ) that he was no vagabond , for he had ninty ▪ pounds by the year ●n l●nd in one plac● , so they were as p●●soners that night , that they might appear the next day before the magistrate . and other friends being at their lo●ging at an inn in the town ▪ the said constable went and took their names ▪ and gave command to the w●man of the house where they were , that they should not d●par● till the next day . and they being the next day brought before the magistrate , and both the priests richard hollinworth , and richard herrick● ( priests of manchester ) being pre●●nt , after many confused words passing from the said priests , which are not worth mentioning . priest herricke did ●ffirm before the magistrate and man others , that the b●dy of christ is not spiritual ; and when he was ( by william addamson ) chillen●ed with his b●a●phemy , he said he would prove it by scripture , and he produced these words to prove it , that christ said , i am not a spirit ; and then he was by him ch●tged with a lye , for ●h●re was no such words in that scripture . many things being laid against them before the magistrate , but nothing proved ; they were set free by the magistrate , onely tho ▪ holme , and john hall were stayed , and the said pr●●sts there laboured ●o ensnare the said tho. holm , by pu ting the magistrate on to give him the oath of abjura●ion . and ●●●●st her ick● 〈◊〉 i● for●h , that he sought to bring the said tho. holme into prison , and the constable pretended that they 〈◊〉 some other witness●s to examine . so the said tho. holme did stand till the witness came ; and the magistrate ●xamining the witness , and finding that th●y could not prove any thing against him , set him free . so here al● the p●ople in and about manchester , who hath made such great profession of god and christ , and of the scriptures ●o be your rule , see the fruits of your profession , and of your ministry which you run after . some for the p●esby●erians , and some for the independents , some looking for christs comming in the clouds f the sky without you , and in their minds imagine a person●l reign . and thus you are confused , and divided in your vain thoughts and imaginations , which makes you manifest ▪ ●hat you know him not come at all , nor cannot confess him come in the flesh . and so you are proved by the scripture to be the antichrist which john speaks of , which should be in the last times . where the apostle saith , little children it is the last time , and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come , even now are there many an●ichrists ; whereby we know that it is the last time , 1 john 2. 18. and the apostle saith farther , hereby know ye the spirit of god ; every spirit that confesseth that jesus christ is come in the flesh is of god ; and every spirit that confesseth not that jesus christ is come in the flesh is not of god . and this is that spirit of antichrist , whereof ye have heard that it should come , and even now already is it in the world , 1 john 4. 2 , 3. now all people try your teachers by the scriptures , and their pr●ctise , and let their own words try them who looks for a christ yet to come , as some of them said , what will you quake●s do , who saith christ is within you , when christ comes in the clouds . here now all people , do but honestly examine and see wheth●r th●se spirits confess christ come , who looks for him yet to come . and let the light of christ jesus in your con●ciences examine , search you , and try you , whether you dare b●l●eve that which the apostle spoke to to b● truth , who saith , every spirit who doth not confess christ jesus come in the flesh is not of god : or these d●ceivers who looks for him yet to come . and thus you are divided , some for a personal reign , and some for the independent way , and some for the presbyterian way , and some of you utterly denies the scripture , as wiliam barret did , who denied that any should witness the receivi●g the end of their faith , the salvation of their souls , as it is in 1 pet. 1. 9. and others denied that christs body is spiritual , as richard herricke lately did at manchester , and so thus you are in your contention , and striving about the body of jesus , as the divel did about the body of moses , which makes you clearly manifested to all that have their eyes opened in the least measure ; to be those filthy dreamers which defiles the flesh , which jude speaks of . and ye are plainly manifested that ye are they which eateth and drinketh unworthily , and so eateth and drinketh your own damnation , not discerning the lords body . and here let all poor people about manchester , who are betrayed and deceived with you , seriously consider what you are leading them into , who knows not the body yet , whereof christ jesus is the head , but are at variance about the body of christ . therefore consider of what bodi s ye are members of , seein● your leadersknows not the body of christ . and beware of deceiving your own soules ; and being betrayed by these deceivers , who leads them in the dark : and so is the blind leaders of the blinde , and so both falls into the pit . for they ●an lead none but who a●e blind . fo● any who hath their mi●ds turned in the le●st me●sure to the light , s●es them , and discerns them to be the ministers of antichrist , and the deceivers and false prophets which john speak of , which are gone out into the world from the light which is this worlds condemnation , and denies the light by which the lord god teacheth his people . as some of them said , that the scripture is a more seemly oracle then the light within , when as christ jesus faith , the light of the body is the eye , and if the eye be single , the whole body is full of light . and so these deceivers that denies the light of the body , were not like to know the body , but makes images in their dark vain minds ; one imagining one way , and another another way , and so betrays poor people , and keeps their soules in death . but the lord god is risen , who is the father of light , and he who is the light of the whole body , is redeeming his people from under the devourers mouths . therefore all people who desi●e ●o know the living god , and the lords body , turn your minds within , to the light which shines in your consciences , which shews you sin and evil , and checks you when you do ami●s ; and lets you see your vain thoughts and your deceitful hearts : this will rip you up , and lay you open , and makes all things manifest , this convinceth of sin , and brings all things to remembrance , which all the doctrine which your hirelings preached never did . therefore give over going after them , and search into the scriptures , and you will see them the deceivers of your souls . the scriptures witnesseth against them and their practises , even in th i● manner of their worship . for nothing that they act in that which they call their worship , is according to the scripture● . and all the saints in light which gave forth the scriptures witnessed against these practises they live in . do but honestly consider , and you will see , that all them that were at variance amongst themselves , as wiggin , and eaton , and herricke , and barret , and holingworth , all these agree together in opposing and persecuting the truth . and although that some of them were the men that appointed the meeting , yet had they not so much power over the people , as to have the meeting kept peaceable , but all was in an uproar . so let all people see what order and government is in these churches , and several opinions , which makes them min●fest they ( who are so d●v●ded amongst themselves ) are all divided from the living god , and from the living truth , from christ jesus , who is the way , the truth , and the life , and this is but one . therefore all people a warning , a warning from the lord god to you , as you will answer it before him , who is a consuming fire to the wicked , turn to the light of jesus christ which will examine , and search , and try you ▪ and bring you to know christs will in you , and so bring you our of the reproba ● saith . this will let you see the mystery , which is christ within , and this will bring you to know him come in the flesh : and it will let you see these antichrists who are in the world striving amongst their many opinions : and therefore are they condemned with the light which is the worlds condemnation ; for the light is the condemnation of the world , and all the antichrists that are in the world . and so now see whether you will turn to the light of jesus christ , who is the way , the truth and the life , which is but one ; or you will continue amongst them who are of the many opinions , who denies the light , and christ come in the flesh , and so arefound to be antichrists , deceivers of your soules : and so here is life and death set before you , light and darkness , truth and error , the strait way and the broad way , there is but these two . so now see what ye will take now , and this ye shall eternally witness to be truth , whether ye will hear or forbear . and thus the people in lanchashire goes on , breathing forth their persecution ; three of those people called quak●rs hath been sent to lanchaster to prison since the sessions . one of them because he would not be a church-warden ( as they call it ) and another because he would have meetings at his house , and the third for speaking to the priest . so let all the wise hearted judge what law these men act by . so that now there is in lanchaster castle eighteen , besides one who is dissolved out of the outward body ( who was imp●isoned for tithes ) whose blood will be required of some . so here is the fruit of your profession : therefore blush and be ashamed for never none of the saints of god was found in such persecution and cruelty which is acted by this generation , against the innocent and harmless people of god , as is at this day manifested by the cruel mocki●g● , buff●●tings , haling before magistrates , stocking , scourging , imprisoning ; this is the riches of the saints , and here they follow the captain of their salvation , who is made perfect through sufferings ; glory be to the living god , who is their strength and arm , that will carry them through . leonard fell , will . addamson . to holmes answer to barres . william barret , whereas thou didst undertake to prove that such as do entertain the opinions of the quakers , and do live and dye in those opinions without repentance , cannot be saved . i prove it thus , that such as are of opinion that faith is seased with such whe●e christ is manifested , are of such an opinion , that if ye live and dye in it without repentance cannot be saved ; but of such an opinion is tho. holms . ans. opinions i do deny , & for holding opinion that faith is ceased that i do deny ; and if any such word be there writ , that faith is ceased , i do it condemn , and upon thee do it return , it being thy own word ; for i live by the faith of the son of god ; which faith the world knows ▪ not : and if this be thy ground that thou hast against the people called quakers , if i do remove and do it condemn , and do own that faith which purifieth the heart , which is held in a pure conscience , and that scripture i own in heb. 11. which saith , without faith it is impossible to please god , and my desire is , that all may come to faith , and to receive the end of their faith , the salvation of their souls , 1 pet. 1. 9. which thing was there intended however it was writ , and the writer of it i was not , but that paper i left in the county of chaster to be copied over , and into another country i went , and if any thing in it be contrary to the scriptures , i● i do condemn ; so concerning this thing let thy mouth bo stopt , and accuse not the people called quakers , with that they are not guilty of for from such an opinion do i them clear , and for wha● thou hast writ against them , from under it canst thou not get , but under shame and condemnation must come . and for that scripture in 1 pet. 1. 5. it i do own , and it a witness stands a witness against thee , and a witness for us it stands , who are and have been kept by the power of god through faith unto salvation : and for the scriptures which is here writ , them i do own , and this may serve in answer to thy first paper . and whereas thou s●yest , for as much as i said , whereas the said persons do pretend to be guided by the spirit , i will undertake to prove that it is not the spirit of god but of the divel . i prove it thus , first he that doth so enquire what difference can be be●w●xt god , christ and saints , that doth imply there is no difference amongst them is not in that guided by the spirit of god , but by the spirit of the devil . answ , what spirit is that , that ac●useth persons of that which was writ by one person , and what spirit is that which crosseth scriptures , and would put a difference amongst them , who are of one ; for the apostle saith , he that sanctifieth , and they who are sanctified , are all of one , heb. 11. so that spirit which makes ● difference is contrary to the scriptures , and is not the spirit of god , but the spirit of the devil ; for it is written , that the father might be one as we are one , joh. 4. 17. and it is written , as he is so are ye in this present world ; so that spirit which divides god , christ , and saints , and would make them at ods , is not the spirit of god but the spirit of the divel , and with the spirit of god it is judged . and hcu saidst he ( s●id tho. holm ) affirmed in the presence of divers persons thus , i am equal with god . answ. that is false and a lye , it was not so spoken by tho. holme and to this thou was fully answered , and tho. holms was denied to be equal with god , but thou hast made lyes thy refuge , as thy forefathers did which went before , and he that li●s is of the devil , for there is no lye of the truth . and thou saiest he that faith it is so , what is due to god is due to a saint , is not in this guided by the spirit of god but by the spirit of the devil . answ. what is due to god thou givest him not , and what is due unto saints thou knowest not , but what is due to the wicked thou fir●● must know , and judgement is committed to god , to the son , and to the saints , and their judgement is one , for the saints shall judge the world , and angel , 1 cor. 6. 23. and this honour have all the saints , they bind the kings in chains , and lords in iron bands , ps. 149. 7 , 8 , 9. verses ; and the saints are heirs , and co heirs with the son , and the son thought it no robbery to be equal with the father , and ye all have one inheritance . ( and the son prayed ) that the pather might be one , even as we are one , joh. 17. 11. and thou who would divide father , son , and saints , is not guided by the spirit of god , but by the spirit of the divel , which crosseth and is contrary to the scriptures , and for the scriptures thou hast brought in , them i do own , but thy end in bringing them in i do deny , who brings in scriptures for thy own ends , which makes not for thy purpose . so this may serve in answer to thy papers , and may certifie all that reads this , that faith we do own , which is the gift of god , and do not it deny , neither it destroy , though we witness to him bear , who is the end of our faith , the salvation of the soul , 1 pet. 1. 9. so now upon thee do i lay all thy boasting words , which from the pride and envy of thy heart was given forth to prove and make good what thou hast written , else all the country which have seen thy paper will witness against thee , and thy shame and condemnation , they must own , which thy due and portion is for thy envy against the truth . thomas holm● . london , printed for giles calvert , at the black-spread-eagle , neer the west end of pauls , 1656. finis . popish treachery, or, a short and new account of the horrid cruelties exercised on the protestants in france being a true prospect of what is to be expected from the most solemn promises of roman catholick princes / in a letter from a gentleman of that nation, to one in england, and by him made english. gentleman of that nation. 1689 approx. 33 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 21 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a55466 wing p2958 estc r1443 11875958 ocm 11875958 50245 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a55466) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 50245) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 819:34) popish treachery, or, a short and new account of the horrid cruelties exercised on the protestants in france being a true prospect of what is to be expected from the most solemn promises of roman catholick princes / in a letter from a gentleman of that nation, to one in england, and by him made english. gentleman of that nation. [10], 28 p. printed are to be sold by richard baldwin ..., london : 1689. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng persecution -france. protestants -france. 2007-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-01 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-08 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2007-08 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion licensed and entred according to order . popish treachery : or , a short and new account of the horrid cruelties exercised on the protestants in france . being a true prospect of what is to be expected from the most solemn promises of roman catholick princes . in a letter from a gentleman of that nation , to one in england , and by him made english . london : printed and are to be sold by richard baldwin , in the old-baily . mdclxxxix . popish treachery : or , a short and new account of the horrid cruelties exercised in france , &c. the preface . it is not long since this letter was writ to me by a french gentleman , at my request , and for my particular satisfaction ; who as he is a person of much worth and integrity , and has been an eye-witness of most of the things whereof he speaks , so the readier faith and greater credit ought to be given to them . but his testimony alone need not to be rely'd on for the matters of fact he here relates , there are thousands of other french protestants , now in england , that confirm the truth of all ; and who having felt the smart of a severe persecution in france , are fled from thence to avoid the extream fury and insupportable violence thereof . now the unquestionable evidence i have for the certainty of what is advanced in the following account , and the desire of many to see it published in english , has made me consent so to expose it , hoping it may give some seasonable information , and satisfaction , to our people . for though most of them may have heard much talk of a persecution in france , and have generously and bountifully contributed their charity towards the relief of those miserable persecuted french protestants , who are come hither for refuge and succour , yet i have reason to believe that very few of them know any thing of the cruel manner wherewith the barbarous and inhuman papists have pursued that persecution ; this is what they will find set down in short , in the little relation here presented to them ; and they may there see a notorious example of the base treachery of popery , and of the cruelties which it holds , as a point of religion , to make protestants suffer ; over whom it pretends to have a soveraign and absolute dominion . so this little history not being perplex'd and embarressed with numerous and tedious circumstances , all sorts of people may thereby easily inform themselves of this persecution , as much as we ordinarily desire to know of such events . and besides that charity of our poor persecuted brethren and fellow protestants makes us concern'd therein , as being equally objects of the hatred and oppression of popery , so it may serve to prompt us to some reflections for our own interest : nam tua res agitur parces cum proximus ardet . when our neighbours house is on fire , it behooves us to take care of our own , and to use all lawful and convenient means to preserve it from the rage and fury of a merciless enemy . such has popery ever been to protestants , and from it , good lord still deliver england . ppoish treachery : or , a short and new account of the horrid crvelties exercised on the protestants in france , &c. sir , i cannot but wonder , as well as you , that no history of the persecution of the french protestants , has yet appeared in your language : 't is to be wished it were well known to all people of the reformed religion , that they might there see popery in its true colours , and be taught by that great example , to understand , that the promises it makes , are but lyes and snares , to deceive the honest faith and good nature of other men. they would there see , likewise , how by little and little it advanceth its affairs , still swearing that it has no design to proceed any further ; and how it , at length , adds inhumanity to perfidiousness , when it has once got to be uppermost : but we had enough to convince us of the treacherous and bloody spirit of popery , without the history of this late persecution . the massacre of the waldenses so often reiterated : the general massacre of the protestants all over europe , in the beginning of the reformation : the persecution and massacre of the low-countries , under philip the second : the massacre of st. bartholomew in france : the gun-powder treason in england : the massacre of ireland : the last persecution of hungary ; and the late one of the valleys of piedmont , shew sufficiently , how that communion thirsts after the blood of men , and is ingenious in satiating it self therewith , from time to time . however , sir , since you desire it , i will here draw you a short scheme of that great persecution , which ought to be an eternal advertisement to all protestants in the world , that popery spares neither oaths nor promises to delude them , and sticks at no frauds nor violences to obliterate them totally , if it were possible , from off the face the earth . and this relation i am now going to make you , will be so much the more faithful , as that i shall say nothing therein , but what my own eyes have seen , or what i other ways know for certain truth . the protestants of france , liv'd under the faith of many edicts , which promised them liberty of conscience , and equal priviledges with the rest of the french ; the most considerable of their edicts was that of nantes . henry the fourth , grandfather of his present majesty , having by their assistance and fidelity , put an end to the league which the papists had made , to hinder him from getting into the throne , was desirous to recompence the blood and lives which the hugonots had expended for his service ; and he did it by that famous edict which gave them the same priviledges as his other subjects enjoy'd , and he granted it to them , and to their posterity , for ever , under the title of perpetval and irrevocable ; so it was , as a law of the state , which was confirm'd by the kings , at their coming to the crown , and has been expressly so , by many edicts of lewis the 13th , and of lewis the 14th , now reigning . when this king came to the crown , he was very young ; the prince of conde stirr'd up civil wars to ravish it from him , and the greatest part of the papists sided with him , but the protestants were all of a constant and uncorrupted fidelity to their soveraign , so that they made all the prince's designs prove abortive , and preserv'd the scepter to him that yet bears it . after which , he gave them a publick declaration of his acknowledgment , and assur'd them of his favour and protection , during his whole reign ; but at the same time that he gave this publick declaration , and a thousand other private ones to particulalar persons , he even then began to form a design of ruining those who had saved him : he made reflection , that since , by their means , he had been settled in his throne , they might , in an other occasion , shake him out of it ; and upon this reflection it was that he resolved to ruine them , as he has in effect done . at first , he began with retrenching , by degrees , all the hugonots from his house , who had any imployment therein , and the which he had given them as a recompence of their faithful service to him ; insomuch , that in a short time , there was not a souldier in his whole guards , but what was of his own religion : merit was no longer consider'd in their persons ; he no more advanc'd any of them to the places of trust in the kingdom ; he put out those he had formerly preferred thereto ; and he set forth divers declarations , prohibiting them all kind of offices , arts and trades , so that none but papists could exercise , or profess any ; by which means , vast numbers of protestants were reduc'd to inevitable misery . he took their colledges and schools away from them , so that they had no master of their religion , to teach their children either to read or write . when he had done that , he then sent troops of missionaries into all the towns , to gain , as many as they could , by cunning tricks , or price of money ; and 't was a strange thing to see the shameful commerce this people made , of buying those whom extream poverty oblig'd to sell themselves . the misery was so great in some places , that they were forc'd to turn papists ; sometimes for ten crowns , sometimes for five , sometimes for two , sometimes for a great deal less . these missionaries walk'd about , every where , with baggs of money in their hands , and for the space of two years together , one saw hardly any other traders stirring up and down the kingdom , but these dealers for the souls of men , who bought them according to their profession , and the number of their families . at the same time , pensions , or imployments were given to those , of any consideration , who would turn papists . the king , by a declaration , gave liberty to children , at seven years of age , to choose a religion ; and the fathers of such children as became papists , were forced to give them yearly pensions , and always more than what they were well able ; by which means they seduced abundance of the younger sort , bringing mourning and desolation into many families , which for the most part of the time they utterly ruin'd . after this , they forbad their minister to speak any thing of controversie , or of what pass'd against them ; upon which prohibition , and divers others of the like nature , they daily made them say things that had never entred into their thoughts : they hired false witnesses to depose against them , who were often reduc'd to avow their lying testimonies ; and 't was frequently prov'd too , the priests , and others , had suborn'd them . but as their ruine was absolutely sworn , so nothing satisfy'd them ; their estates were confiscated , their persons cast into prison , banish'd , or condemn'd to some other shameful disgrace . there was no safety for any , they found ways to bring the most moderate into trouble , and especially , to destroy those who were capable of giving some good example to others . these are the degrees of the desolations of this people , and of the tears they have been made to shed for about twenty five years last past ; during which time , no body possess'd in peace what they had , and every one were in perpetual inquietudes for themselves , and for their children . but these were only the beginnings of their misery , and the essays of popish fury and perfidiousness : whilst on one hand they persecuted some , they assured others that the king had no design against their liberty . in almost all the edicts which his majesty set forth , he inserted some article to lull them asleep : he said , that not one tittle of the edict of nantes should be violated : and he insinuated , that his intention was only to interdict the religion , and to stop there . the elector of brandenburgh having had the bounty to intercede for them , the king of france gave him an answer , that is to be seen in many of the protestants writings ; by which he assur'd his highness , that so long as he liv'd , no wrong should be done to his subjects of the reform'd religion ; that he acknowledged them for good ones , and would maintain them in all their priviledges . in the mean time , he had taken from them many of these priviledges ; and what is remarkable at the same time that he wrote this letter to his highness of brandenburgh , he in the very self same instant caused many of their temples to be demolish'd , and others to be shut up ; put the ministers into prison ; oppressed private persons with heavy injustices ; and made those to mourn bitterly whom he said he would protect . he began a thing too , which had never been heard of in any age , not even in the savagest nations , or the most remote from christianity ; that is , he made children to be taken from their fathers and mothers , and to be put into convents , with a strict charge not to let their parents see them , not excepting even persons of the highest birth , and of families to which he had obligations that ought never to have been forgotten by him . he took away seven from the duke de la force , an ancient duke and peer of the kingdom , the eldest not being then twelve years old . he did the like by all those of the count de roy , whom he had some time before permitted to go and serve the king of denmark , in quality of general of his armies . in a word , at the same time that he promised to protect the hugonots , he even then did all he could to ruine them , and there was nothing but sighs and tears amongst them : one saw every where souls afflicted to the very grave ; some bewailing the loss of their pastors and temples ; others the dispersion and ruine of their families ; others the carrying away of their children ; and others trembled for fear of the same , or of greater misfortunes . in fine , do but mark now how far their fraud and cruelty went ; that edict of nantes was revoked which they had so often promis'd , and so often sworn should be inviolably observ'd ; and this fence being quite broke down , all that great people was abandon'd to the rage and fury of the souldiers . but , what is yet more notorious , to push on the cheat as far as the fraudulent wit of man could carry it , in the very act for cessation of the forementioned edict , this king declared , that he was desirous that all people should live quietly in their families ; and that the exercise of the protestant religion being interdicted , every one might live , in his own house , as he pleas'd . but at the same time that his majesty solemnly swore this promise , he sent his armies to surprize the protestants in their towns and houses , with orders , to plunder , burn , demolish , beat , and in short , to make them suffer all manner of evils could be devis'd , death only excepted ; which in this circumstance would have been look'd on as a great happiness . the king usurp'd the throne of god , and took upon him the empire over the conscience ; and in his name whole towns were summon'd , by puissant armies , to turn papists , and upon refusal , they were abandon'd to pillage and ruine , and to the same fury as enemy towns are wont to be when taken by storm . they seiz'd on all the avenues , and brought back those to the persecutors , who had escaped out of their hands : they beat , ransack'd , violated , and made this people suffer a thousand evils , without distinction either of age , sex , or quality , from the oldest to the youngest , male and female , noble , or ignoble , all were equally at the discretion of the souldiers : blasphemies , impieties and blows , were the arguments of this infernal mission ; and one may say , without exaggeration , that hell seem'd to be let loose , and that the devils were come to preach up popery on the earth . alas ! who can reckon the tears were shed in this sad occasion ? god alone knows their number , who doubtless has counted and gather'd them all into his bosom . the air ecchoed every where with grievous lamentations ; and i think , nothing more pittiful could be heard , than the crys and groans of this people , whilst they were in the hands of their tormentors . they dragg'd many of these poor creatures into the popish churches by the feet , by the hair of the head , or by ropes tied about their necks ; they hang'd them up at the tops of rooms , or out of the windows , by their heels , or by their hands ▪ they plung'd them into deep wells , and stinking mires , with toads and serpents , where they left them according to the time of their constancy ; they lighted great fires , and roasted some till they had changed their religion ; if their patience was longer than the cruelty of their persecutors , then they basted their naked legs with scalding grease , or boyling oyl . others they made to hold red hot coals in their hands ; burnt the soals of their feet ; tore the hair from their beards , and the nails from their fingers , and toes by the very roots ; larded their flesh all over with pins , and thrash'd them with sticks till they left them for dead . if they were sick , they beat drums , and sounded trumpets , night and day , in their ears , for 't was a general rule to hinder them from sleeping , and to set them in different postures ; sometimes standing upon one leg , holding up a hand in the air ; sometimes down on their knees , doing the like , &c. if they changed postures , through weariness , then they pinch'd and cudgell'd them till they were black and blue . sometimes they tied all the people of a family in a room together , and in sight of one another , they beat and bruis'd the men , and made the women suffer a thousand indignities . they would often carry them separately into chambers , to torment them , but so as they might hear each others crys ; and every one in suffering , suffer'd for themselves , and for the rest of their family , which they either saw in torments , or heard the crys thereof . in short , let any man but fancy to himself , what vast numbers of soulders , brutal , and let loose , are capable to invent and act in all manner of mischief and cruelty , and he will have an idea of the method whereby the protestants of france have been taught to become papists . o tempora ! o mores ! this great fury made those that could save themselves , fly into the woods , mountains and caves ; they wandred in the fields , exposed to all the injuries of the air , not having wherewith to live , or to cover themselves ; and not daring to stir but in the night , for fear of falling into the hands of their enemies , old and young , men and women , all wandred in the desarts ; and all these were but some members of sad families , fathers without children , and children without fathers ; wives without their husbands , and husbands without their wives ; a doleful spectacle , no doubt , to the eyes of men. but this is not all , the fury was so excessive that the sea-ports were every where shut for to hinder their flight , and above 100000 souldiers imployed to stop their passage on the frontiers , besides all the peasants whom they had made , and the priests enjoyn'd , to take up arms against them ; so that it was by great good providence , if any could save themselves amidst so many obstacles : and i don't believe there was one in forty but what was taken , after having gone , sometimes two or three hundred leagues , with all sort of misery and difficulty . the prisons were all full of these poor fugitives , and if any of them had ever changed their religion before , they were sent to the galleys ; a punishment in france , more ignominious and cruel than any death . one saw every where , in the provinces , the chains of these confessors , which they dragg'd along from one end of the kingdom to the other : tantaene animis coelestibus irae . the women were shav'd , and carry'd away to convents ; nor were they put in there many times , till they had first been at the mercy of certain people ▪ worse than the very dragoons , and who made them suffer things that modesty and civility permit me not to name : i shall only say that they shut several of them up for many months together , with murderers and highway men , and such like cattle . some were cast into deep dungeons where they never saw day-light , and they cloath'd them with filthy raggs , taken from the noisom carkases of dead persons , which they stripp'd before their faces . but the height of all evils , and that which had never entred into the heart of the wickedest of all the men history tells us of , was the sending whole vessels full of them to the new world , to be sold to the savages there ; men and women , young and old , noble or others , all were treated equally alike . in some places they made assemblies to pray to god , and there the dragoons massacred all they could light on , burnt the houses to which the fugitives retir'd , and those poor creatures with them . some they hang'd up on trees , and others they precipitated from the tops of high rocks , and they broke those on the wheel , limb after limb , whom they called the heads of these assemblies . but it would be endless to particularize all the various tortures , and unheard of cruelties , which the papists practic'd upon the protestants in france , for to force them to abjure their religion : i will only say , that they carry'd them to all the excess of fury and inhumanity that the devils themselves were capable to inspire . so that considering this persecution in all its circumstances , it may well be reckon'd the greatest and blackest that ever was amongst christians in any age. after they had in this manner dispersed so many families , ruined so many houses , made so many tears to be shed , and caus'd a general desolation , they at length made a publick spectacle and divertisement thereof . the kings players acted for many months together in paris , a comedy , call'd , merlin dragoon ; in which the persecutors and the persecuted were the persons represented , and the court and people went in crowds to laugh and divert themselves , at the oppressions and torments which the protestants had suffer'd ; and by this , as well as the rest , you may judge what share piety had in that vvork . now , though all these frauds , violencies and cruelties , and infinite numbers more have been acted towards the protestants of france , in the face of the sun , before millions of eye-witnesses , and are known to the greatest part of europe ; yet some are so unreasonably incredulous , that they will not be perswaded there has been any persecution in that kingdom ; and others have been so disingeniously confident , as to maintain in their oral and printed discourses , that there has been none . amongst these latter , is the bishop of meaux , monsieur varillas , father thomasin , monsieur brueis , &c. persons of great parts and learning , though of very little candour and integrity . nor indeed , is it any wonder to find such sons and champions of popery , deficient in those laudable and christian virtues ▪ since 't is very difficult , nay , almost impossible , for a man to be of the roman church , and not have his principles vitiated , and his morals depraved by her ; so different are the maxims and doctrines she imposes , from those which our saviour teacheth us in his holy gospel . but that which the ingenious author of the apolog. hist . urges , to prove the truth of the late persecution against the assertions of monsieur brueis , and the rest , seems sufficient to convince the unprejudic'd world of the reality thereof , and to invalidate those gentlemens arguments , and all other whatsoever to the contrary . above two hundred thousand persons , says he , of both sexes , of all ages , and of all conditions , the greatest part of which lived very well , at their ease , in their own houses , and many of them possess'd rich inheritances , considerable imploys , fair revenues , some to the value of three and four thousand pounds per annum . these , says he , have left all , and are most of them gone out of france , in a manner , quite naked . they have not only quitted their houses and estates , abandon'd their country , their friends , their parents , relations of all kinds , those that were nearest and dearest to them ; they have broke all the ties of nature and consanguinity , and of the most tender affection ; they have separated , if i may so say , from a part of themselves , from their own bowels . in this cruel separation , they have gone away from all they had most near and dear to them in the world , at the price of their liberties and their lives . they have done it to go and wander in unknown countries , in climates extreamly different from those where they had receiv'd their births , without having any thing certain , without hoping for any other subsistance there , than what they could gather from the charity of strangers . if this be not the effect of a violent persecution , what is then that madness which has got into the minds of all , and made them take so unparellell'd a resolution ? how has this fury communicated it self to so many people of all sorts , who lived very far asunder , and who had never known , or seen one another ? how has it gain'd , in so short a time , all the provinces of so great a kingdom as france is , and in those provinces , almost all who were , or had been of the reform'd religion , men and women , young and old , rich and poor , noble and ignoble ? let monsieur brueis now explain to us a little this unheard of prodigy , if he will perswade us that there has been no persecution in france . but whatsoever men are pleased to say , and think of it , i may with truth affirm , that above two hundred thousand of the kings most faithful subjects have voluntarily banished themselves from his kingdom to fly the persecution ; not to speak of many thousand others , persons , some of which have been condemned to the last punishments by the judges ; others have been massacred by the souldiers ; others have died in the galleys , others have been shut up in convents ; and others been embark'd and sent for america . new declarations more severe than the former are daily publish'd ; fresh orders are given for the guard of the frontiers ; the new converts are forc'd , with greater rigour than ever , to go to mass , to confess , and to receive the communion . they continue to fill the convents , prisons and galleys with confessors ; and they empty them from time to time by new embarkments for america . there where the assemblies continue , there they continue to massacre them . the dragoons perform their mission with the same zeal still ; and the judges cease not giving the same sights to the people of bodies drawn about on sledges , and cast dead upon the common highways ; and of martyrs conducted to punishment , and ending their lives by the hands of executioners . such is now the face of france : such is the concord and the union that reigns at present in this kingdom : such is the calm which the church enjoys , and that happy peace which the king has given it ; according to the style of monsieur brueis . what concord , o god! what union ! what calm ! what peace ! truly no patience is proof against the base dishonesty of this declaimer . who can suffer such like impudence ? but above all , who can without indignation read what he says in another place in the same spirit ? we see now , says he , that the wise conduct of this great prince has brought again into the church , the fairest days of christianity , &c. yes , these are , we know it but too well ; these are the fairest days , not of christianity , god forbid ! but of popery , of the roman church ; that cruel babylon , which is never so satisfied , as when she can make her self drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of jesus ; looks on such days , as her days of festival , as her days of triumph . so it was that she heretofore look'd on that sad and dreadful night of st. bartholomew , wherein many thousand protestants were massacred by the papists in times of peace , and in cold blood : one of her orators made the encomium thereof , with a thousand transports of admiration and joy , in a speech which he pronounced before pope gregory the xiii . o! memorable night , said he , and worthy to be ingrav'd in large characters in history , &c. that same night , i think the stars appear'd more bright and glorious than ordinary ; and the river sene had swelld its waters , that it might hurry away with a greater rapidness , the dead bodies of those impure persons , viz. of the reform'd , and discharge it self the sooner of them into the sea. o! thrice happy women , katharine , mother of the king ! &c. o! happy brothers of the king ! &c. o! day , in fine , full of joy and pleasantness , wherein you , holy father , having receiv'd this news , you assisted on foot at the processions you had order'd , for the rendring thanks for it to god , and to st. lewis , &c. what more agreeable news could have been told you ? and we , what happier beginning could we have wish'd for of your popedom ? let any one judge by these words , of the spirit of popery , and of that of her soveraign high priest ; and whether it be not the spirit of the impure and cruel babylon , rather than that of the church of jesus christ . i will now conclude , because i propos'd to my self to give you but a little abridgment , and an idea , only of this great persecution ; i doubt not but he , to whom vengeance belongs , will sooner or later revenge so many evils . lento quidem gradu divina procedit ira , sed tarditatem supplicii gravitate compensat . vengeance doth surely , tho' but slowly tread , and strikes with iron , tho' it walks with lead . you see , in this relation , the impostures and treacheries of popery , as to its oaths and promises ; to which no credit ought ever to be given , because it certainly never swears and promises , but to be perjur'd , and to break its word upon the first occasion . you likewise see here the degrees of its cruelties , and how by little and little it advances them , till it at length comes to the effusion of blood , and to open violence farewel . i am sir , your very humble and obedient servant . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a55466-e470 apologetick hist . p 388 p. 399. tome 2d . apologetick hist . tome 2d . p. 388. 389. apolog. hist . p 394. & 395 , &c. murat . orat. 22. pro caro. a plain record, or declaration shewing the origin, root and race of persecutors together with the nature, practice and end of that generation ... so their reward will be according to their work / [by] h.f. h. f. (henry fell) 1661 approx. 53 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 11 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a41028 wing f605 estc r28625 10700819 ocm 10700819 45529 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a41028) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 45529) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1402:14) a plain record, or declaration shewing the origin, root and race of persecutors together with the nature, practice and end of that generation ... so their reward will be according to their work / [by] h.f. h. f. (henry fell) 23 [i.e. 19] p. printed for robert wilson, london : 1661. numerous errors in pagination. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -england. persecution -england. freedom of religion -england. 2007-12 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-07 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-09 megan marion sampled and proofread 2008-09 megan marion text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a plain record or declaration , shewing the original root and race of persecutors ; together with the nature , practice and end of that generation , in all ages past since the beginning ; as we may read in the scriptures of truth , from genesis to the revelation . but more particularly thus : the devil ( who was a murderer and a liar from the beginning , and the original of all sin ) is the father of all persecutors and persecution , which is the birth born after the flesh , which the egyptian woman ( the bond woman ) is the mother of , who is cast out with her son from being heir , whose end is destruction . christ jesus , the truth , the peace , the power of god ( which destroyes the devil , the original of all sin and unrighteousness ) he is the original and everlasting father of all the righteous , which is the birth born after the spirit : whose mother is jerusalem from above , which is free with her children , who are the righteous ( which are persecuted ) who will not persecute nor hate but love enemies . now these are abel's generation , who was a righteous man , whose sacrifice was accepted of god : him cain slew , who was wicked . and so all haters , murderers , persecutors about religion , worship and sacrifice , from the beginning even until this day , they are of cain's generation ( the persecvtor ) whose sacrifices god hath no respect unto , their hands are full of blood ; though they profess all the scriptures of truth , they are persecutors of the just ; and so their reward will be according to their work. h. f. gal. 4. he that is born after the fesh , persecutes him that is born after the spirit . london , printed for robert wilson , in martins le grand , 1661. a plain record or declaration shewing the original root and race of persecutors ; together with the nature , practice and end of that generation , &c. never did any prosper who were persecutors of the righteous ; for when the devil went out of the truth , then did he snare and tempt others out of the truth , and their habitation : and being so , the state was lost , which was in the begining , wherein all things were blessed and good. and the devil , the original of all sin , is the father of persecutors and persecution , who is out of the truth in the whole world ( which was always blind ) that lyes in wickedness , from which foundation of the world hath the lamb been slain , the just have suffered and been persecuted , by them that have obeyed the devil , the author and original of all sin ; who hath entered into their minds , and defiled their minds , so that they have disobeyed the good in them , the just in them ; which is the cause of all the persecution in christendom , and all the persecution & ignorance in the whole world. and people disobeying the good that is in them , and the just ; and so obeying the bad in them , they are aliens in their minds and strangers to the life of god , and covenant of promise , and strangers to the image and likeness of god , the image of the devil being within them , and yet undefaced , and unsubdued . this is the cause of the enmity in the whole vvorld , and the cause of the enmity in them that do profess the scriptures ( both jews and christians ) being aliens from the life which they were in , which spake them forth , in which there is no unity , and subjection unto god , and to one another . so the devil was the first persecutor , the enemy of mankind , who is the power of death , the author of sin , which brings it forth ; which christ the truth , and prince of life destroys , for he ends all persecution . cain the second persecutor , who persecuted righteous abel , though he was a governour and built a city , god said , he was a vagabond and fugitive , and his brother's blood stopped the earth from yeelding its full strength . so that a persecutor corrupteth the earth , and all that be persecutors are of cain , vagabonds , to whom belongs the woe ; though they be never so great in the earth , the woe is to them if they be persecutors . the old world persecuted noah , righteous noah , with whom was god's covenant , who was a preacher of righteousness ; and god overthrew the old world for their filthiness , and wickedness , and ungodliness , who grieved him , ( and had corrupted the earth , and filled it with violence ) who were drowned ; and righteous noah in the ark was saved with eight persons : so there was the end of those persecutors . the sodomites were struck blind by the angel of the lord , who assaulted lot's house in sodom , and afterwards the lord consumed their city with fire . the caldeans were persecutors of faithful abraham , from among whom god brought him ; who denied his acquaintance , relations , and friends , and nation , and country , worship and fathers house , and went into a strange land to dwell ; and afterwards abraham's seed were strangers in the land of egypt , who by the egyptians were four hundred years afflicted and persecuted , but the lord did overthrow the egyptians in the red sea , and so destroyed those persecutors . ishmael the son of hagar , the bond-woman , did mock and persecute isaac , the son of sarah the free-woman , who was cast out of abraham's family , that he should not inherit with the righteous , because he was a persecutor . esau was a persecutor of jacob who fled from his face ; and he despised his birth-right , for a messe of pottage , and morsel of bread. and esau the persecutor because he hated his brother , therefore the lord said , i have hated esau , and laid his mountain desolate ( and jacob have i loved , who was blesseded of god ) and there is an end of that persecutor . nimrod and cain were two old hereticks , the one persecuted abel ; and the other was called the mighty hunter before the lord , who did begin to build babel , which god confounded ; and declared cain to be a vagabond ; so a persecutor is a vagabond and a fugitive . ioseph's brethren persecuted him , and sold him into egypt ; and pottiphar's wife slandered righteous joseph , yet neverthelesse the lord made him to prosper , and cleared his innocency . joseph's brethren were made to bow in the day of their poverty to their brother , whom they had sold and persecuted . pharaoh the king , that old persecutor , because he would not let the children of israel go , that they might worship god the lord destroyed him . and the egyptians persecuted the children of israel , though to them joseph had been a blessing , and they killed their children , and oppressed them by sore labour and taxes ; therefore the lord overthrew those persecutors , and drowned them in the sea ; and delivered his persecuted and oppressed people , by a mighty hand and outstretched arm ; so that there was an end of those oppressors and persecutors . and the children of israel persecuted moses , and were ready to stone him in the wilderness , and rebelled against him , and neither regarded his word , nor the lord , wherefore the lord said , they should not enter into his rest ; whose carcasses fell in the wilderness , and perished as pharaoh did in the sea with his host ; who regarded not the word of the lord , nor of moses , that bid him get him out of his sight . and so there was the end of those persecutors . sampson was betrayed by his dallilah and persecuted by the philistines , but the lord brought an end to his persecutors . therefore beware all ye that trust not in the living god , least you lose your strength , and be betrayed by your dallilah's . balaam was a persecutor , who loved the wages of unrighteousness , a deceive and a dissembler , in whose way many go ; but mark their ways and his , ( that go against the righteous seed ) the end was destruction , who went against the righteous seed , and life ; and there was the end of that persecutor . saul persecuted david when the evil spirit came upon him , and the spirit of the lord departed from him , and pursued him up and down , and hunted him like a partridge and a fly , but the lord overthrew that persecutor . absalom persecuted his father david , and sought after his life , to get the kingdom to himself ; and ahithophel was his counsellor , whose counsel god confounded and brought to nought , and the lord overthrew both him and absalom ; and so they fell into the pit which they had digged , and there was the end of those persecutors , 2 sam. 17 , 18. chapters . shimei one of saul's family , was a persecutor , who cursed king david , and flung stones at him , and cried out , come out thou bloody man , and thou man of belial , &c. 2 sam. 16.6 , 7. now though david did pardon shimei , that he did not take away his life ; yet mark what came after , solomon his son caused him to be slain . see 1 king. 2.46 . and there was an end of that persecutor . ioash the king , and his counsellors were persecutors , as ye may read ( 2 chron. 24. ) what became of them , and what was their end that persecuted the prophets of the lord , and slew zechariah a prophet of god ( whom the king commanded to be stoned to death in the court of the house of the lord ) who in love warned them for their souls eternal good ; but to reproach they turned it , and made a mock of the prophets , and slighted the messengers of god ; and accounted of the spiritual men as mad-men , and called the prophets fools : but the uprightest of them is as sharp as a thorn-hedge , and the best of them as a bryar : among whom many of the prophets trembled , shook and quaked in sackcloath and ashes , and shewed several signs ; and if they came piping , or if they came with repentance to them , they did not regard : therefore the lord left them over to their own hearts lusts , to perish in their gain-sayings , as corah , dathan and abiram did , whom the earth opened , and swallowed up quick , numb . 1. therefore consider all ye persecutors upon the earth , and remember your examples that be gone before ; read the scriptures of truth , and see in whose paths and steps ye walk : for they who love enemies ( as christ commanded ) and keep brotherly love and fellowship , and esteem well of all men , they can hurt no creature upon the earth . the righteous hath alwayes suffered ( in the whole world ) and hath been persecuted unto death , upon the account that they have been the tares , the false prophets , and the deceivers : for which doing christ gave them no example , nor any command for all the persecution that hath been since the dayes of the apostles . though in the law they were not to spare their nearest relations , wife , brother or sister , that drew them from the law of god , and went to set up another god ; if he were a blasphemer or a false prophet , they were not to be spared , but to be put to death by the law of god : which law of god ( christ being put to death ) ended ; and he saith , love enemies . for the jews said ( who persecuted christ ) they had a law , by which , if any man said he was the son of god , was to dye , and to be put to death : therefore the people might say , as they say now , they were but subject to the higher powers . but mark the end of those blasphemers that persecuted the son of god to death , the prince of life . and mark the end of those persecutors that persecute christ where he is manifested in his members ; that visited not them in prison , and came not to them when they were sick , and cloathed them , not and fed them not : such he saith must go into everlasting punishment ; much more them that cast into prison shall receive the reward of persecutors . the children of israel were persecuted by the heathen , whom the lord overthrew . haman persecuted mordecai and the jews , and would have had them all put to death , and mordecai hanged ; because he feared god , and could not bow to proud haman . so the same thing that should have been done unto mordecai , befel haman , and so there was an end of that persecutor . ahab the king persecuted micaiah the prophet , and commanded that he should be cast into prison , and fed with bread and water , till he returned from the battel at ramoth-gilead , because he could not flatter him , and speak well of him , as the false prophets , the prophets of baal did ; so ahab the king was slain in the battel , and did not return in peace , according to micaiah's words . and there was an end of that persecutor . ieroboam the king , his hand withered which he put forth against the man of god , who cryed against the altar in bethel , and their idolatry there . see 1 king. 13. rechab and baanah the sons of rimmon , did persecute and slay ishbosheth the son of saul , ( a righteous person ) in his own house upon his bed , and cut off his head , and brought it to king david , and looked for a reward ( for this their murder ) saying to david , they had killed his enemy , and avenged him upon saul and his seed . but david commanded his young-men , and they slew them , both rechab and baanah , and cut off their heads ; and that was their reward for their persecuting and killing a righteous person . iob's friends persecuted him , and reviled him : and see the end of them , that job was constrained to offer sacrifice for them , and make intercession to god for them , see job 42. and though people reade in the scriptures daily , yet they do not consider . the iews persecuted david ( who was of the royal seed ) of whom david said , let their children become vagabonds : and so they were , according to his prophecy ( and are at this day ) and their eyes blinded , and they bow down their backs alwayes . so be all the vagabonds and blood-shedders , whose eyes are blinded & backs bowed down , that be out of the life and power , which the jews went out of , and cain ; and so do all the christians ( so called ) and all people upon the earth , whose eyes are blinded , and they gone from the life of god in themselves . these let in the devil , the murderer and lyar , that went forth of the truth ; and so goes from the principle of life and dominion . these are the vagabonds and the persecutors , though they be never so rich in the earth , great kings , princes , or emperors , yet have not a habitation in god. a persecutor , his eye is blinded , his ear is stopped to the spirit of god in himself ; so wanders from the habitation in god : so a vagabond , he will corrupt the earth , and stain the earth , and fill it with violence . a fugitive that spills the blood of the innocent , he causeth the earth not to yeeld her strength . so here is the author of poverty and beggars , by whom the just and innocent alwayes suffer , against whom is god's wo ; and that is the end of all persecutors . iezebel and ahab were both persecutors of the prophets of the lord , and killers of them ; who painted her face , and thought to have been received and esteemed by her painting : but mark the end of those persecutors , whose blood the dogs licked ; in whose dayes the prophets wandered up and down in sheep-skins and goat-skins , and were in caves and dens of the earth , and were fed in them . and elisha the prophet in these dayes was fed by the ravens . therefore consider ye that delight in persecution , do not devise evil on your beds , flatter not your selves in your own eyes , lest your iniquities do become so loathsome and so hatefull , that you come to no change ; for shame will bring forth confusion and a fountain of lyes . plot not against the just , nor gnash not your teeth against them : cease from anger and wrath ; be patient , and fret not against the innocent , and the righteous . do you not reade of the great persecution , in the second psalm , the rage of the heathen , who imagined vain things . the kings of the earth took counsel together with the rulers ; against the lord , and against his anointed . will not the lord vex them in his wrath and sore displeasure , and laugh them to scorn because of their folly and madness ; and set his king upon his holy hill ? and so frustrate the ends all of the persecutors . the children of israel when they transgressed the law of god , they persecuted his prophet jeremiah , they put him in the stocks and in the dungeon ; who was persecuted by priests and princes ; and the lord suffered them to be carried away captive into babylon , and to put out their king's eyes , and to destroy his sons ; who in the day of their prosperity in their life-time hearkened to their priests , false prophets , and teachers , that smoothed them up , and cryed peace to them in their iniquities , and would not regard the prophets of the lord , but persecuted them ; and there was the end of those persecutors . and the children of israel , their princes and priests persecuted isaiah the prophet , and the children that were with him , were for signs and for wonders to both the houses of israel before their captivity : yet they would not regard neither signs , nor wonders , nor prophets , who afterwards were carried away captive : and there was the end of those persecutors . pashur the son of immer the priest ( who was also chief governor of the house of the lord ) did smite jeremiah , and put him in the stocks ; therefore did the lord tell him by the prophet jeremiah , that his name should not be pashur , but the lord had called him magor-missabib ; for the lord would make him a terror to himself and all his friends ; and they should fall by the sword of their enemies ; and that he should be carried captive to babylon , and dye there : and that was the end of that persecutor . and again , when jeremiah had spoken the words , which the lord had commanded him to speak to the children of israel , then the priests and the prophets , and all the people took him , saying , thou shalt surely dye ; because he prophesied in the name of the lord , and told them of the destruction of the temple . see jerem. chap. 26. in the children of israels captivity there had been persecutors of the prophets : ezekiel told them , their shepherds , teachers and prophets had caused them to erre , and had made havock of the people , and sold them for handfuls of barley , and pieces of bread ; and eaten the fat , and cloathed themselves with the wool : the lord would redeem them from their mouthes , whom he saith , are like foxes in the desart , which worry and devour the lambs , and they were made a prey upon who departed from iniquity . so let them see ( who regard not the lord nor his prophets ) the fruits of their persecution . daniel in the captivity of the children of israel , let them see their sins and their transgressions , who regarded neither the lord nor his prophets . and daniel was persecuted for praying to god , and cast into the lyons den. mark , did not god bring his persecutors into the den of lyons , who tore them to pieces , and daniel was delivered ? and the three children were persecuted for not worshipping nebuchadnezzar's golden image , and were cast into the fiery furnace , whom god delivered , and made their very persecutors to confesse that they were the servants of the most high god ; and those who cast them into the fiery furnace were slain ; which was a testimony against their cruelty and persecution . amos the herdsman , who was a prophet of the lord , was persecuted at the kings chappel , who told them the songs of their temple should be turned into howling . and they said that amos had conspired against the king , and bid him get him into the land of judah and prophesie . and amos told them of vyals and instruments of musick , and of their drinking wine in bowls , and how they stretched themselves upon costly beds , and of the seat of violence , and how they swallowed up the needy , and caused the poor to fall , and that they did not remember the afflictions of joseph , amos 6 , 7 , 8. chapters . but mark what the lord saith of them : are ye not as the children of the ethiopians unto me o israel , saith the lord ; and i will set mine eyes upon them for evil and not for good , &c. micah prophesied in the captivity , and let them see how their judges , their princes , heads and rulers of israel , who hate the good , and love the evil : who pluck off their skin from off them , and their flesh from their bones ; who also eat the flesh of my people , and flay their skin from off them , and they break their bones and chop them in pieces , as for the pot , and as flesh for the caldron . and thus saith the lord concerning the prophets that make the people to erre ; who bite with their teeth ; and cry peace , and he that putteth not into their mouthes , they even prepare war against him . therefore the lord told the priests and prophets , that they should not have a vision , and that they should not divine , and the sun should go down over the prophets , and the day should be dark over them . and their seers should be ashamed , and their diviners confounded , and sion for their sakes shouuld be plowed as a field , and jerusalem laid on heaps ; and this was their reward from the lord for their wickedness & persecution , who divined for money , and taught for hire , and judged for gifts & rewards ; they had no answer from god ; and this was the fruit of their persecution and persecutors , formality and blindness , whom the prophets had foretold how they had served god with their lips , but their hearts were removed far from him ; and how they would sacrifice , and offer , and cry the temple of the lord , and yet live in their abominations : which offerings and sacrifice god had no respect to more than cain's , whose hands were full of blood : and told them , their oblations , and sacrifices were no more to him , than to blesse an idol , and he that offered a sacrifice as he that cut off a doggs neck , or slew a man ; for they were persecutors . nahum , ioel , haggi , zachary , let the children of israel , ( the jews ) see their transgression ; and see how the judgements of the lord came upon them for their transgressions and persecution . the edomites who were the children of esau were persecutors of jacob and his seed , as ye may read in the prophecy of obadia , where the lord saith to edom , the pride of thine heart hath deceived thee , thou that dwellest in the clifts of the rocks , whose habitation is high , that saiest in thy heart , who shall bring me down to the ground ? how are the things of esau searched out ? how are his hidden things brought to light ? the mighty men of teman shall be dismayed , to the end that every one of mount esau may be cut off by slaughter . for thy violence against thy brother iacob , shame shall cover thee , and thou shalt be cut off for ever . shall not i in that day destroy the wise men out of edom , and the understanding out of mount esau ? because thou stoodest on the other side in the day that the strangers carried away israel captive , and forreigners entered into his gates , and cast lots upon jerusalem : even thou wast as one of them . but thou shouldest not have looked on thy brother in that day when he became a stranger , neither shouldest thou have rejoyced over the children of judah , in the day of their destruction , nor have spoken proudly in the day of their distresse , nor shouldest thou have entred into their gates , nor looked on their affliction , in the day of their calamity , nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity , nor shouldest thou have stood in the crosse way , to cut off those of his that did escape , nor delivered those that did remain . therefore as thou hast done , it shall be done unto thee , thy reward shall return upon thine own head , and thou shalt be as though thou hadst not been . so there was an end of edom the persecutor . herod persecuted john baptist to death , and caused his head to be cut off : he being voluptuous , and delighted in his daughters dancing , gave her in stead of the one half of his kingdom , the head of the just john baptist . but mark the end of that persecutor ; was he not eaten to death with worms ? and marke what became of him that persecuted , and proceeded against james , and killed him with a sword , and persecuted peter , and persecuted and killed the innocent children at bethlehem , in madness when they could not find the child jesus , who fled from the persecuting tyrant into egypt . and the pharisees told christ that he should go from thence , for herod would kill him : who answered and said , go , tell that fox , behold i cast out devils , and will heal still , to day and to morrow , and the third day i shall be perfected . and he took up a lamentation over jerusalem , and said , oh jerusalem , jerusalem , which killest the prophets and stonest them that were sent to thee , how often would i have gathered thy children , as a hen doth her chickens , and ye would not ? therefore is your house left unto you desolate , &c. there was the reward of their persecution . the iewes persecuted christ , who came of them according to the flesh , and mocked , and scoffed at him , and despised him , and blasphemed and said , he had a devil , and buffeted him , and smote him with a reed , and spit in his face , and crowned him with thorns , among whom at his birth he had no place but in the manger , in the stable . but mark the end of these persecutors , priests , professors and rulers . did not the lord bring the heathen upon them according to christs prophecy , and destroyed their citys and temple , and scattered them over all nations , and many of them were carryed captives into egypt . there is the end of all persecuting professors in the mouth and lipps without life and power . paul was a persecutor , and a yeelder to persecution , ( when steven was stoned , the witnesses layd down their cloaths at sauls feet ) to whom the lord shewed mercy : which in most of his epistles he confesseth , and his unworthinesse , that he should find mercy , seeing he persecuted . oh ye persecutors , consider therefore , and remember what a great thing it is to find mercy , as paul did , who confessed it to his very last , as you may read in his epistle to timothy . the iews persecuted steven to death , who was full of the holy ghost : but the jews who resisted it ( as their forefathers did ) they professed the words given forth by the holy ghost ; but mind their end : were they not destroyed when jerusalem was compassed about with armies , and was layd on heaps , and not one stone of the temple left upon another that should not be thrown down ? christ said , that his disciples should be persecuted from city to city , and scourged , and halled out of the synagogues , and carried before rulers , and cast into prison for his name sake ; which was fulfilled upon them according to christ's words . and he said , a day of vengeance should come , and told them they had persecuted zacharias , and killed him between the temple and the altar , and that the temple should be thrown down . and the true christians in the primitive times were no persecutors , but lovers of enemies , and tender of all men ; this was their doctrine and practice ; which is beyond jews , and heathens , and hypocritical christians , that are apostatized both from the life , doctrine , and practice of christ and the apostles in the primitive times . and the council threatned james and john , and beat them , and commanded them not to speak any more in the name of jesus . john gave forth the revelations , and was persecuted , and banished , and he prophesied of the beast , the false poophet , the dragon , and the false church should persecute , kill and destroy , and drink the blood of the saints and martyrs , and make war with the remnant of the seed of the woman ; and then establish the beasts worship , the dragons false church , wherein all nations should drink her cup , and so go on , until their sins should reach to heaven , and come into remembrance before god. and that god would in the end plague the whore , and burn her flesh with fire ; and take the beast and false prophet , the old dragon , and cast them alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone : and all that drink of the whores cup , and worship the beast , shall be tormented , and drink the cup of the indignation of the lord god almighty : and here is the end of those wicked persecutors . iudas the persecutor who betrayed his master , and kissed him , and sold him to the priests ( for thirty pieces of silver ) who thirsted after his blood , the blood of the innocent : but mark his end , with his company , with their swords and staves , he hanged himself . the iews persecuted paul up and down from place to place , after he came to receive the mercy ; which many now receive his words , but persecute his life : and after that he came to exercise his conscience , to keep it void of offence towards god and towards man ; then they did account paul an heretick , and a mover of sedition , and a pestilent fellow , and one who turned the world up-side down , and was accounted not fit to live upon the earth , when many of the jews and proselytes that feared god , followed paul and barnabas , who exhorted them to continue in the grace of god : but when the rest of the jews saw the people , they were full of envy , and spake against paul , and railed on them . and they stirred up certain devout women , and chief men of the city , and raised persecution against paul and barnabas , and expelled them out of their coasts : but they shook off the dust of their feet , as a witness against these persecutors . forty of the jews bound themselves with an oath , and conspired together with the priests and council , to kill paul ; but were prevented by the chief captain . again , when the jews saw paul in the temple , they moved all the people , and laid hands on him , crying , men of israel , help : this is the man that teacheth all men every-where , against the people and the law , and this place . moreover , he hath brought grecians into the temple , and hath polluted this holy place . then all the city was moved , and the people ran together , and they took paul , and drew him out of the temple to kill him , but were prevented by the chief captain , who rescued him out of their hands ; and they cryed against him , away with such a fellow from the earth , for it is not meet that he should live . so paul found more favour from the romans , who were heathen , than from his own nation , who were jews , and the greatest professors then in the world. and ananias the high-priest , and the elders , and tertullus the orator , accused paul unto felix the governour , and told him , that they had found paul a pestilent fellow , and a mover of sedition among all the jews throughout the world , and a chief maintainer of the sect of the nazarites , and would have polluted the temple : and afterwards the high-priests , and the chief of the jews appeared before festus against paul , and would have had him sent him to jerusalem ; and they laid wait by the way to have killed him . but ye may read what was the end of all these bloody persecutors , who drew nigh unto god with their lips , and with their mouthes honoured him , but removed their hearts far off from him . so the lip-servers , will-worshippers will persecute now ( as the jews did of old ) but they that worship god in spirit and in truth ( which the devil is out of ) cannot persecute ; for they can love enemies , and bless those that curse them , and pray for them that persecute them , and do good for evil ; so these are the true christians and followers of christ . the word of the lord god to you all . let no one persecute about church , worship , religion , maintenance and ministry , that profess themselves to be christians : for christ gives no such command nor example , but to love enemies ; for he rebuked his disciples , who would have had fire come down from heaven on them who would not receive them , and were contrary-minded to them ( as the prophet had done : ) therefore christ , who fulfilled the law and the prophets , rebuked their zeal , and told them , he came not to destroy mens lives , but to save them . therefore ye that are persecutors and destroyers of mens lives , ye are not in christ's mind , life nor doctrine ; nor the spiritual men that wrestle with spiritual weapons : but you are carnal , of which ( as i said before ) the devil was the author , and the beginner of : and the lamb and the saints , and the bride and his wife shall have the victory ; the first and the last shall reign , wherein alpha and omega shall be known ( over the persecutors ) the begining and the end ; the lamb of god's kingdom ; the first and the last . so now in these last days the prophets of the lord have warned the turk , warned the pope , and warned most of the kings in christendom , of their persecution ; whose field lies like a field of blood , who staines the earth with it , that the inhabiters of it are vagabonds , like cain that killed the righteous ; so that the earth doth not yeeld her full strength : therefore are there so many beggars , desolate people in poverty among them . peter and jude prophesied , and saw a persecuting cain ( that would kill about religion ) was getting up among the christians before their decease , which would be preachers or teachers ; who were by the apostles judged . john in the revelations saw iezebel that would be a prophet and a teacher among the churches , which iezebel was a persecuter and a drinker of the blood of the saints and prophets ; whom john rebuked , and such as set her up and followed her . therefore , o consider ! have not persecutors been set up by a law since the apostles dayes , and the doctrine of christ trampled under foot , which teacheth to love enemies , and overcome evil with good ? and have you not read in heb. 11. how they persecuted the saints , and spoiled the saints goods ; and how they wandered in sheep-skins and goat-skins , of whom the world was not worthy ; who lived in dens and caves of the earth . and again he saith , i saw the beast and the kings of the earth , and their armies gathered together , to make war against him that sate upon the white horse , who was cloathed with a vesture dipt in blood ( the lord jesus christ ) whose name was called the word of god ; and against his army ( the saints that were with him ) and the beast was taken , and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him , with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast , and them that worshipped his image . these both were cast alive into the lake of fire , burning with brimstone . and the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the white horse , which proceeded out of his mouth : and all the fowls of the aire were filled with their flesh . and this was the end of those persecutors . the ministers of unrighteousness , and false apostles , and messengers of satan , and his ministers were the persecutors of the righteous like their father the devil , and walked in his steps ; as ye may read in the corinthians , but their end was according to their works . the antichrists and wolves which got the sheeps clothing , who were the deceivers , these were the persecutors and worriers of the lambs of christ ; as we may read , matth. 7.24 . and you may see the jews that killed the lord jesus christ , and persecuted the church : now these persecutors pleased not god , who afterwards overthrew them , 2 thes . 2. and it was said unto saul , saul why persecutest thou me ? i am jesus whom thou persecutest , it is in vain for thee , &c. when that saul was going with his packet of letters ( from the high priest and scribes ) to persecute the saints . and paul afterwards confessed , that he was a persecutor of the church , when as touching the righteousness of the law , he was blameless , which law did command carnal weapons , mark that : and so he thought he had done god good service in persecuting those that were contrary minded : but yet saith he , through the grace of god i found mercy , because i did it ignorantly , phil. 3. david was often persecuted of his enemies without a cause , and he said , they persecuted the poor and needy . and he prayed unto the lord to deliver him from them that persecuted him , and to stop the way of them that persecuted him , psal . 35. the true christians ( who follow christ ) cannot revile them that persecute them ; according to christ's doctrine , matth. 5. but the persecutors never follow christ in their persecution , for his doctrine is to pray for them that do persecute . and christ told his disciples , that they should be persecuted from city to city . and those persecutors are such as are born after the flesh ; and are the makers of sects . and the wisdom of god saith , behold i send you prophets and apostles , and some of them they shall persecute and kill , that all the blood that have been shed from the foundation of the vvorld may be required of this generation . of that persecuting birth born of the flesh , that cannot love enemies . and christ saith , if they persecute me , they will also persecute you that keep my sayings . and they will not keep your sayings , that do not keep christ's , ( who saith , love enemies . ) and therefore are we persecuted , because we keep christ's sayings and commands , who is the redeemer and saviour , who saith , swear not at all , &c. steven told the jews when they did persecute and stone him to death , that they always resisted the holy ghost , and that their fathers had been persecutors of the prophets . and paul after he was converted , told the jews and heathens , how he had been exceeding mad against the christians , and had persecuted that vvay , christ the light ; and now he was sent to turn people from darkness to light , and from the power of satan unto god. and how he had persecuted the church of god , and thought he did god good service ; and was exceeding envious against them , and injurious ? a fanatick spirit . yet afterwards he saith , that he himself was persecuted but not forsaken , for the lord was with him ; when he exercised himself to keep his conscience void of offence towards god , and towards man ; then those persecuted him , and were against him and forsook him , who before were for him ; but the lord did not forsake him , but was with him , 1 cor. 15. now here is the two births , paul was persecuted when he was born of the spirit , but when he was of the flesh he was a persecutor . now they that will live godly in christ jesus , must suffer persecution by the ungodly , who are , and ever were the persecutors , and unprofitable talkers , 2 tim. 3. and the apostle saith , he was in necessities , and in persecution , and affliction , and endured stripes , hunger and nakedness : and again he saith , neither persecution , nor famine , nor tribulation , nor distresse , should separate them from the love of god : and for christ's sake they were killed all the day long , and were accounted as sheep for the slaughter , and through christ they were more than conquerors over all those persecutors . so he that is born of the spirit is to suffer persecution by the birth born after the flesh : and not again to persecute , and jeremiah saith , who was persecuted of the jews : all their persecutors ovetook them ( when god brought the heathen upon them ) which were swifter than an eagle from heaven : and this came upon jeremiah's persecutors , who prayed to the lord to revenge him of his persecutors , jer. 15. and the apostle speaks of some that had been accounted christians amongst them that were doggs : that after a time turned again and lickt up the vomit , ( as many do now , and these doggs were greedy and hungry persecutors , and devourers , that lick up their own vomit ) and will not feed upon the bread that comes down from heaven , christ jesus . and some that went under the name of christians , after that they were washed did run into the mire again . so consider this ye who are not heirs of god and elect before the world began , see if ye be not of the doggs and swine renting , and tearing , and in the mire , and licking up your own vomit . and the vvoman , the true church , was persecuted , which brought forth the man child . sea rev. 12. and the first-born , who is born after the flesh , persecuted him that was born after the spirit , gal. 4. for he that is born after the flesh is a persecutor , though he may professe all the scriptures , church-worship , and ministry , yet he is a persecutor . queen mary persecuted the tender vines and budds , and plants as they sprang up ; whose end and dayes the lord shortned : and woeful and miserable was the end of many of those bishops and bloody tyrants , which in her dayes were the greatest persecutors . as ye may read in foxe's monuments . and also , we warned the long-parliament of their persecution , who heard not , nor regarded the prophets of the lord ; who at the last were turned out as unfit for his use . we warned oliver protector , in whose dominions there was persecution almost in every place , who would not here and consider as he ought to have done ; and so his days also were shortned . we warned other parliaments of their persecution , and to stop and limit persecutors . we warned richard cromwel of persecution and persecutors , to stop and limit them . we warned the committee of safety ( so called ) of the plagues and judgements of god that were coming upon their heads : and of the blood of the innocent in the nation that lay shed , by persecutors , in goals , prisons , and houses of correction ; and mens lives and estates were taken from them by men in tyranny and persecution ; yet great talking and professing of god and christ with the lipps , but out of his life and doctrine . last of all we have warned charles the king who hath his day , and all his officers and magistrates under him , by whom many of the innocent are cast into goals , lying on straw in dungeons , some whereof are sick and weak , and some dead , and wives and children , and necessary things denyed them : therefore consider these things for this is the day now of your tryal . all you that do persecute about religion , church , vvorship , ministry , sacrifice and offerings , are no more respected of god than cain was , neither hath god any more regard to your services than he had to his . h. f. the end . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a41028-e840 2 pet. 2.4 . gen. 4. gen. 6. 2 pet. 2.5 . numb . 24. mich. 7.4 . mat. 25. 1 king. 22. 2 sam. 24 psa . 119.10 . ezek. 12. dan. 3. mich. 3. act. 12. luk. 13. act. 5.40 acts 21 , 22. chap. act. 9.4 . luk. 11. john 14. act. 22.26 . a seasonable disswasive from persecution humbly and modestly, yet with christian freedom and plainness of speech, offered to the consideration of all concern'd therein, on behalf generally of all that suffer for conscience sake, particularly of the people called quakers / by thomas ellwood. ellwood, thomas, 1639-1713. 1683 approx. 27 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 7 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a39308) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 41589) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1258:36) a seasonable disswasive from persecution humbly and modestly, yet with christian freedom and plainness of speech, offered to the consideration of all concern'd therein, on behalf generally of all that suffer for conscience sake, particularly of the people called quakers / by thomas ellwood. ellwood, thomas, 1639-1713. [1], 10 p. printed for william skeate, london : 1683. reproduction of original in the huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng freedom of religion -great britain. persecution -great britain. society of friends -great britain. 2003-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-04 olivia bottum sampled and proofread 2003-04 olivia bottum text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-06 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a seasonable disswasive from persecution , humbly and modestly , yet with christian freedom and plainness of speech , offered to the consideration of all concern'd therein ; on behalf generally , of all that suffer for conscience sake , particularly of the people called quakers . by ( one of them ) thomas ellwood . i will punish all that oppress them , jer. 30. 20. i will contend with him that contendeth with thee , and i will save thy children . and i will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh , and they shall be drunken with their own blood , as with sweet wine : and all flesh shall know that i the lord am thy saviour and thy redeemer , the mighty one of jacob , isa. 49. 25 , 26. and now i say unto you , refrain from these men , and let them alone — least haply ye be found even to fight against god , acts 5. 38 , 39. london , printed , for william skeate , and are to be sold in george-yard in lombard-street , 1683. king charles i. in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . thou seest , o god , how much cruelty among christians is acted under the colour of religion ; as if we could not be christians , unless we crucifie one another . sect. 12. 't is thought by many wise men , that the preposterous rigour , and unreasonable severity , which some men carried before them in england , was not the least incentive that kindled , and blew up into those horrid flames the sparks of discontent , which wanted not predisposed fuel of rebellion in ireland ; — they saw themselves apparently threatened by the covetous zeal , and uncharitable fury of some men , who think it a great argument of the truth of their religion , to endure no other but their own . ibid. they confess their known weakness , as to truth and iustice , who chuse rather to contend by arms than by argument . sect. 9. it argues rather those men to be conscious of their defects of reason , and convincing arguments , who call in assistance of meer force to carry on the weakness of their counsels and proposals . sect. 6. a disswasive from persecution , &c , persecution is a word of so harsh a sound , and so generally distasteful to english ears , that scarce any of those who are most forward and active in that work , are willing to have their actions called by that name . that none therefore , who have set an hand to that work , or whose minds are any whit inclining thereunto , may , from the dislike they have to the word [ persecution ] reject this diswasive as a thing wherein they are not concerned : i think it needful here to declare what it is i mean by persecution . by persecution , then i intend a forcing or compelling any by pains or penalties , bodily or pecuniary , to relinquish or forsake that exercise of religion , or way of worship , which they believe to be the right way of worship , and the true and acceptable exercise of religion , which god hath required of them : and to receive , embrace , conform to and perform some other exercise of religion , and way of worship , which they , who are so compelled , are either firmly perswaded is not the right , or at least have no belief that it is the right . this ( in short ) is that which i call persecution : and this is that i diswade from , whatever other name the actors of it may please themselves in calling it by . i. to begin now with the first of these , viz. the forcing or compelling any to forsake and leave that exercise of religion , or way of worship , which they believe to be the right way of worship , and the true exercise of religion , which god requireth of them : the reasons by which i shall endeavour to diswade all men from such an undertaking , are these . 1. you may , for ought you know , be found fighters against god : you are not , you cannot be , upon your own principles , infallibly sure , that that way of worship , which you thus endeavour to force us from , is not the true worship of god. we know it is so ? you do not know it is not so . if in the end it prove to be so , how sad will your condition be , who have thus bent your force to hinder the true worship of god , and set your selves to restrain us from performing that , which god hath required of us ! i pray consider , saul was as confident , as you can be ; and had as good ground for his confidence , as you can have : and thereupon he went smartly on for a while ( as some of you have done ) making havock of the church , entring into every house , and haling men and women , committed them to prison , acts 8. 3. i persecuted , saies he this way unto the death , binding and delivering into prisons , both men and women , chap. 22. 4. many of the saints did he shut up in prison , and when they were put to death , he gave his voice against them , chap. 26. 10. he punisht them oft in every synagogue , and compelled them to blaspheme : and being exceedingly mad against them , he persecuted them even unto strange cities , vers . 11. and this he verily thought with himself that he ought to do , vers . 9. yet all this while he was out of his thoughts ; for in all this he was wrong , and they were right whom he thus persecuted . and may it not be so with you ? why then will you run so great an hazard . 2. by endeavouring to force us from that way of worship , which we believe the lord hath led us into and requireth of us , you endeavour to force us to make shipwrack of faith. we have solemnly and sincerly declared unto you , that we firmly believe , and are fully perswaded and satisfied in our consciences , that god hath led us into this way of worship wherein we serve him , and that he requireth our perseverance therein . this is our faith in this particular . now so far as you endeavour by threats , by terrors , by penalties and cruelties to force any of us from this way of worship : so far you endeavour to force us to make shipwrack of faith , and of good conscience too : which if through your means any should do , the guilt thereof will lie heavy upon you . 3. in endeavouring by force and cruelty to restrain us from worshiping god , according as ( we are fully perswaded ) he hath taught us and doth require us , you go out of the path of the righteous , and tread in the steps of the wicked and ungodly . it was the egyptians that dealt thus with the israelites ; not the israelites that dealt so with the egyptians ; as you may read from the 7th . chap. of exodus to the 15. it was the heathen ( who knew not god ) that dealt thus with daniel ; not daniel that dealt so with them , dan. 6. it was the hard hearted , unbelieving jews and unconverted gentiles , that dealt thus with the apostles and primitive christians ; not the christians that dealt so with them , acts. 4. 17 , 18. & 5. 28. & 14. 2. & 17. 5. it was the blood-thirsty papists that dealt thus with the protestants in queen maries daies . and can you bring a greater odium upon your selves , than , by imitating these , to make folks think you approve what they have done ? 4. that exercise of religion which you would force us from , is not simply and of it self condemned or disallowed by that law , by the severity of which you would force us from it . it is not simply and positively , every assembly or meeting for the exercise of religion in other manner than according to the liturgy , &c. that is forbidden and made punishable , by that act of the 22th . of charles the second against conventicles ; but such only as hath at it above four persons besides the family . any family then , ( how numerous soever ) and four persons over and above , may meet , under the favour of that act , for the exercise of religion , though in other manner than according to the liturgy , &c. which plainly shews that the law-makers did not look upon such exercise of religion to be evil simply in it self ; ( for then they would have utterly condemned and forbidden it to all , even the least numbers ) but that they presupposed a danger from the numbers resorting to such assemblies ; and therefore did not absolutely forbid the exercise , but laid a limitation upon the number of persons that might resort thereunto . now the permitting this exercise to any , is an admitting of it to be good : and the offence lies not in the exercise it self , but in the numbers resorting to it ; and that only so far as they may be thought dangerous to the publick peace . since therefore the exercise of religion which ye would drive us from , is so far from being in it self evil or unlawful , that it receives some kind of countenance even from that very law by which ye pretend to act . since also the experience ye have had of our peaceable deportment in our meetings , and of our quiet , and chearful subjection to the government we have lived under , hath sufficiently secured you from all danger from our meetings , how numerous soever : why will you afflict , molest , trouble , imprison , impoverish and ruin your countreymen , your neighbours , your acquaintance , your fellow-citizens and townsmen , your correspondents , your relations , your friends and fellow-protestants , for that which is not evil nor unlawful in it self , nor hurtful to you nor to any ! 5. in thus eagerly pursuing us , and disturbing our peaceable meetings , you give your selves , as well as us , a great deal of needless trouble . for , as that learned doctor in the jewish law did well observe , in the apostles case , if this counsel or this work be of men , it will come to nought . but if it be of god , ye cannot overthrow it , acts 5. 38 , 39. so say i to you in our case ( and i wish some one of your own , that were had , like him , in reputation among all the people , would have done this for me ) if this people and their meetings be not of god , you need not thus bestir you , you may spare your pains ; they 'll come to nought ; but if they be of god , ye cannot overthrow them . so that whether we be of god , or be not of god , your labour against us is in vain . either we shall fall without it , or stand for all it . be entreated therefore , for your own sakes , as well as for ours , to take gamaliel's counsel , refrain from these men and let them alone . 6. and lastly , be pleased to consider what sort of agents and instruments you are fain to make use of ( and not seldom are your selves made use of by ) to carry on this work . are not the vilest wretches , the most profligate of mankind , for the most part , the first movers in it ? where is there an informer upon this statute , who has not first been either some notorious criminal ( whom a little rote-reading , and a favourable ordinary , have saved from the gallows ) or some riotous spendthrift , whose debaucheries have brought him to a condition worse than that of beggery , viz. a rapacious desire of repairing his own self-ruined fortunes , by the unrighteous ruining of others ? and , to say nothing , in this place , of the generosity of a true english nature , which hates to be rid and commanded by such base and infamous fellows ( as not only constables , and other inferior officers , but even iustices , aldermen , yea , and mayors too , have sometimes been ) can you think it consistent with christianity , with humanity , with the honour and interest of the nation , and of your selves , that so many thousand families of your sober , honest , consciencious , industrious , and peaceable neighbours ( against whom , even envy her self can find no occasion , except as against daniel of old , dan. 6. 5. concerning the law of their god ) should be sacrificed to the bruitish and insatiable lust of such a dissolute and shameless crew , and that by you ? can you think it will embalm your memories , and sweeten your names to after ages , to have it recorded to posterity , that you were the men that rifled your neighbours houses ; that made spoil and havock of their goods , that stript them of their estates , that imprisoned their persons , that ruined their families ; and all this for no other cause , but only and alone for worshipping and serving god , in a quiet and peaceable manner , according as they believed he required them to do ? o never give cause for this epitaph to be written upon your tomb , here lies a persecutor of the people of god. ii. now for the other branch , which i mentioned , of persecution , viz. the forcing or compelling of any by pains or penalties , bodily or pecuniary , to receive , embrace , conform to and perform some exercise of religion , and way of worship , which they , who are so compelled , are either firmly perswaded is not the right , or at least have no belief that it is the right . the reasons by which i shall endeavour to diswade all men from such an undertaking , are these . 1. in thus imposing your way of worship upon others , you act quite contrary to christ and his apostles . the author of the christian religion , though he had all power in heaven and in earth , given unto him , yet did not make use of that power , as you do of your power , by outward severities and rigour to force people to receive , and profess the religion which he taught . but his usual saving was , he that hath ears to hear let him hear . and when two of his disciples , in their young state , and in an overwarm zeal against some that did not receive him , did once ask him leave to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them ; he sharply rebuk'd them with a [ ye know not that manner of spirit ye are of : ] and instructing them better , told them , the son of man is not come to destroy mens lives , but to save them . and instead of thrusting himself upon those samaritans , that were not willing to receive him , he passed them by , and went to another village , luke 9. 53. to 57. the apostles , when the iews rejected their message , did not attempt to impose it on them ; but said , seeing you put from you , — lo , we turn to the gentiles , asts 13. 46. you read that christ whipt some out of the temple , iohn 2. 15. but ye never read that he whipt any in . why then will you steer a course so directly contrary to christ and his apostles ? 2. in this imposing your way of worship upon others , you follow the worst of patterns . nebuchadnezzar , king of babylon , a blasphemous , cruel and heathenish prince , whom god in an extraordinary manner did punish ; whose heart was chang'd from mans , and a beasts heart given unto him , dan. 4. the beast which iohn saw coming up out of the earth , that spake as a dragon , rev. 13. 11. both these imposed their worship upon others , and that under the severest penalties . but can you think it either honourable or safe for you to imitate such bruitish examples ! 3. inforcing people to your way of worship , who have no beleif that it is the right you cause them to sin : for whatsoever is not of faith is sin , rom. 14 23. and therefore as the apostles there argues , he that doubteth , is damned , ( that is condemned ) if he eat . and is not the argument as forcible in this case , as in that of eating ? may it not with like reason be said , he that doubteth that your way of worship is not right , is damned if he conform to it , because his conformity is not of faith ; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin . and the wages of sin ye know is death , rom. 6. 23. now if they that conform in such a doubting mind do therein sin , and thereby bring damnation ( that is condemnation ) upon themselves ; what may you expect , who by threatnings , by imprisonments , by fines , or other outward penalties , do drive them thereunto ! 4. enforcing people to your way of worship , who have a firm perswasion and belief that it is not the right ; you make men hypocrites and timeservers : for such as have not fortitude enough to bear the storm of persecution , and to undergo with patience the various cruelties inflicted on them ; such , through fear , may fall into temptation , and perhaps , for self-security , may comply with that , which they certainly believe is not right . and herein they sin against their knowledg , and you are the cause of this sin of theirs , by drving them unto it ; and at your hands will it be required . 5. by obtruding and forcing your religion upon others , you greatly disparage and undervalue it , and give men the more ground to suspect and dislike it : for men are naturally apt to question the goodnes of that commodity , which is put upon them whether they will or not . those wares that are true and good need no such waies to put them off . the christian religion , in its purest and best estate , was never thrust upon any ; nor need it . to be without it is punishment suficient ; and greater than any you can inflict : they who in the parble were invited to the great supper , luke , 14. and made their excses and did not come , were not fetcht in with a capias , nor fined and imprisoned till they would come ; but were utterly shut out and debarred from coming : [ i say unto you , that none of those men that were bidden shall taste of my , supper ver . 24. ] that was their punishment , and a grievous one too . the apostles of our lord ( as one of them declares , 2 cor. 4. 2. ) having received the minestry of the gospel , and renounced the hidden things of dishonesty , did not walk in craftiness ( and i am sure i may safely add , they did not walk in cruelty ) nor handled the word of god deceitfully , but by manifestation of the truth commended themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of god. now i pray consider ; if you are preswaded , that that exercise of religion which you perform is the right , that that way of worship which you profess is the true , were it not fairer and more becoming those pretences , for you , as many of you as are preachers , by preaching , as many as are hearers by a pious life and godly conversation , to commend your selves ( as did the apostles ) by manifestation of the truth to every man's conscience in the sight of god ; than to manifest your indignation and envy towards those that are not of your perswasion , by committing them to goal , rifling their houses , tearing away their goods , ruining their estates , and beggering their children ? 6. you break that great command , which christ saies is the law and the prophets , viz. all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you , do ye even so to them , mat. 7. 12. this command ye transgress , in endeavouring to force others to your way of worship : for ye would not be so dealt with your selves . consider this well i entreat you . if you were to be compelled by imprisonment , banishment , fines , confiscations , or any other extream and rigorous proceedings , to conform your selves to that way of worship , and exercise of religion which we profess , or any others whom ye now present : would you not think it extream hard , and very unjust ? no doubt ye would , and so ye justly might . but then withal consider , that your imposing thus on others , is no less hard to them , no less unjust in you . ye have known us long , ye have had large experience of us ; ye have tried us many waies , and proved us after divers manners . and what evil can ye convict us of to this day ? have we not alwaies been a quiet , peaceable , harmless people ? when being reviled did we revile ? or when being persecuted did we not patiently suffer it ? ah what do you propose to your selves ? do ye think to root us out and destroy god's heritage ? it is impossible : the root of iesse bears us , and upon the immoveable rock are we immoveably built . o dash not your selves against it ! but if ye could destroy or ruine persons , yet is it possible that there can lodg in english breasts such more-than barbarous inhumanity , to destroy so many thousand families ! the rome-rid french and irish have gone far that way ; but english hands were never so defiled : god grant they never may . do ye think by rigorous and cruel usage to fright us out of our religion , and force us to desert our principles ? how can ye hope to accomplish such a thing , who have seen our unmoved constancy , and stedfast perseverance therein , under all the sufferings that have hitherto been inflicted on us ? have not many of us been already stript of all their outward substance ? not a bed being left them to lie on , not a stool to sit on , not a dish to eat in . is there a prison in the nation , or a dungeon in a prison , which has not been a witness of our groanings ? have we not been tried by banishment , and proved by death it self ? death in new-england , by the hand of the hangman . death in old england , by the rough hands of rude and boisterous officers and soldiers , who have given divers of our friends those blows , which in few daies have brought them to their graves . i might add to these , burning in the forehead , cutting off ears , unmerciful beatings , whippings , and cruel scourgings . but did any , or all , of these deter us from the worship of our god ? nay , hath not our chearful undergoing all these hardships , sufficiently evidenced to the world , that our religion and consciences are dearer to us ; than our estates , our liberties , our limbs or our lives ? why then will you repeat severities upon us , which have so often been tried before in vain ? can you take pleasure in putting others to pain , and delight your selves in afflicting others ? o suffer not your natures so far too degenerate from the gentleness and tenderness of true and generous english-men ! and think not the worse of us for our faithfulness to our god! he that is true to god , will be true to men also ; but he that is false and treacherous to god , how is it likely he should be true to men ? endeavour not therefore to draw us into unfaithfulness to our god : for that , to be sure , would be hurtful to us , and no way advantageous to you . neither be ye exasperated against us , from the difficulty you find in breaking our meetings , or because that when you have dragg'd us out of our meetings , and fined or imprisoned us for being there , you find us there again : but rather take it for an argument , that we sincerely love and believe our religion ; and that we find our meetings worth suffering for . for indeed , in our meettings we do meet with the lord our god , in whose presence is fulness of ioy , psal. 16. 11 : the law of whose mouth is better unto us than thousands of gold and of silver , psal. 119. 72. yea , his loving kindness is better than life , psal. 63. 3. the god of israel , is he that giveth strength and power to his people ; blessed be god , psal. 68. 35. therefore harden not your selves against us , i beseech you , by miscalling our constancy , obstinacy ; our stedfastness , stubbornness ; our zeal , self-will ; our faithfulness to god , contempt of authority : but look back upon the apostles of our lord , and see if they did not just as we do . they were taken at a meeting in solomon's porch , acts. 3. 11. and sent to prison for preaching , chap. 4. 2. 3. next day they were brought forth and examined before the council , ver . 5 , 7. and having made their defence , they were streightly , threatned , and commanded not to speak at all , nor teach in the name iesus , ver 17. 18. what answer did they make ? whether it be right ( said they ) in the sight of god , to hearken unto you more than unto god , judg ye , ver . 19. and presently after we read , they spake the word of god with boldness , ver . 31. well , they were quickly clapt up again , chap. 5. 17. 18. but when the council came together , and sent for them to be brought before them , and they were not to be found in the prison , ver . 21. 22. ( god having by his angel delivered them in the night , ver . 19. ) one came and told the council , behold , the men whom ye put in prison , are standing in the temple and teaching the people , ver 25. and when they had sent officers , and fetcht them again before the council , and asked them , saying , did we not straitly command you , that you should not teach in this name ? and behold ye have filled ierusalem with your doctrine , &c. ver . 28. their answer was , we ought to obey god rather than men , ver . 29. do you think the council did not take this for a disrespectful and provoking answer ? do ye think the jews did not count the apostles a stubborn , obstinate , self-willed people , that did this in despight of authority ? yet you , in words , condemn the jews and their council , and justifie the apostles in their thus acting ; and therein you do well . o let not your actions condemn what your words justifie , nor justifie what your words condemn ! for if you persecute us for the same things . which the apostles both did , and were persecuted for doing ; ye therein at once both condemn the apostles , and justifie those that persecuted them . and as they brought the guilt of innocent bloud , and thereby the wrath of god , upon themselves : even so will ye also upon your selves , if ye persist in the same course . which that ye may not do , is ( for your own sakes as well as for ours ) my earnest desire , and the end of this diswasive . the end . the immediate call to the ministry of the gospel, witnessed by the spirit: vvith a true declaration of the persecution and suffering of richard hubberthorne, james parnell, ann blayling, by will. pickering, who is mayor of cambridge. also an answer to divers letters and mittimusses, against the said prisoners, answered; by them who are sufferers for the truth, and for the testimony of jesus, richard hubberthorn, james parnell. hubberthorn, richard, 1628-1662. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a86665 of text r207636 in the english short title catalog (thomason e812_13). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 47 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 8 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a86665 wing h3225 thomason e812_13 estc r207636 99866675 99866675 167936 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a86665) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 167936) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 123:e812[13]) the immediate call to the ministry of the gospel, witnessed by the spirit: vvith a true declaration of the persecution and suffering of richard hubberthorne, james parnell, ann blayling, by will. pickering, who is mayor of cambridge. also an answer to divers letters and mittimusses, against the said prisoners, answered; by them who are sufferers for the truth, and for the testimony of jesus, richard hubberthorn, james parnell. hubberthorn, richard, 1628-1662. parnell, james, 1637?-1656. [2], 13, [1] p. printed for giles calvert, at the black-spread-eagle at the west end of pauls, london, : 1654. annotation on thomason copy: "septemb: 26". reproduction of the original in the british library. eng hubberthorn, richard, 1628-1662 -early works to 1800. parnell, james, 1637?-1656 -early works to 1800. persecution -early works to 1800. a86665 r207636 (thomason e812_13). civilwar no the immediate call to the ministry of the gospel, witnessed by the spirit:: vvith a true declaration of the persecution and suffering of ri hubberthorn, richard 1654 9443 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 b the rate of 6 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-05 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-06 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-05 john latta sampled and proofread 2008-05 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the immediate call to the ministery of the gospel , witnessed by the spirit : vvith a true declaration of the persecution and suffering of richard hubberthorne james parnell , ann blaying , by will pickering , who is mayor of cambridge . also an answer to divers letters and mittimusses , against the said prisoners , answered ; by them , who are sufferers for the truth , and for the testimony of jesus , richard hubberthorn , james parnell . london , printed for giles calvert , at the black-spread-eagle at the west end of pauls , 1654. the immediate call to the ministery of the gospel , witnessed by the spirit . with a true declaration of the persecution and suffering for the gospel , under the tyranny of the mayor of cambridge ; which gospel of jesus christ , whereever it was made manifest , the testimony of it was ever sealed with bloud , persecution and sufferings , and it is the same now , working the same effect , and bearing the same seal , as is witnessed . and also an answer to several false reproaches given forth in writing , in three letters under the hand of will pickering mayor of cambridge : which herein is discovered and laid open , that so the truth may be cleared , and all magistrates , priests and people may discern truth from scandals , and that all simple hearts and minds may be informed to receive the truth freely , without stumbling at reproaches , through which the prophets , and apostles , and servants of jesus christ did bear witnesse to the truth , isai. 51. 7. heb. 11. 26. esteeming the reproaches of christ greater riches than the pleasures of the world , and the apostles were to goe forth to him without the camp , bearing his reproach , heb. 13. 13. if ye be reproached for the name of christ , happy are ye , for the spirit of god , and of glory , resteth upon you , 1 pet. 4. 14. from one whom the lord , by his eternal spirit , hath called to bear witnesse to his truth , and to his word , and gospel , made manifest in me by the revelation of jesus christ , whose life and conversation hath been blamelesse in the world , whom no outward law did ever take hold upon for evill doing , but was strict and zealous in an outward profession of god and christ , exceeding many in wisdome and knowledge in the letter of the scripture , and had a form of godlinesse , but the power of it i was ignorant of , and was a stranger to the life of god , which the saints lived in , which spoke forth the scripture according to their measure , and the word of god , which the saints spoke from , i was ignorant of , though i knew the letter , and was a minister of the letter before i knew the power of the word of god ; but when the living powerful word of god was made manifest in me by his mighty power , then i was made silent from speaking any thing of god from that knowledge and wisdom , which was natural , and did arise out of the earth , in which stood my zeal , and profession , and form of godlinesse , which was all without , in words , and outward appearance , and outward righteousnesse , and outward holinesse , & the earthly nature standing , which all outward profession and forms lodge in : but when the word of god by his mighty power was made manifest within me , spoken from his own mouth , which word was in my heart as a fire which did burn up corruption and uncleannesse , and work out the defiled nature , and by it was all the powers of the earth brought down , and the earth it self shaken , by it the deviss were made to tremble , and were cast out , and in that day did the keepers of the house tremble , and the strong man cry bitterly , and the just judgements of god did fall upon that nature i lived in , and the terrors and wrath of the lord took hold upon me , till the flesh was wasted off the bones , that i could number my bones day and night , the terrors of the lord was upon me , revealed from heaven against all unrighteousnesse , against all my own rightcousnesse , and all my familiars and acquaintaince stood afarre off me , for i was a wonder to all them who lived in that nature that i had lived in , for they knew not the judgements of god against sin , which then was upon me , because of disobedience to the light which did make manifest sin and evill ; but hearing the word of the lord in power spoken within me , did confound all my wisdome and knowledge , and made me to be a fool to the wisdome of the world , and to deny the wisdome , and to deny my self , and my own will , and by this word was i called to come out of my own country , kindred , and fathers house , to doe the lords work , in obedience to his command , and to stand in his will out of my own will , for i knew the voice of god which called me ; and for this cause did i leave father and mother , lands and living , earthly honour , and earthly riches , which i had , and might have lived in , if i had been disobedient to the command of god , but the lord called me forth by his mighty power to bear witnesse to him in the world , and to declare and preach forth the gospel of the son of god , according to my measure , as it was made manifest within me , and by his word to declare against all sin , and iniquity , and unrighteousness of men , and in obedience to him who called me did i goe , as i was moved by his eternal spirit , into severall parts of this nation , townes , and cities , and countries , in the north and west part of england and wales , bearing testimony to the truth , and in some parts sealing the testimony with my bloud , and by imprisonments , in persecution , in perils , often under tryals of cruel mockings , scourgings , and revilings , enduring the contradiction of sinners , and doe not account my life dear unto my self , that i may render to the lord a good accompt of my faithfulnesse , in obedience to him who hath called me into his work , and vineyard , and this is all the wages that the ministers of the gospel receive from the world , being accounted as deceivers , yet true , as having nothing , yet possessing all things , as poor , yet making many rich , the servant is not greater than his lord , john 15. 20. who hath suffered the same things , and hath left a good example , and if it be the will of god that we suffer with him in the obedience to him , are we made willing , not onely unto bonds , but unto death , who doe now bear his reproach ; and by the spirit of the lord was i moved , in obedience to him , to come to this town , where some did receive the testimony of the truth , where i stayed certain dayes , and we had certain meetings publickly from house to house , and the hands of the persecutors was then bound by the mighty power of god , and they limited from acting the persecution which was in their hearts , which now they have acted so farre as their power doth reach , but the sea must keep its bounds , and cannot break them . then i passed forth of the town , as i was moved of the lord , to another people , till again i was moved to come into the town , not knowing when i came in whether i should stay two dayes in the town , but waiting in the will of god , out of my own will , i came , as i was moved , and laboured in travel night and day in the lords work and service , to make the gospel of christ without charge : and coming into the town upon the 21 day of the six moneth at night , and lay at a friends house in the town , and in the morning , as i went into the street in the market place , two men followed me , and commanded me to goe with them two before the mayor , who when i came before him , came unto me , & violently took off my hat & threw it upon the ground and asked me whence i came , and where i had lived , and of what calling i was , and what i came thither for ? unto which i gave an accompt , and said , that if i had broken any law , or if any man can lay any thing to my charge , let them prove it , and act the law upon me according to the offence , but none could prove any thing . then the mayor asked me , if i would goe out of the town , else i should be whipped out . then i answered , when the lord calls me out i shall goe , for i stand in obedience to the will of god , not to the will of man , and if thou canst prove any thing against me worthy of stripes , prove it , and act it upon me , but i have wronged no man , nor am i guilty of the breach of any law . then the mayor said , i have a law against thee , i will make thee a wandering person , and a rogue ; which i denied . then the mayor wrote a paper to send me to prison , and then read it unto me , which was full of lies ; which i denied . then he wrote another , which i denied like wise : then i said unto him , make not lies thy law , but write that which is true ; and then he threw by that , and wrote another . then i was moved of the lord to say these words unto him , thou that makes lawes in thy own will , contrary to the law of god , the plagues of god is thy portion . then the mayor answered , now i have a law against thee , thou curses me , and said to them that stood by , if any of you will but take your oath that he hath cursed , we have a law to punish him ; but none took their oath . then i answered and said , look in the law what cursing is , if thou canst prove it to be a curse by the law , is the scripture language a curse ? then he bid me hold my tongue , for he could not endure to hear me , and said , that i should either pay 3 s. 4 d or sit three houres in the stocks : i answered , first prove the law broken ; but he being in a rage , sent me to the stocks for three houres , and then sent me to the dungeon : and upon the next day , being the third day of the week , one friend coming out of the north , who came to see me , and had travelled 300 miles before he came to me , lying but one night in the town at that time , as he was coming in the morning to the prison to see me , one constable took him in the street , and had him before the mayor , he giving no offence at all , the mayor fell a beating of him , calling him a wandering rogue , and presently made a mittimus and sent him to the dungeon , commanding that none should come at him , though no offence was proved against him , and there continued till the seventh day of the week ; then being set free by a warrant , according to law , we came into the town , and upon the first day of the week , being met together to wait upon the lord , the mayor sent two constables with a warrant to bring us two before him , that we might be sent out of the town , as was expressed in the warrant ; the constables having served the warrant , justice blackley coming in at the same time , did show them an act which they had broken , and so had broken the law ; and the constables then went away , and did prosecute the warrant no further at that time : the next day in the morning one constable and the jayler came to the house where i lay , and commanded me to goe with them to the mayor ; and when i came before him , having nothing against me , asked me , if i would goe out of the town ? i answered , when the lord calls me out i shall go , for i stand in the will of god , not in the will of man . the mayor said , thou dost not follow the examples of the apostles , for when they were persecuted in one city they fled into another , but we cannot get thee out by no meanes ; and so owned himself to be of the same generation that persecuted the apostles . i answer , i have done no wrong , no guile , nor violence to any man , nor broken any law , if thou hast any law against me , read the law unto me , and if i have wronged any man , i shall make restitution four fold , according to the law of god , but proving none . the mayor said , this is the law , thou shalt chuse three things : first , whether thou wilt quietly depart out of the town : or secondly , go to prison , and be kept close , that none shall come at thee , nor have any thing but what thou earnes to lie upon : or thirdly , to be whipped and sent out of the town . and here let all people consider how contrary he acts to the law of the nation , for if by the law he could prove me to be a rogue , or guilty of any other breach of the law , then here he breaks the law himself , in giving me liberty to goe away without any punishment according to the offence : and again , here he hath broken the law , & acts contrary to it , in imprisoning me , & putting me in the dungeon , having no law against me , but because i will not goe away out of the town when he doth command me to goe ; and here all people may see , that he who pretends to be a minister of the law , hath imprisoned me contrary to the law . and again , there is no law in the nation that offereth these three conditions unto rogues ; as either to depart quietly out of the town , or be imprisoned , or whipped ; let all who know the law judge : and so contrary to the law of god , and the law of the nation , doe i , and others of the servants of the lord , suffer , under a law made in the will of man ; as one ann blacklain hath been kept in prison above three months for declaring against the deceipts of a priest publickly in the steeple-house : and james parnell hath been kept in prison almost three months , and is now put into the dungeon , for setting up of a paper publickly in the market place , that thereby both priest and people might see the truth cleared , and their deceipts discovered , that so coming to own the truth of god , they might keep the peace , which all the world hath broken by disobedience to the light of christ , in the conscience , and so for declaring the truth , and publishing it forth in writing publickly , is imprisoned , and no breach of the law proved against him ; and so they both remain in prison under this pretence , of bringing in sureties for good behaviour , when as they are not guilty , nor no mis-behaviour proved against them , but all who suffer as christians , in the obedience to the will of god , need not be ashamed . and under the same tyranny and law , made in the will of man , doe i now suffer , onely because that at the command of will . pickering mayor of cambridge i did not goe out of the town to fulfill his will , and so have disobeyed the command of the lord , did he send me to the dungeon , and commanded the jaylor that none should be suffered to come to me , nor bring any thing unto me , nor that i should have any thing but what i earned : and since i was first cast into this hole , there is severall reproaches , and 〈◊〉 , and false accusations cast upon me and the rest of my brethren ; and i am not suffered to have my accusors face to face , that the law may take hold upon the guilty , and that the truth might be cleared , and my accusors known , for since i was first put into this place , there are three several papers of lies and slanders published forth by will . pickering mayor , under his own hand , the first dated august 23. the second aug. 28. the third aug. 29. 1. accusation . that we are idle wandering persons , and rogues , living upon poor silly people , which some of them are now kept by the parish themselves . i answer , this accusation is false , for from the lord are we sent , to declare against all deceipt and unrighteousnesse of men , and against all those who lay heavie burthens upon the poor by deceipt and oppression , and against all who live in pride , and idlenesse and fulnesse of bread , by whom the creation is devoured , and many made poor by your meanes , and you who are rich , who live at ease , and in pleasure , you live upon the labours of the poor , and lay heavie burthens upon them , grievous to be born , and you may the poor complain of , but they who doe receive our testimony there is the heavie burthens taken off , and the poor is cased , and whosoever do receive the truth in the love of it , which we freely declare from the lord , and hath this worlds good , he cannot see the poor in need , nor want , nor beg their bread , but the truth where it is received opens the bowels of compassion , and takes off oppression and the heavie burthen which the poor groans under , but we are not chargeable , nor our gospel , not to the rich , nor to the poor , neither doth any who have received us complain , nor is chargeable to the parish , is neither kept nor maintained by it . therefore in the presence of the living god i doe charge thee to cease from falsly accusing the innocent , who can neither prove us to be rogues nor deceivers , as the fruit of our ministery shall bear witnesse in them who have received it , who can witnesse , that they are led out of much deceipt and ungodlinesse which before they lived in , and we have not been burthensome nor chargeable unto them through idlenesse , god is our witnesse , we have coveted no mans gold , nor silver , nor meat , nor drink , nor apparell ; and here we are falsly accused for the name of christ , and for the gospel sake , which we freely doe declare as we have freely received it . 2. accusation . the mayor saith , that the law makes idle wandering persons to be rogues , those that will not work if they have not any thing of their own to live upon , those that use deceipt full wayes to get maintenance by , these by the laws of the land are all rogues , and such are these in my judgement , and in my soul and conscience i am troubled that i have done no more to them then i have done , to rid the town of them . i answer , here thou hast shewed thy judgement , and made it manifest , that this persecuting will is thy law , and hast acted contrary , which thou hast here declared to be the law of the land concerning rogues , who doth keep us here in prison , in the dungeon , under the pretence of rogues , and hath not proved any of these things against us , which thou sayest makes rogues , not to be idle wandering persons , nor hast not proved us to have nothing of our own to live upon , nor hast not proved that we have used any deceiptful wayes to get maintenance by , and here by the lawes of the land we are cleared , who are not guilty of any of those things , ●…d so the lawes of the land will take hold upon thee and all our accusers , who hath imprisoned us for rogues , when there is no witnesse against us to prove the breach of any law of the land , for by the law of justice and equity we desire to be judged . and thou who sayest , in thy soul and conscience thou art troubled that thou hast done no more to us then thou hast done , that in thy conscience shall witnesse against thee for what thou hast already done , and will let thee see , that thou hast acted contrary to that in the conscience , the light of christ , and that in thy conscience will condemn thee , and hast acted contrary to the law of the land , as by that in thy conscience thou shalt be judged , which will let thee see , that thou art not a doer of the law of god , nor a minister of the law of the nation , but a maker of lawes according to thy judgements , and acting them upon the righteous , whom the law was not made for , that thou mayest rid the town of those who come to witnesse the law of god to be fulfilled in them , and to establish righteousnesse in the earth , and to bring people from under the transgression of all lawes , to witnesse one law giver , jesus christ who is our law giver . 3 accusation . the mayor saith , that one of us told him when he desired him to goe out of the town , that he would not , for he was sent to destroy the town . i answer , this accusation is false , for there was not such a word spoken , neither can any such thing be proved , for we came not to destroy men lives , but to saye them , and to preach jesus christ the saviour of the world , and doe speak from the lord to that in the conscience of every one , the light of christ , which will let every one in particular see , that his destruction is of himself , and by the light of christ , unto which we are made manifest in every mans conscience , are we cleared from all such slanders and reproaches , which are falsly cast upon us for the name of christ , who was reproached as we are , and his reproaches we bear daily , and are not ashamed of , as the scripture saith , which by us is witnessed daily ; and the laws of the land , being executed in justice and equity , will take hold upon our accusers , and clear us . 4. accusation . that we have left our honest callings , one being a husbandmanservant , and another a shooemaker , and now living upon the labours of other men . i answer , we are in our callings whereunto the lord hath called us , and doe abide in our calling , and he that doth abide in his calling abides with god , and this i witnesse , who am called from father and mother , lands and livings , and from the cutward imployment which i lived honestly in , but was never servant to any man in that calling , that accusation is false ; and my call is to the work of the lord , to labour in his vineyard , who once had a vineyard without to labour in , as you have , who live in your earthly possessions and habitations , and that calling was lawfull in its place , and i did abide in it till the word of the lord came and called me from it into his work , who now cares for me , and provides for me , without taking thought or care what to eat , or what to drink , or wherewith to be clothed , for after all these things doe the heathens seek , who knowes not god , and my call is from god immediately , not from man , and in the scripture i have a cloud of witnesses : who were all called by god , and left their callings : elisha was called from the plough as he was following the plough , 1 kings 9. 10. and david was called from keeping the sheep , who was a shepherd , 1 sam. 16. 11 , 12. and by the word of the lord was jeremiah called to be a prophet , who said , he was a child , and could not speak , but the lord said , that he would put his word in his mouth , and that he should goe whithersoever the lord commanded him , and that he should not fear the faces of men , for he would deliver him , and that he should speak whatsoever he commanded him , jer. 1. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. and by the same word was amos called , as he was following the flock , who was a herdsmand , and a gatherer of sicamore fruit , amos 7. 14 , 15 , 16 and the apostles were fisher-men , and trades-men , and paul a tentmaker , & ●hose all left their honest callings to do whatsoever the lord commanded them , some to prophesie , and some to preach the gospel , and the same word of god , and the same call , and the same spiri● i doe witnesse , by which i am called from my outward calling ; and by the same law , by which i am accused for leaving my honest calling , and commanded to it again , by the same would elisha be accused , and commanded to goe to the plough again ; and amos for leaving the flock and vineyard , to goe to prophesie in the kings chappel at bethell ; but amasiah the priest was offended at amos , for leaving his calling , and for prophesying at bethell , and commanded him to goe away , that he should neither prophesie , nor eat bread there , though he was commanded of the lord : and the same spirit doth appear in you , both priests and magistrates , in cambridge , with them who are sent of the lord , and commanded as amos was : and you say this is the unversity , and you have teachers enough of your own , but none of them can witnesse , that the lord ever called them , or commanded them : but they who are called and commanded by the lord , and in obedience to him do come , them you command to goe cut of the town to follow their callings again , and so by the same law command the prophets to their callings again , and the apostles to their netts again , and paul to make tents again , and mathew to the receipt of customes again , which they were all called from ; but amos did not goe to bethell to be a herdsman , but to declare the word of the lord ; nor the apostles did not goe to fish , and to their netts again to get their living , but they were made fishers of men : and were persecuted from city to city , and threatned , and straitly charged to speak no more in that name , and to depart their coasts , as i am commanded to depart from cambridge to teach in my own country ; but they obeyed god rather than man , and were not idle wandering rogues , though they had left their lawfull callings , and had no certain dwelling place , but did goe whithersoever the lord commanded them , to preach the gospel to every creature , and to all nations , and took no thought what to eat , or what to drink , nor wherewith to be cloathed , and did eat no mans bread for nought ; and the same i witnesse ; and the prophets , nor the apostles , when they were put into prisons and dungeons , you doe not read , that they were forced to work to fulfill the will of their persecutors , nor that ever paul , nor the rest of the apostles , nor servants of jesus christ , when they were cast into prison , or dungeons , that for the testimony of jesus , that ever they were charged or commanded to beat hemp , or else not eat , as the task-master of cambridge doth command , but their labour and work was to beget into the truth , and some were begotten in their bonds , as paul witnessed in the epistle to philemon , 10. vers. and the apostle paul suffered trouble , as an evill doer , even unto bonds , but the word of god was not bound , 2 tim. 2. 9. this is a faithful saying , if we suffer with him we shall also raign with him , if we deny him , he also will deny us : and for his sake , who hath called me , doe i suffer all things , and endure all things , and am not ashamed of his sufferings , but in obedience to the will of god , doe i deny the will of man , and suffer by the will of man , god is my witnesse , and my conscience also bearing me witnesse in the presence of god . and this of the lord i was moved to publish forth , that the truth may be cleared from scandals , and the persecution and tyranny of unreasonable men made manifest to all sorts of people , who come to see , and to read with understanding ▪ and here have cleared my conscience , being free from the guilt of the bloud of all men , and have laid thesin to the charge , and to the door of those who are guilty . from a servant and a prisoner of jesus christ in cambridge , richard hubberthorne . a coppy of a mittimus made in the will of the mayor of cambridge . to the keepers of the touleboth in cambridge . vvhereas james parnell hath been brought before me , and hath been examined , and hath confessed , that he was sent to this town to set dissention in this town , in many particulars , as by his examination may fully appear , and further , hath confessed that he set up a paper in the market , the last market day , in this town , which is a libell against the ministers and magistrates of the said town , and further misdemeanours is proved against him : these are therefore in the name of the lord protector of england , that you receive him into your custody , and him safely keep , that he may be forth coming to answer the premises the next sessions : fail not at your perill . given under my hand , 3d july , 1654. will. pickering mayor . a reply to the foresaid mittimus . as for my coming before thee , it was by thy authority , for i was in a friends house , called justice blackley , and there was a man , called a constable , in a shop over against the house , waiting for my coming forth , and as i was going over the way , with some writings in my hand which concerned the truth of god , the constable , so called , came and met me , and told me i must goe with him , and i said , if he had authority i should goe with him , and he said he had ; and so in obedience to the authority i went along , and he brought me before thee , and thou came violently and took off my hat , and cast it upon the earth , calling me rogue , and other such like termes , which was in thy will , and not in thy law , and therefore thou art not fit to be a magistrate , for he that is guided by his own will is not fit to be a magistrate , for he makes his will a law , and the law is not to be made by the will of man ; and then thou came and caused my pockets to be searched , and thou took my writings from me , and said , there might be some treason in them , and i said , if there was any thing under the law , let me suffer by the law ; and thou came violently once or twice as if thou wouldest have smote me , calling me rogue , and witch , and the like ; and i said , if thou couldest prove me either a rogue , or a witch , let me suffer as a rogue or a witch ; but whether this be in thy law or no , i know not , so i shall leave it to those who knowes the law to judge of it ; but i am sure it is contrary to the law of god , and so to that thou art a transgressour , and by him thou must be judged : and then thou asked me , why i came to the town to make division : and i said , christ came for the same , to set at variance father against son , and son against father , as the scripture makes it appear , mat. 10. 35. and i witnessethe same fulfilled , and this thou sets as an article against me . now let any one consider , if thou wouldest not imprisoned christ if he was personally here , but in as much as thou doest it to one of his , thou doest it to him , mat. 25 , 45. and here thou hast manifested thy self to be a tyrant , who imprisons the servants of jesus christ for confessing him , who begins the warre wheresoever he comes , his first appearance is with the sword to that which is for the sword , and bring peace and deliverance to the captives , and to lead captivity captive , luke 4. 8. and this we witnesse fulfilled , and for this end are we come to the town of cambridge , which is one of the devils strongest holds , from whence he sends forth his messengers into the world to deceive the nations , but the lord is come to beat up his quarters , and now the warre is begun , and the devil hath cast some of us into prison , but still the warre goeth on , and the lamb will get the victory , and the beast , and the false prophet , and all that have the mark of the beast , must be cast into the lake that burneth , &c. rev. 20. 10 , to the end . rev. 19. 20. and then thou examined me if i owned a paper , which thou shewed me , and i said i did , and thou set that down as an article against me , for putting up a paper , which thou sayest is against the ministers and magistrates of cambridge , and here thou accuseth the ministers and magistrates of cambridge , to be corrupt and heathenish , for the paper onely declared against corrupt magistrates , and heathenish priests , wheresoever they are , and so if there be any law transgressed here , it is thou that hast transgressed it ; and so for these things thou sent me to prison , and thou sayest , for other misdemeanours , and not one of the town of cambridge can tax me for any misdemeanour , for i am redeemed out of the generation of misdemeanours , and was bound to good behaviour , by a stronger bond than man can make , before i came at the town of cambridge ; but let any who hath understanding judge , whether thy behaviour or mine was the more like misdemeanour ; but for this cause thou sent me to prison , but i know not by what law , but thou sayest in the name of the lord protector of england , but i believe him , whom thou callest lord protector , would deny to own it , for if he should own it , he would own tyranny and oppression , and would shew himself to be an oppressour of the truth of god , and a protector of tyranny and oppression , and the lord protector of heaven and earth would cut him off , and if he wink at such tyrants as thou art , the lord will smite him with his sword , and will cut him off from off the face of the earth , and set another in his room , as he hath had examples before him : and thou bragged to me of a tyranny done by thee , and said , thou caused two of my sisters to be whipped the third day , 1653. but i tell thee , the lord god of all power will whip thee with a rod of vengeance , and him too , whom thou callest lord protector of england , who hath the power of england in his hand , if he uphold or suffer such tyranny , or any punishment to be acted against or upon any tender consciences , contrary to the law of god ; and so i leave him without excuse in the presence of the lord , and judgement at thy door , who callest thy self will . pickering . a reply to some speeches objected against ann blacklane , called quaker , in touleboth , by one phillip johnson , calling himself a minister of the world , and calls these sayings dangers , and damnable doctrines , errors and heresies . object . 1. that she said , the scriptures written by the prophets and apostles are not the word of god , but christ , and that the scriptures are not sufficient light and meanes to find christ , and for us to rely upon , contrary to these places of scripture , mat. 1 24. 2 pet , 1. 17. thou enemy of all righteousnesse , how darest thou call thy self a minister of the word , and art ignorant of the letter which witnesseth with the word , and saith , the word became flesh , which is christ , and in the beginning was the word , and the word was god , john 1. 1 , 14. and this the prophets and apostles witnessed ; and thou , who sets thy self to witnesse the contrary , art no minister of the word , nor of the letter , which witnesseth with the word ; but art shut out from both , and art for condemnation , by the word : and thou that callest this damnable doctrine , callest the doctrine of the apostles damnable , who preached christ the word ; and here i openly declare against thee to be a blasphemer of the truth of god , and the scripture , which thou talkes of relying upon , will witnesse against thee to thy condemnation , and all that takes thy part : and he who hath all the scripture in notion , and wants the life , is without , feeding upon the husk , with thee , who puts the shaddow for the substance , who hath the form , but denies the power ; but the scripture is serviceable in its place , and is a true witnesse for the truth of god against such liers and blasphemers as thou art , who takes the letter to talke of , and would destroy the life ; and so these scriptures which thou hast set down , may stand and witnesse against thee , who art a sayer but not a doer . object . 2. that she said , she hath attained to the light of christ , without the help of scripture , by an immediate call from god , and thou sayest , contrary to these scriptures , rom. 10. 14. iohn 5. 39. reply . those scriptures which thou bringest to witnesse against the light , which was spoken from the light , shall stand and witnesse with the light , against thee , who art an enemy to the light , and who witnesse the light of christ doth witnesse it by christ , without the help of scripture , and the scripture doth witnesse the same , that christ is the light of the world , and doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world , john 1. 9. without the help of scripture ; but thou that hates the light art for condemnation by the light , which is the life of the scripture , but the scripture is serviceable in its place , but thou who lives in darknesse takes it out of its place , and so wrests to thy own destruction . object . 3. that she said she is without sin , and that she cannot sin , nor break the commandments , but keep them all , and all other are in condemnation , that are not like her . reply . here thou art a false accuser , and a lier , for this she did not say , but thou that pleadest for sin livest in sin , and art in the fall under the curse , upholding the devils kingdome , which is sin , and so art no minister of christ , who comes to destroy sin , but a minister of the devil , who comes to uphold sin , and he , who was a minister of christ witnessed , that he that is born of god sinnes not , neither can be sin , because his seed remaineth in him , 1 john 3. 9 and all the ministers of christ witnesse the same ; and thou , who art a minister of the devill , pleads against the ministers of christ , because thou art a drunkard , and live in sin , and so must have the wages of sin , which is destruction , and all who lives in this generation , pleading for sin , for he that cannot witnesse cleansing here , shall never be cleansed , for as the tree falls so it lies ; and thou that calls this damnable doctrine , art in the damnable estate of the devill , blaspheming the truth of god , and denies christ come in the flesh , and so art antichrist , and who have the image of god are like one another , and who are not like , they have the image of the devill , and so are in the state of condemnation . object 4. that men ought not to acknowledge superiors , nor to give reverence . reply . before the fall there was no superiors , onely man lord over all creatures , gen. 7 , 28. but not man to be lord over man : and amongst those who were redeemed there was no superiors , onely christ the head , and the rest fellow servants , and here who would be the greatest should be the least , and he that respects persons commits sin , jam. 2. 9. and here thou and thy superiors are in the fall , lording over one another by your corrupt wills , and as for reverence , i say , reverence to whom reverence belongs , he that can receive it let him . object . 5. that she said she is perfect in this life . reply that is false , but thou that pleadest against perfection in this life , wast never in this life which is perfect , nor art no minister of christ , but of the devill , who pleads for imperfection ; whereas christ said , be ye perfect , even as your heavenly father is perfect , luke 5. 48. and the minister of christ witnessed and said , as he is so are we in this present evill world , and he that hath this hope purifieth himself , even as he is pure , 1 john 2. 3. and here thou art found in the kingdom of the devill , which stands in imperfection , and all who witnesse with thee ; for the kingdome of god is pure , and nothing that is impure can come therein . object . 6. that she knoweth and can judge of mens hearts , and that christ in her judgeth others , and all others , that are not such as she , are carnall , heathens , vagabonds , children of the devil , enemies of god , and murderers , and in the gall of bitternesse . reply here with thy serpentine wisdom thou hast mingled truth and falshood together , that all might goe current for truth , but the day hath made thee manifest , and thy heart is known to be judas heart , who professeth christ in words , and in thy heart murders him ; and thou art discerned and judged by the spirit of the lord in ann blacklane , i being of one spirit with her witnesse it , and this thou shalt witnesse to thy woe and misery , and here thou hast razed thy self out from being a minister of christ who art a naturall carnall man , and knowes not the spirit of god , which searcheth the heart and trieth the reines , heb. 4. 12 , which the ministers of jesus christ witnessed , and said , the spirituall man discerneth and judgeth all things , 1 cor. 2. 15. and witnessed and said , it is no more i but christ in me , and without are dogs , whoremongers , adulterers , carnall , h●athens , vagabonds , children of the devill , enemies of god , and in the gall of bitternesse , and drunkards , and here art thou , and all that joynes with thee to persecute the truth of god , and must be cast into the lake that burneth , for the new covenant is but one , and the way is but one , and the truth is but one , and they that are not with us are against us , and here art thou in the damnable estate of the devil , who calls this damnable doctrine . object . 7. that she and such as she are onely enlightened , and sent of god to reprove the world of sin . reply if thou wast a minister of christ thou wouldest witnesse the same , for all who are sent from him are sent from one , and are guided by one , as they abide in one , and are all of one heart and one mind , act. 4. 32. epistles written in one anothers hearts ; and thou that callest this damnable doctrine art of one mind with the devill . object . 8. that she said there is no outward christ according to his manhood , but that christ is onely within us . reply . this is false , and here thou art a lier of thy father the devill , but we witnesse christ come in the flesh , but this thou canst not witnesse but art in the state of reprobation , who knows not christ within ; and those who knowes christ no nearer than the heavens above the skies , hath no profit by him , but is in the state of reprobation , as the scripture witnesseth , 2 cor 12. 5 object . 9. that she said , they that have the spirit cannot fall into sicknesse , diseases , distempers of the body . reply here again thou art taken with a lie in thy mouth , for what she said as concerning this , was concerning her own condition , since she witnessed the spirit of the lord . object . 10. that she doth not seek to lead men to the scripture but from them , reply this is false , for they who witnesse the life of the scripture cannot deny the scripture , for it is their own ; but thou , and such swinish natures as thou , must be shut out of the scripture , who takes to talk of , or to make a trade of , and are ignorant of the life , and would destroy the life , who have the form , but deny the power , 2 tim. 3. 5. such must be shut out of the scripture , for what should swine doe with pearles , mat. 7. 6. whose life is in husks , and there thou feeds , and all who have the letter and wants the life . object . 11. that she said , no man ought to swear before a magistrate , and that no magistrate ordained of god will cause men to swear ; and thou brings the old covenant to maintain swearing , gen. 24. 3. reply hear every way thou serpent pleads for thy life , which is sin , but christ the new covenant , who is the end of the old covenant , said , that it had been said in the old time , thoushalt not forswear thy self , but shalt perform unto the lord thine oath , mat. 5 ▪ 33 , 34. but i say , swear not at all ; yet the devill in thee runs into the old covenant to maintain swearing , and so would have scripture to maintain his kingdome ; but the day hath made him manifest , and those who puts any to swear , are still in the old covenant , for in the new covenant no swearer can come . object . 12. that she said , men ought not to pray , and that i my self ought not to pray . reply . even now thou wast pleading for swearing , and now thou art pleading for praying but the prayer of the wicked are abominable , prov. 15. 8. and thou who art a drunkard art wicked , and hath nothing to pray , but cains generation , murdering the righteous , whose sacrifices the lord will not accept ; but he that can witness christ risen can pray . object . 13. that the scripture doth not trie the spirit . reply . the spirit was before the letter was , and thou hast the letter , but canst not trie the spirit , but those who have the spirit of the lord , have tried thy spirit without the letter , and hath found it to be the spirit of the devill , who hath ever reviled and persecuted the truth of god , which calleth the doctrine of christ damnable doctrine . and thou sayest thou wilt justifie , that all these her sayings are false , and will be ready to maintain them by this power . reply i doe testifie and witnesse by the spirit of the lord , that thou art a naturall carnall man , and knowes not the things of god , 1 cor. 2 : 14. therefore thou serpent be silent , and talk nor meddle not with the things , least he come with a bigger power then thine , and cut the asunder , and cast thee into the lake that burneth , then shalt thou know what thou hast done , and all who plot and lay their heads together , devising how to shed the innocent bloud , it were better for them they had never been born , mat. 23 : 35 , for upon that generation shall come all the righteous abel , even untill now , and this i witnesse by the spirit of the lord , who am chosen out of the world , to be a faithfull witnesse for the truth of god against all who doe oppose it . james parnell a prisoner for the testimony of jesus at cambridge . a cry against oppression & cruelty being a short account of the tryal, and of the sentence that was passed on several innocent people called quakers, who are inhabitants of the city of worcester, at the assizes holden there the 16, 17 and 18th days of the 5th month called july, who were imprisoned because they refused to swear in obedience to the commandment of christ jesus, &c, and for assembling themselves together peaceably in the name and fear of the lord, to worship him in spirit and truth, according to his will. bourne, edward, d. 1708. 1663 approx. 56 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 13 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a71043 wing s4162a estc r16278 12255929 ocm 12255929 57477 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a71043) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 57477) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 707:4 or 888:8) a cry against oppression & cruelty being a short account of the tryal, and of the sentence that was passed on several innocent people called quakers, who are inhabitants of the city of worcester, at the assizes holden there the 16, 17 and 18th days of the 5th month called july, who were imprisoned because they refused to swear in obedience to the commandment of christ jesus, &c, and for assembling themselves together peaceably in the name and fear of the lord, to worship him in spirit and truth, according to his will. bourne, edward, d. 1708. [2], 22, [1] p. printed, and are to be sold by william vvarwick, london : 1663. reproduction of original in huntington library. attributed to edward bourne. cf. bm. entries for b3847 and c7447a cancelled in wing (2nd ed.). created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -england -worcester. persecution. 2006-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-02 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-05 john latta sampled and proofread 2006-05 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a cry against oppression & cruelty : being a short account of the tryal , and of the sentence that was passed on several innocent people called quakers , who are inhabitants of the city of worcester . at the assizes holden there the 16 , 17 , and 18 th days of the 5 th month called july , who were imprisoned because they refused to swear in obedience to the commandment of christ jesus , &c. and for assembling themselves together peaceably in the name and fear of the lord , to worship him in spirit and truth , according to his will. and when they bring you unto the synagogues , and unto magistrates and powers , take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer , on what ye shall say ; for the holy ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say , luke 12 , 11 , 12. the wicked delighteth in mischief , but the followers of truth abhorreth their wayes , &c. london , printed , and are to be sold by william vvarwick , 1663. a cry against oppression and cruelty , &c. if we should altogethet hold our peace , and not publish to the world what hard measure we have received from some who are in authority , wholly , and without any just occasion given unto them , as on our parts ; yet doubtless the righteous god who sees and beholds all the actions of men , and will justly recompence for the same , will in his own time clear our innocency , and plead our cause ; for whose sake we suffer , our consciences bearing us perfect witness thereunto : yet in regard of some who have been informed otherwise concerning the cause of our sufferings , then indeed it is , as though we suffered in our own wills , and in contempt of authority , and as though we were against all good government , when the truth is much otherwise . therefore to wipe off such aspersions , that such as have been mis-informed concerning us , may understand the truth ; this we declare in our own defence . first , we are brought to deny our selves from following our own wills , that we might do the will of god in every thing , who hath called us to follow peace and holiness with all men : and this we are taught to do by that principle which god hath placed in us , and not only in us , but in all men , which is the light which christ hath enlightened every man withal , which lets them see their sin , and wherein they are short in what they ought to be . this is that which we say will lead even all people to do as they would be done unto , and to seek others welfare as their own , which every christian ought to do ; and whosoever they be that are short in these things , though they be called by the name of christians , yet not doing that which the spirit of christ leads unto , which is to seek others welfare as their own , and to do as they would be done by ; though they may call themselves christians , yet indeed and really they cannot be said so to be . many reasons might we give for what we have affirmed , but this is sufficient ; it is said in the scripture , that so many as are led by the spirit of god , they are the sons of god. and we say , such as are christians indeed , do , and are made partakers of christ's nature . but it may be questioned , what is the nature of christ ? answer , meekness and humility , and lowliness of spirit , agreeable to his own words , who said , learn of me , for i am meek and lowly in heart , &c. o that those who are the cause of our oppression for the exercise of our consciences towards the lord , even the righteous god of heaven and earth , because we fear him , and do labour to keep our consciences void of offence towards him : we wish that they and all others whose day of visitation is not quite past , would take diligent heed to the pure light of christ which shines in their hearts , and so come to learn of christ to be as he was , that their souls may enter into rest , that the kingdom of god they may know in them , which consists in peace and joy in the holy ghost , &c. and this we do from our hearts desire on their behalf . another thing charged against us by some is , that we do what vve do in contempt of authority , &c. ans . god vvho knovveth our hearts , can bear us vvitnesse to the contrary , unto vvhom vve do appeal , and to his faithful witness in every mans conscience , vvhich vvill let them see that vvhat vve do , vve do it not in contempt of authority , but for conscience sake tovvards god ; and if men require that from us vvhich god doth forbid to be done , vvhether it be not better in such a case to obey god rather than man ? let his faithful witness in every mans conscience give an ansvver . another thing charged against us by some is , that vve are against all good government , &c. ans . unto vvhich charge vve say , nay , for vve are for a good government , and all just lavvs and just magistrates we own , and do honor such as do rule for god , who are a terror to the evil doer , and a praise to them that do well ; such bears not the sword in vain , such answers the witness of god in every mans conscience , which is just . but such as do govern contrary to god's witness in every mans conscience , doing that which is unjust and unequal in the sight of the lord , who is just , and whose way is equal , it is such as the light doth reprove and condemn in their own consciences ; and such as these we cannot own , but must testifie against . and if by such our sufferings be continued , we shall not rise up with carnal weapons to work our own deliverance , but patiently endure what may be further laid upon us for the truth 's sake , committing our cause unto the lord , in whom we trust , and do believe that he will in his own time deliver us by his holy arm of power ; unto whom be praises , and dominion , and thanksgiving for his mercy and loving-kindness , who keepeth covenant and mercy with all who trust in him from generation to generation for ever . concerning the manner of our tryal , and of the sentence that was past on us afterwards . several of us being brought into the court by the judges order the 16th day of the 5th month called july , some of us were brought to the bar ; first , thomas ball was brought , unto whom the judge spake as follovveth . judge . have you taken the oath of allegiance ? tho. ball. ans . nay . judge . will you take the oath ? t. b. nay , christ hath commanded to the contrary , vvho said , swear not at all . then william pit vvas brought to the bar ; the judge spake to him , &c. judge . upon what account were you at robert smith's house the 8th day of june ? vv. p. where are my accusers ? iudge . vvill you take the oath ? w. p. an. let me be cleared of what i stand here charged for ; then i shall answer to this . next gervase pierson was brought to the bar ; the judge speaks to him , &c. judge . will you take the oath ? g. p. ans . i never read nor heard of that law , that by virtue thereof men might be kept five weeks in prison till a crime is found against them . judge . were not you at the meeting ? g. p. i do not say i was there . judge . i do not go about to ensnare you by your own words . g. p. then let it be proved i was there . judge said , call robert smith to the bar. robert smith standing up , the judge speaks to him as followeth : judge . are you a prisoner ? robert smith answered ; about five or six weeks ago , i with many others were by force of military men taken prisoners , and since so continued . judge . what is the reason you appear thus contemptuously before the court with your hat on ? r. s. my hat is my own , and i came truly by him , and it is not in contempt i wear him . judge . by it you contemn the authority and laws of this kingdom . r. s. where is that law that forbiddeth a man to wear his own hat ? instance it . judge . it is a custom in england to shew their subjection to authority by putting off their hats . r. s. it is a custom in england for men to wear , or to come before courts with coats or cloaks , and i am here without either ; and is not the one as much a contempt as the other ? judge . fine him five pounds , and record it , and now take off his hat. which the gaoler did accordingly : judge . did you ever take the oath of allegiance ? r. s. i have been prisoner five or six weeks , and i would know the cause of my imprisonment . judge . i meddle not with your imprisonment ; but here you are before me , and here i find you , and do tender to you the oath of allegiance : will you take it , or no ? for i tell you the danger which will follow ; you will incur premunire , and forfeit your estate to the king. r. s. who was that law made for ? the papists or us ? judge . for both . r. s. why then is it not tendered to them , as well as to us ? judge . they have already taken it . r. s. suppose i find some papists , or popishly affected , sitting on the bench , shsll it be tendered unto them ? judge . they have done it already . r. s. let us and the people see it , that we may be satisfied . judge . will you take the oath , or no ? otherwise we will record your refusal , and call you again to morrow , & upon your second refusal record it also , and shall pass the sentence of premunire upon you . r. s. shall the example of christ determine the controversie between us ? judge . i came not to dispute with you about the doctrine of christ , but to teach you the doctrine of the law. r. s. must the doctrine of the law make void the doctrine of christ ? jud. will you answer speedily whether you will take the oath , or no ? r. s. love obligeth to allegiance more than oaths can do . judge . then signifie your allegiance by an oath . r. s. that which obligeth me not to swear , obligeth me to injure no man. judge . take him away . r. s. friends , the things that are required at our hands , is , to deny that which to us are the lords truths ; the one is , not to swear at all ; the other is , the assembling our selves together . rather than so to do , i am not here onely ready to suffer , but also to seal those truths with my blood , if thereunto required . judge said , god forbid i should seek your blood . then we were returned back again to prison , till the next day ; in the mean time several bills of indictment were drawn up against us ; for we understand , that before some of us were called for to be brought into the court , the judge asked the grand jury whether they had any bills against the quakers ? answer being made by them of the grand-jury , they had nothing to give in against us . then the judge ordered some of us to be sent for , that they hearing our answers to such questions as he put forth to ensnare us , might from thence have an occasion to draw up some bills against us . so the judge put them in the way how to draw up bills against us , whose directions they were ready to observe , though it tended to the ensnaring of the innocent . several bills being drawn up against us , one against robert smith in particular , and six more against the rest of us ; whereof some were drawn up according to the common law , which is in french , which the jury did not understand . this being done , we were all sent for to come into the court. we have not written these things out of hatred to those who are the cause of our present sufferings , but that the truth might appear , and that such who have not done justly towards us in these things , may for the time to come be careful , and repent of what they have done unjustly against us , and resolve never to do the like in time to come , lest they feel the lords heavy displeasure , who is just , and whose ways are truth and equity , and will render unto all men a reward according to their works . the 17th day of the month we were all brought into the court , being in number twenty four persons , being put together with the felons ; robert smith being called to the bar , the bill that was found against him was read , which was for refusing to swear : the clark of the range spake to him as followeth . clark. are you guilty or not guilty ? r. s. i have been deteined a prisoner , and not yet the fact signified unto me , or my crime laid to my charge : therefore clear me , or charge me for what i was first imprisoned , and then i may answer unto this charge . judge . you will not be permitted to speak except you plead to your indictment , and then you shall be heard . rob. smith . what the scripture forbiddeth , the law ought not to compel unto . judge . i will have no discourse with you about scripture , or other matters ; will you answer to your indictment or not ? rob. smith . yesterday christs example would not be permitted of , and to day no scripture : it is time to be silent if truth and scripture may not determine a matter . judge . be speedy in your answer , you will not be permitted to weary the court. rob. smith . that law by which i am tried was provided for such as did labour to murder and betray the government of england , and in that it was just , and how can it then reach me or them unto whom such a thing cannot be charged ; and therefore that law is to try such as are before mentioned . judge . if you will not answer , i must and shall proceed rob. smith . that law which compells to that which christ forbids , is an unsound law ; but that law which compels to swear , compels to that which christ forbids , therefore an unsound law. judge . take him away . then john price , john townsend , james moor , edward lewis , susanna pierson , were brought to the bar ; two bills of indictment being read , by which they were indicted , the one for holding all oaths to be unlawful , the other for meeting together in the house of robert smith , by force of arms and contempt of the laws of the land , &c. which indictments were filled up with many untruths . john price being called , the clerk spake to him , &c. cler. are you guilty or not guilty ? john price . there be many errours and falsities in the indictment , of which i am not guilty . then the clerk spake to john townsend with others of us , who answered after the same manner , which we forbear to mention , according to the questions and their answers for brevity sake . susanna pierson was called . clerk. are you guilty or not guilty . sus . pierson . whose ox or whose ass have i taken , or who have i defrauded ? if i have taken ought from any man , i will restore him four-fold judge . answer , guilty , or not guilty ? sus . pierson . the indictment is false . judge . answer , guilty , or not guilty ? answer to the indictment , and then you shall be suffered to plead , saying , i will do you no wrong . sus . pierson . i desire you to look upon the kings proclamation , but the judge denied , and caused me to be pulled down . now the proclamation forbids any souldiers or others to come into the houses of the kings subjects without sufficient warrant , or else to be looked upon as contemners of the government , &c. which might have been of use to us if we could have had justice therefrom , for those that came to pull and bale us forth from our meetings would shew us no warrant or order they had so to do . then edward bourn , george knight , tho. jukes , robert tompkins , john clarke were brought to the bar , two bills of indictment being preferred against them ; the one for maintaining that all oaths are unlawful , &c. the other for meeting together at the house of robert smith , june 11. which bills being drawn up according to the form before expressed , by which the other friends were indicted . whereupon the clerk of the arraigners spake to edw. bourn and the rest , as followeth . clerk. are you guilty , or not not guilty ? edw. bourn . i desire i may have liberty to speak . judge . you shall have liberty to morrow to speak as much as you will when you come to your tryal , but now you must answer whether you are guilty or not guilty ? when i would have spoke . i was interrupted , and not permitted . — then the clerk proceeded . clerk. e. b. what say you , are you guilty or not guilty ? edw. bourn . i am clear from many things which are charged in the indictments against me . clerk. then you are not guilty . then the next was called , the indictment being read to him . clerk. guilty , or not guilty ? george knight . that i was at rob. smiths was true , but that i was there at a tumultuous meeting , or to the ill example of the kings subjects , that i deny . so the rest of us being questioned , after the reading of the indictments unto them : whether they were guilty or not , returned their answer to the same effect as we had done before them . we desired copies of our indictments , that we might the better give in our answers upon our further tryal , which the judge promised we should ; but when they were to be had , we could not have two copies of them , except we would give fourteen shillings for them , therefore we chose rather to make our defence without them , then to pay so dear for that which might have been writ upon one side of half a sheet of paper . then richard fido , william pitt , tho. ball , abraham roberts , gervase pierson , abra. armes , geoffery rasmos , and others were brought to the bar ; two bills of indictments being read , which were preferred against them to the same effect as the other before mentioned , one of them bearing date june 8. being the day they were taken prisoners , &c. richard fido was called . clerk. are you guilty , or not guilty ? rich. fido. not guilty of many things therein mentioned . then william pit was called . clerk. are you guilty , or not guilty ? will. pitt . the question is very difficult , there being some things therein true , and many things false . clerk. then that which is false you are not guilty of . then geoffery rasmos was called . clerk. are you guilty or not guilty ? geoffery rasmos . i am an innocent man , where are mine accusers ? the rest of us being asked the same questions , returned answer to the same effect as the other had done before . then we were all returned to prison again till our further tryal , which was the next day , when sentence was passed on us , as aftervvards is mentioned . the 18. day of the 5. moneth called july , vve vvere all brought into the court again , being placed among the fellons , after a while robert smith was brought to the bar. judge . robert smith , will you answer to your indictment or not , if not , you shall not be permitted to speak , but i shall pass sentence upon you r. smith was going to speak , but interrupted — judge . this is the sentence and judgment of the court concerning you : you are to be out of the kings protection , and to forfeit your personal estate for ever to the king , and your real estate ▪ during term of life , &c. rob. smith . the lord gives , and if he permits to be taken away , the will of the lord be done . on the 21 day of the same moneth the sheriff seised on the goods of rob. smith , and did take an account or inventory thereof , as much as to the ladle , flesh-fork , and links , and a basket which cost but three farthings . and now for the tryal of the rest , &c. john price , john townsend , james moor , edw. lewis , susan pierson , being brought to the bar the second time , two witnesses swore to the indictments , whose evidence was proved to be false , for when the judge said to us , we were taken such a day or time , susanna pierson replyed , saying , that was false , for we have been in prison a moneth , which was near a fortnight before that time . then the judge said we were brought before the mayor ; unto which susanna pierson answered , it is utterly false ; and said further , he was not a competent witness , who hath sworn as before said , and also because he had enmity in his heart against us . susan ▪ pierson said , the witness was utterly forsworn , and a perjured man ; upon which the judge said to susan . take heed what you do , for he may bring his action against you ; and so instead of reproving the evil-doer , his hands were strengthened in bearing false witness . and also herein it doth further appear , that the witnesses were forsworn , because they swore that two of our friends who were with us at the place where we were taken prisoners , were not there at that time , who were , and also committed to prison with us . su. pierson ▪ may i have liberty to speak . judge . yes , if you will speak to the indictment . su. pierson . whereas it is said we went to our meetings by force of arms , that is false , for we go innocently , and have had dirt thrown in our faces going to , and coming from our meetings , without lifting up our hands against any . judge . that is a form of law , and it is used as a form , as thus , if that two or three men should assemble at one place , contrary to the laws of this realm , and although they have no visible weapons with them , yet their so meeting together is by force of arms , because it is contrary to the laws ; and if they do but disturb the peace , it is by force of arms , expressed in all indictments . now let it be considered how that form of law can be good and just , wherein things are expressed otherwise then it is , as to say the people are met together by force of arms , when the least appearance of such a thing cannot be found amongst them . we being taken away , edw. bourn , geo. knight , tho. jukes , rob. tompkins , and john clark was brought to the bar the second time ; our indictments being read to us , and the witnesses produced , which swore against us ; edw. bourn spake as followeth . edw. bourn . when we were taken prisoners , they came with swords and guns without any warrant or order , contrary to the kings proclamation , &c. but that was little regarded . then the witnesses were called to swear to the indictments . edw. bourn spake to the judge . edw. bourn . i desire liberty to ask a question ? judge . no : but you may put what question you will to the witnesses . edw. bourn . i not being permitted to speak what i desired to the judge , and perceiving one of the witnesses had sworn falsly , as to the time of our being taken prisoners ; i enquired of him when it was that we were met together ? witnes . it is in less time then a moneth . edw. bourn . that is not so , for we had been five weeks prisoners then , — afterwards the prisoner took another witness in a lye , and spake to him concerning what he did inform the judge , that it was false also ; whereupon the judge spake as followeth : judge . if it be false you need not say so , that is unmannerly , but you may say it is an untruth then . ed. bourn . that which is a lye , is a lye , i hope in meekness one may speak the thing as it is , i do not speak it in malice ; for indeed i was there in 〈◊〉 meekness , and in the fear of the lord ; and as for malice i dare not keep it in man heart against any , for i am a christian , and have learned of christ to love my enemies , and to do good to them that hate me . and further it was observed , that the witnesses durst not swear that we were met together as in pretence to worship god ; because they heard nothing read or spoke amongst us , which the judge and jury was often minded of , but we were many times interrupted , and not permitted to speak . one of us asked the judge , whether it was not a point in law to make vold the indictment , when the witnesses had sworn contrary to the time ? judge . no , so long as it was one time or other . george knight spake . geo. knight . the witnesses have sworn that we were at rob. smiths between the hours of 11 and 12 of the clock , and i can prove by divers witnesses that i was in my fathers business at that time , and many hours after . judge . were you not there that day ? geo. knight . that is not to the purpose whether i was there that day or not , &c. here the jury may take notice that the witnesses swore more out of enmity against us then otherwise , they swore so carelesly . many questions were asked of us that we by answering might ensnare our selves , which we understand by the laws of the land the judge ought not to have done , but rather to have advised and counselled us how to make our defence with safety to our selves . it was a saying of judge heath , that the laws of england were merciful laws , and that it was the judges duty to be helpful and assistant to the prisoner , rather then to ensnare them . r. tompkins said , i was at my fathers house that time when the witness swore i was at robert smiths , as several can witness . judge . were you there that day ? r. t. i am not to accuse my self . judge . what did you meet together for ? answ . many times when we are met together , we take care for such as may be in want amongst us . judge . that is an unlawful way to meet privately upon that account , you ought to do it publickly by the overseers of the parish , and churchwardens , according to the law of the land. answ . that we do also . geo. knight . i desire to know whether we may not except against the jury , for there be some of them which we look upon to be our open enemies . judge . it is too late , the jury are sworn already . geo. knight . we did not know that . judge that was your own fault . let it be considered how that could be our fault , when we vvere kept close prisoners vvhile the jury vvas svvorn ? e. b. seeing there could be no exception against the jury , vvho vvere all strangers to him , said , let them alone , if they are not right , i desire they may live to be better . as to the jury , they had been svvorn before vve vvere brought into the court , and further vve have been informed , that there vvas another jury impannelled before these , vvhich vvas aftervvards discharged , because it vvas thought they vvould not serve our adversaries ends ; and those men impannelled in their rooms that they might have their purpose of us , vvho are no enemies unto them , but their friends and lovers of their souls , and desire the good of all men , that they may knovv the truth , and be saved from everlasting misery and destruction . edw. bourn spake to the judge . e. b. is not there one bill dravvn up against us , for holding the taking of all oaths to be unlavvful ? judge . yes . e. b. have any svvorn to that bill against us ? judge . no : did not the mayor tender the oath to you when you vvere committed ? e. b. nay . then the judge spake to the mayor concerning it , and spake again to e. bourn . judge . will you say so , when the mayor offers to take his oath of it ? e. b. i believe the mayor may remember very vvell that the oath vvas not tendred to us vvhen vve vvere committed . alderman solley offered to take his oath that the oath was tendred to us . e. b. alderman solley was not there when we were committed to prison . — let the reader understand that that before mentioned hath relation to the prisoners then at the bar. — e. b. spake further to the judge and those who sate with him on the bench in judgment upon the innocent . e. b. i desire you to be careful , and do no otherwise with us then you may give a comfortable account to the lord , and as you own your selves to be christian magistrates , deal with us as becomes christians , for we are christians our selves . judge . god forbid i should do otherwise with you , and lifted up his hands , saying , if i do otherwise , it will be between me and the lord. e. b. i desire to ask one question in the fear of the lord ? judge . that you may in the fear of the lord. e. b. suppose that if christ and his apostles were here at this time , and if they should meet together , would not this law take hold of them ? judge . yes , that it would , — but said afterwards , i will not answer your questions , — and said , you are not apostles . e. b. we are christians , followers of christ as they were ; then interrupted . judge . take them away . and as to what i then said , it is truth , for we know that the same spirit which led them , leads us , even the spirit of truth which leads unto all truth ; and if it were not for the truths sake that we suffered , we were in a sad condition ; and people may well believe , that if it were not to keep our peace with the lord : we would not expose our selves to such hardships and cruelty as we do meet withall from the world , because we refuse to swear , in obedience to christs command , who saith , swear not at all ; and because we dare not neglect to assemble our selves together in the name and fear of the lord ; it being that way by which we have found him , and have and do enjoy his holy presence amongst us , &c. then richard fido , will. pitt , edw. stanton , abr. roberts , gervase pierson , abraham armes , and others were brought to the bar ; the indictments being read , the witnesses sworn and 〈◊〉 judge spake , vvill you take the oath of allegiance ? r. fidoe . i did never deny allegiance to the king by way of swearing , until i knew that principle which did more oblige me to the king than swearing can do . judge . vvhat is that principle you speak of ? r. f. it is the pure principle of god , vvhich leads me to do to all men as i vvould they should do unto me . judge . that is a good principle , it is the vvord of god. judge . vvill you take the oath now ? r. f. is there amongst you any one that can accuse me of any thing done by me against the king , that by it i should be suspected ? or what is the ground of tendering it to me ? judge . it is in order to one of your indictments . vvil. pyt. it is very vvell knovvn vve have been a suffering people for these many years under the former powers in this very matter ; so that if this had been the first oath we had refused to take , you might have had more ground to have suspected our allegiance to the king and his government . r. f. i desire to hear the witness that svvear to the indictment . vv. p. before the witness be sworn , i desire to be informed by the court , lest through our ignorance of the law vve should deprive our selves of our own proper right : the matter is this , whether vve may have liberty to except against such men of the jury that are greatly prejudiced against us , and so not competent judges in this matter . judge . before the jury was sworn , you might , but now you cannot . vv. p. we were not present vvhen the jury was svvorn ; wherefore it seemeth we are deprived of our just right in this matter . iudge what have you to say against them ? i hope they are none of them of your faction ? w. p. if vvhat vve have to say vvill not dismiss them , it is to no purpose to declare it . one of the witnesses swore , that we vvere at a meeting about the number of 46. and that we refused to take the oath of allegiance at our commitment . the judge asked another of the witnesses what he could say — witness , i was there too ; and i say as he said , sir. r. f. this witness makes nothing against us : what visible testimony have you against us tending to the worship of god. witness . none at all . iudge . what were they doing ? witness . some sitting , and some standing . r. f. did you hear any one pray , or speak , or see any book opened amongst them ? witness answered , no. judge . what have you to say for your selves ? for what end were you at that unlawful meeting ? w. p. there are three or four fatherless children amongst us , vvhich we are to take care for , that they may not be chargeable to parishes for maintenance ; such things are taken care for amongst us when we meet together sometimes ; and whether we were not met together at that time , for that end , you are to prove . judge . if you were met together for that end , it is unlawful ; for you are to go from house to house . w. p. that which is charitable , is not unlawful . judge . i leave that to the jury , whether they will take this new invented plea , for a sufficient ground to excuse your being at that unlawful assembly or not : although the witness may prove little , yet if the jury believes you were met together under pretence of religious worship , as they well may , it being your constant practice , they may find the bill . r. f. you of the iury , take notice that all this makes nothing against us . judge . that is true , i may speak to the jury for you . r. f. but give me leave to inform them with the truth . the judge spake to this purpose following , and would not allow rich. fidoe to speak . gentlemen of the jury , it is true , this witness makes nothing against these men ; yet i shall leave it to you , that if you as believe they did meet together under pretence of religious worship , you may find the bill . many things more were mentioned between other friends & the iudge tending to the purpose before expressed , which are left out ; so we were taken away , and not permitted to speak what we would , although the iudge spoke otherwise the day before , saying , we should have liberty to speak as much as vve vvould vvhen we came to our tryal ; and said he would do us us all the right he could ; but let the witness of god in every ones conscience answer whether it vvere so or not . the iury being returned to give in their verdict , found the bills against us , notwithstanding the evidence was made void in effect , as upon the examination of the witnesses doth appear before-mentioned , upon our tryal . then john price , john townsend were called to the bar , with su. pierson , to receive the sentence ; also edw. bourne , geo knight and robert tompkins , tho. jukes and john clark were called to the bar the third time ; and the oath was tendered unto them before sentence was passed . robert tompkins desired to hear the oath read , which was accordingly done . iudge . will you take the oath ? tompkins answered , no — it is not my principle to swear . e. bourn spake , what is truth in the oath we can promise ; and if we do not swear , it is in obedience to christ's command ; but if you can convince us by the scriptures , that we may swear , and not offend the lord , see what we will not do . iudge . i will not talk with you according to the scriptures ; i know the scriptures you will bring is that which saith , swear not at all ; but i deny your meanings . e. b. we mean no otherwise but what christ and his apostles meant . — so the iudge vvould not be perswaded by us to take in hand to convince us according to the scriptures , but proceeded to pass sentence upon us . iudge . this is the sentence and judgement of the court , you are fined 5. l. a piece ; and if you do not pay the fines , nor if there be no distress to be made in a weeks time , you are to be committed to the house of correction , and to be put to hard labour for three months . e. b. the lord judge between you and us . iudge . take them away . then r. fidoe , wil. pyt , ed. stanton , gervase pierson , abra. roberts , abr. armes , fran. harvey , fran. fincher , ief. rasmos , t. ball , and john wayte were brought to the bar the third time . g. p. i desire to know when , or at what time the kings two declarations , the one from breda , the other concerning ecclesiastical affairs , were made void . judge . they are ; what 's that to you ? g. p. we expected some benefit by them — which declarations tended to the giving liberty to tender consciences in matters of religion , though differing from others in opinion therein , which do not disturb the peace of the kingdom , which we have not done . g. p. are the king words of no value ? judge . come ; you are a sawcy companion . then the judge proceeded to sentence , passing the same sentence upon us as upon the other friends aforementioned ; upon which william pytt spake as followeth . w. p. well , not only our goods and our liberties are we willing to offer up in this matter , but also our lives if it be requir'd then after our trial , and sentence was passed on us as before is expressed , we were taken away & brought to prison again , being filled with peace & joy in the lord , whose pure love hath largely abounded towards us ; blessed , praised and magnified be his holy & glorious name above every thing , for ever ; amen . and thus such as are sober-minded may see what hard measure we have received from some in authority , only and alone for the exercise of a good conscience towards the lord , & not for any injury or wrong that we have done unto any man , the just god can bear us witness herein ; and thus the scripture is made good , being fulfilled in us , which saith , whosoever will live godly in christ jesus , must suffer persecution . and as there was a generation in time past which sought an occasion against daniel , but could find none except it was about the matter of his god , for which cause they laboured with the king darius , until they had obtained a decree against him , dan. 6. but remarkable is the passage about the same ; for the lord delivered daniel , but his enemies fell into the snare which they had laid for him . and though it be so come to pass concerning us , that a decree is sealed against us about the matter of our god , whom we fear , and dare not but hear his voice , and obey him in what he commands us , by which we do and may suffer for this only cause ; yet notwithstanding these things , let persecutors and haters of that which is good , bear this in mind , tha the lord god is the same to save , help and deliver them who fear and put their trust in him , as he was in times past , and repent before it be too late , remembring what christ hath said , who said it would be better for such that offend the least of those who believe in him , that a milstone were hanged about their necks , and they cast into the sea . e. bourn . here followeth a copy of a letter directed to iudge hide , and iudge terril , which was delivered before our tryal . friends , it cannot be unknown to you , but that we have been a suffering people for many years past , and are so at this time , and that it hath not been for any evil , neither is it for any evil by us done towards any people , the righteous god can bear us witness herein ; but only for the exercise of a good conscience towards him , in doing that which he requires from our hands , who hath called us unto peace and holiness ; and wo unto us if we do it not ; for consider in meekness , and in the fear of the lord , how can we neglect that which we believe the lord doth require at our hands , but we must be offendors against him in a high nature ? and if we must come before you in o●der to our tryal , deal righteously with us in the sight of the lord , in whose hands your life is , your breath is , and all you do enjoy , he can soon deprive you of , if it be his will. therefore in his holy fear deal justly and righteously with us in his sight , lest you provoke him against your selves , and kindle his wrath and displeasure against your own souls . therefore in much love to you do we desire you to do that which is right in the sight of the lord towards us , and towards all in matters by you to be determined of , that so it may go well with you here and hereafter for ever . it is well known to the generality of the inhabitants of the nation , that we are peaceable ; and we desire the good and welfare of all people , that they may know the truth , and be saved from everlasting destruction . and therefore why should we be hindered from the exercise of our consciences towards the lord , seeing we are peaceable , and no ways injurious unto any ? and we believe your selves have experience of the same , which was the ground of our oppression in the days of oliver cromwel , and of his son richard cromwel , under whose governments we were greatly oppressed , because vve could not conform to them in matters about religion ; for vvhose cruelty and in justice the lord hath overturned them & such as took part vvith them therein , and you do novv possess their places , not that you should do as they did , but that you should answer the end of the lord therein , in doing justly , loving mercy , and walking humbly before him , who is to be feared , and vvill justly recompence all according to their doings ; and novv hath given you a day to try and prove you herein , whether you will do what he doth from you require , or not . therefore mind what the lord doth require at your hands , and answer him therein , that ye may be a blessing to the nation wheresoever you come ; for in this your welfare dependeth eternally . from the prison in worcester the 15. of the 5. mon. 1662. from lovers of your souls , who desireth the peace and welfare of all mankind , who suffer bonds with many more for righteousness sake , called quakers . e.b. r.f. e.s. w.p. r.s. s.p. &c. postscript . vvhat is before mentioned , is , as near as we could remember , the substance of the passages at our tryal . many things more might have been mentioned of what then passed , but we were willing to be as short as we could in publishing a relation thereof , commending our selves with the controversie between us and our opposers , to be decided by god's witness in every ones conscience which shall read or hear the same . worcester prison the 10th day of the 6 , month 1662. a brief account of the imprisonment and tryal of some more of our friends , who are inhabitants of worcestershire . upon the 20. day of the 5. moneth 1662. came a party of souldiers to the town of pershore , where some of them were peaceably assembled in the fear of the lord , and lay violent hands on them , drawing them forth from the meeting , and some out of their houses , and off from their own ground with their swords drawn , and forcing them along the streets , and forced them into an house , not showing them any order for what they did , until they had been kept several hours in the house , where they were close detained prisoners , and their friends not permitted to come to them ; and afterwards took them to worcester , striking them , and giving some of them fore blows : some moderate people seeing it , desired them to forbear striking them ; then they fell a striking and cutting the people with their swords , and so brought them to the prison in worcester without any mittimus . upon the 5. and 6. days of the 6. moneth , ed. hall , george fort , henry gibbs , with the rest of our friends who were taken prisoners with them at pershore , vvere brought before the justices at the sessions in worcester to be tried vvith several other of our friends who vvere taken from their peaceable meeting being assembled in the fear of the lord at dudly in worcestershire , at the same time as friends in pershore vvere taken , vvhose names are , richard payton , john newcomb , thomas denton , and sutton bagley . all these before mentioned , vvere tried at the sessions then holden , being made offenders about the oath of allegiance , because they did not svvear , the jury finding them guilty , though in the sight of the lord they are innocent from the breach of any just lavv ; sentence vvas passed upon them , as follovveth . richard payton being brought into a premunire , his personal estate was forfeited to the king for ever , and his real estate during term of life , and himself to be out of the kings protection , and to remain in prison during the kings pleasure , &c. the rest of them , viz. ed. hall , george fort , henry gibbs , john newcomb , thomas denton , sutton bagley , john johnson , william collins , and ed. gibbs , vvere fined five pounds a piece , and for want of distress , or not payment of the same in a weeks time after sentence was past , to be committed to the house of correction , and there to be put to hard labour for three moneths &c. and thus for no evil , but for keeping a good conscience with the lord do we suffer , the scripture being fulfilled in us , which saith , he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey , &c. se● isa . 59. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , &c. queries to the compellers in religious matters . vvhether you your selves would be compelled from your religion ; or not : if not , then do ye as ye would be done unto , to compel others unto that , when as you you would not be compelled your selves ? whether that which you compel unto , be truth , or not : if truth , who did ye deny it , in not practifing it , or suffering for it , about 8 or 9 years ago ; if not truth , do you well to force unto it ? whether to allow liberty in honest and religious matters , be not a more sweeter , and also an acceptabler sacrifice to god , then to oppress or prison about it , and to make men aliens to their own families and strangers to their housholds concerning it ? whether it be heavenly or heathenish , to force in things pertaining to conscience , and whether christian like or otherwise to neglect the better , and to take the worser to be an example herein ? whether to limit that which is conscientious in others , doth not truly be speak the permitters thereof , men rather lovers of vanity then vertue ? whether to ruine a man and his family , and yet no iniury by them done , be truly religious and prevailing vertues to make proselitos , or otherwise ? what is the ground of oppression , and whence had it its descent ; was god the author thereof , or did good , men practice it in any generation ? robert smith the end . the path of the just cleared, and cruelty and tyranny laid open, or, a few words to you priests, and magistrates of this nation, (who say we deny the scriptures, and that we are antichrists and deceivers, and that we deny the word of god) wherein your oppression and tyranny is laid open, which by you is unjustly acted against the servants of the living god, who by the world which hate the light of christ, are in derision called quakers : wherein also is something declared both to judges and justices ... : also the ground and cause of the imprisonment of george whitehead and john harwood ... / from the spirit of the living god in me, whose name in the flesh is george whitehead ... ; also a paper against the sin of idleness ... whitehead, george, 1636?-1723. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a65876 of text r206645 in the english short title catalog (wing w1944). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 50 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 14 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a65876 wing w1944 estc r206645 18391497 ocm 18391497 107454 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a65876) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107454) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1136:19) the path of the just cleared, and cruelty and tyranny laid open, or, a few words to you priests, and magistrates of this nation, (who say we deny the scriptures, and that we are antichrists and deceivers, and that we deny the word of god) wherein your oppression and tyranny is laid open, which by you is unjustly acted against the servants of the living god, who by the world which hate the light of christ, are in derision called quakers : wherein also is something declared both to judges and justices ... : also the ground and cause of the imprisonment of george whitehead and john harwood ... / from the spirit of the living god in me, whose name in the flesh is george whitehead ... ; also a paper against the sin of idleness ... whitehead, george, 1636?-1723. harwood, john. to all you rulers, gentry, priests, and people. 26 p. printed for giles calvert ..., london : 1655. "to all you rulers, gentry, priests, and people ..." signed: john harwood, p. 24-26. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library. eng society of friends -england -apologetic works. dissenters, religious -england. persecution -england. a65876 r206645 (wing w1944). civilwar no the path of the just cleared; and cruelty and tyranny laid open. or a few words to you priests, and magistrates of this nation, (who say we whitehead, george 1655 9925 24 0 0 0 0 0 24 c the rate of 24 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-04 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-04 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the path of the just cleared ; and cruelty and tyranny laid open . or a few words to you priests , and magistrates of this nation , ( who say we deny the scriptures , and that we are antichrists and deceivers , and that we deny the word of god , ) wherein your oppression and tyranny is laid open , which by you is unjustly acted against the servants of the living god , who by the world which hate the light of christ , are in derision called quakers . wherein also is something declared both to judges and justices so called , concerning contempt of authority . also the ground and cause of the imprisonment of george whitehead and john harwood , who are sufferers for the innocent truths sake , in the goal of bury in suffolk . also a copy of a paper , which a servant of the lord called richard clayton , was moved to set upon a steeple-house door at bury in suffolk , for which he was caused to be whipped by one thomas waldegrave , justice of peace in the said county . but though hand joyn in hand , the wicked shall not be unpunished ; but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered , prov. 11. 21. from the spirit of the living god in me , whose name in the flesh is george whitehead , who for sions sake cannot hold my peace , but testifie against her oppressors : who am a sufferer as aforesaid , the 4. day of the 7. month . 1655. also , a paper against the sin of idleness , which we declare against , and live out of ; and are diligent serving the lord , though that sin be cast upon us , yet it we deny , with all other sins and ungodlinesse , which is contrary to the gospel of christ . london , printed for giles calvert , at the black-spread-eagle , near the west end of pauls , 1655. the path of the jvst cleared : and cruelty and tyranny laid open . see what christ we own , and who are antichrists . that christ we owne and witness , and are partakers of his sufferings , who was promised for a covenant unto the people , for a light unto the gentils , to open the blind eyes , this is he who was before abraham was ; who said , before abraham was , i am ; who was in the beginning which was the word , by which all things was made , which word became flesh , and dwelt among the disciples , and suffered at jerusalem , and witnessed a good confession before ponce pilate ; whom pilate delivered up to the jews , and the chief priests and elders , whom they mocked and despitefully used , & put to death concerning the flesh ; but is raised up by the spirit , and ascended into glory , which glory he prayed for , even that glory whereby he was at first with his father glorified in , wherein he is glorified in his saints , and is god over all , god blessed for ever ; and he that hath him , hath the father also , and hath life ; and he that hath not the son , hath not life ; for he is the light of the world and in him is no darknesse ; and he is the way the truth and the life ; and he that followeth him shall not abidein darknesse , but shall receive the light of life . and this is the true light , which lighteth every man that cometh into the world , which iohn who was a man sent from god was a witnesse of , and we are witnesses of , and do not deny the word , nor the scriptures ; but they who persecuted him even the scribes and pharises , and the chiefe priests and elders of the people , who had a profession of the scriptures , of moses words , and the prophets words : they did deny the scriptures , even moses who wrote of christ , so did not beleive christ , and so denyed him who was the word which became flesh . and so his word did not take place in them , because they did not believe that he was the christ , but looked for another christ to come in pompe like themselves , but against their pride he did cry , and said , woe unto the scribes and pharises , who were called of men masters , stood praying in the synagogues , had the chiefest places in the assemblies and greeting in the markets : and laid heavy burthens upon the people . but he said to his disciples , be not ye called masters : and when he sent them forth he forbad them to take money or bag or scrip : but freely ye have received , freely give : and many of them had no certaine dwelling place , but suffered persecution and hunger and nakednesse and prison and stripes and perils , and were chargeable to no man : but where they had sown spiritual things they said , if we sow to you spiritual things , it is a smal thing if we reap of you carnal things . but these were not the world , for the world was persecuters and revilers , and haled them out of the synagogues ; and such as christ sent we owne , and the scriptures we own , and christ come in the flesh we owne and witnesse ; but you magistrates and you priests of this nation who are upholden by such as persecute and hale out of the synagogues , and imprison , and whip , & despitefully now use such as are sent freely to witnes forth the truth , and for that christ , and against antichrist , and deceivers , such as christ cryed wo against : here , you priests of this nation , who are found in their steps which christ cryed woe against , even the steps of the scribes & pharises , & you magistrates , justices , judges , & rulers , who uphold such , and persecute , imprison & cause to be whipped : and fine such as are sent to bear witness against them that are found in scribes and pharises steps ; who lay heavy burthens upon the people , and are called of men masters , stands praying in the synagogues , and have the cheifest places in the assemblies : you are filling up the measure of their iniquities , who persecuted christ , & upheld them which christ cryed wo unto , and them who persecuted the true prophets , who was sent to cry out against the false prophets , these cryed against such as sought for their gain from their quarters , & such as were hirlings , & such as bare rule by their means , and taught lyes , who said they were sent of god ; when god never sent them but man , before they were sent : and these were the prophets who cryed against the false , who said ; thus said the lord , and heare the word of the lord . but god never spake to them : but jeremiah who cryed against such was not a proud man , nor a covetous man , as the priests of england are now , who are in these steps before mentioned , which the false prophets were in . but jeremiah was mocked , & they were stoned & some killed , and jeremy was set in the stocks for witnessing forth the truth against the false prophets ; and put into adungeon and here we are witnessed by the true prophets , christ , & his apostles , who ever witnessed against deceivers , and such as lived in pride and coveteousness : and amos who was a true witness for god , witnessed against the abomination of rulers , and people ; he was not made a minister by the will of man , nor upheld by a carnal weapon , nor an outward law ▪ but when he prophesied against the house of jeraboam , then amaziah , the priest of bethel complained to jeroboam the king against amos ; and said , the land was not able to bear his words , and bad him flee away into the land of judah , and prophesie no more at bethel ; for he said it was the kings chappel , and the kings court , as you may read , amos 7 , 10 , and ●o you priests of england complain : moreover many of you do swear to the magistrates against us , who are witnessed by christ , the true prophets , and apostles : both in our sufferings , and testimony w●ich is against all deceit and deceivers ; ●o you priests and magistrates cause us to suffer , because we are offended at the truth , which witnesses against all deceit , without respect of persons , whereof they that are sent of god were witnesses : and so by you some suffer imprisonment , some whipping , some stocking , and some you imprison and fine 10 , or 40 , or 50 , marks , and they that stone & hale out of the synagogues , their hands you strengthen against the innocent , and execute your law upon them , who are redeemed from that which the law takes hold upon , who do witnesse against transgression , where ever it is by the truth which respects no mans person . and here the end for which you are brought forth , is to witness for god & to the establishment of judgment , and mercy , & righteousnesse & peace , which takes away all occasion of outward punishment , and carnal weapons , where it comes to be established , and set up in the hearts of people ; and this they who come to witness set up in them which they that own the light of christ are witnesses of , dare not act in their own wills , in tyranny , and cruelty , against the innocent who are freely sent to witnes forth the truth against all deceit & cruelty , & oppression which is acted in this generation , even among you priests & magistrates , both judges justices & rulers , whose ears are open to heare the complaints of these proud and co●ou●s priests , who make great petitioning and complaints against us , who suffer by the cruelty of you , who cause su to be sent to prison , when you can charge su with the breach of no known law , and cause some to be whipped , & some to be fined , as aforesaid , and the priests that complain for the help of magistrates , to have this people , called quakers , suppressed because they are affraid that their tythes and maintenance should faile them , and they come to lose their gifts , and rewards ; because we cry against such as isaiah cryed against , who seek for their gain from their quarters ; as you may read , isa. 56 , 11 , and against such as beare rule by their means , which ieremiah cryed against ; ier. 5. and such teach for hire , and divine for money ; which micah cryed against , mica . 3. and against such as christ cryed woe against , as you may read , matt. 23. and we cry against such as go in cains way and balaams , which iude cryed woe against iude. 11. and here they are affraid that their riches and honour should faile them , whose riches is earthly , and honor is earthly : and here you magistrates uphold such as the prophets , christ , and his apostles cryed against , and causes the innocent to suffer by your wills , contrary to the law of justice ▪ and equity ; and so are filling up the measure of your iniquities , who persecuted the true prophets of christ and his apostles ; and you may consider by the light in your consciences , what reformation and just government is established by you , who have long professed liberty , justice , and equity ; when now this is the end of your profession , and praying , and your fasting , and your dayes of thanksgiving , even persecution , and oppression , and strengthening the hands of evil doers against the innocent , and so neglect the fast which the lord requires , read isa. 58. 6. is not this the fast that i have chosen , saith the lord , to loose the bands of wickedness , to undoe the heavy burthens , and to let the oppressed goe free , and that ye break every yoak , but instead of this , ye strengthen the bands of wickedness , and goes on in your cruelty , and oppression . ah wo , word , is the end of your profession , who are so acting in your cruelty , and tyranny ; against them who for conscience sake cannot bow to your wills , but witness against the deceit which is acted in this nation , both among the priests and people : therefore among you ruand magistrates is this scripture fulfilled . the rulers take counsell together against the lord , and his annointed ; and the blood of the saints shall be required , at your hands who persecute , even the blood of all the holy men of god , who suffered , from abel until this generation . oh , be ashamed of your profession , and you fair pretences of reformation , since the bishops were cut off , who now are acting in the same cruelty that they acted in , and yet you can speak against them , and their tyranny , and you found in the same ; oh fear and dread the living god of heaven and earth , whose judgment and wrath and fiery indignation slumbers not , for these things : oh the blood of the righteous cryes in the ears of the lord of hosts , for vengeance against you persecuters ; your prayers and pretences , of serving the lord , is abomination unto him , and your sacrifices is wearisome unto the lord , and grievous unto him , as the sacrifices and oblations of the rulers , of sodome , and people of gomorrah was , which the prophet isai cryed against , who said unto them your new moones and your sabbaths , and your calling assemblies i cannot away with : it is iniquity , even your solemn meetings saith the lord ; your new moons and appointed feasts my soul hateth , they are a trouble to me , i am weary to bear them when you spread forth your hands , i will hid mine eyes from you , yea when you make many prayers , i will not heare , your hands are full of blood , isa. 1. 15. therefore all you that act in persecution , and cruelty , and oppression , read your selues both priests and rulers , to be in that generation which isai and the rest of the prophets did cry against , and are partakers of their sins ; and now you live at ease in pride & fullnes of bread , as sodom & gomorrah did , and the end of your profession liberty and freedom is oppression and tyranny , as was in the bishops time , to those that cannot stoop to your wills , when as you ought to have judged the cause of the oppressed , and to have undone the heavy burthens , and to have let the oppressed goe free . therefore hear the word of the lord , ye rulers of this nation , who joyne with the priests , who goe in the way of cain to envy , and run greedily after the error of balaam for gifts and rewards ; you joyne with them who go in the steps of the false prophets ; and of them which christ cryed woe against , who are called of men masters , stand praying in the synagogues , have the cheifest places in the assemblies , and the greetings in the markets , and lay heavy burthens upon the people , and devour widdows houses ; and so here the cause of the widdows , and opressed you do not judg : therfore the lord may justly say of you as he said of that people , which he had set in a fruitful place , when i looked for judgment behold oppression , therefore repetn of your cruelty , and undo the heavy burthens , and let the oppressed goe free : for if you still refuse , and rebel against the lord , which is a god of truth and equity , he will cut you off , and give you your portion among all the oppressors and persecuters , whom the lord in his indignation cut off , the lord of hosts hath spoken it , and what will ye do in the end of your persecution , when the lord calls you to an account ; will not the lord avenge his quarrel upon sions oppressors , and ease him of his enemies ? therefore , remember you are warned , lest you are pertakers of the plagues , who go on in persecution and oppression , who pervert true judgment , and despise equity , and so have your portion with the workers of iniquity . so to the light in all your consciences i speak , which loves equity and true judgment , and is the condemnation of all the practices before mentioned , which are contrary to it . and the condemnation of all them , that live in them , by which light are witnessed who walk in the light , and to it we are manifest , whether you heare or forbear ▪ a few words to you both judges and justices so called , that say we contemne magistracy , and are not subiect to authority , and government , because we cannot put off our hats , nor bow to you when we are called before you . the powers that are ordained of god , who are sent of him , for the punishment of transgressors , and for the encouragment of them that do well , these we own , and are subiect to them for conscience sake ; knowing that such are not a terror to good works , but to evil ; for such execute the law in righteousnes , upon them who are guilty of the transgression of it , for because of trangression the law is added & there the law is executed in its place , and in righteousness ; and so those that execute the law in its place , they are for the establishment of righteousness and peace ; and , contrary to the law of justice , & equity , dare not act in their own wills , nor for their own ends : and herein they seek not themselves , nor their own glory , nor honour , but the glory and honour of god , who is honoured and glorified among them who act in truth and righteousnesse , and love the lord ; and to them our souls are subject . but you who act in cruelty and persecution as before mentioned , who execute your law upon the innocent , you do not encourage them that do well , but encourage them that do ill , and strengthen the hands of evil doers , and make strong the bands of wickedness , who indite , and fine , and imprison those who cannot for conscience sake bow to your wills , nor put off their hats , to satisfie your corrupt wills : wherein you are seeking your own honour , and not the honour of god : and because that many cannot for conscience sake , act these heathenish customs , to satisfie your vain minds , and your fleshly exaltations , wherein you act in pride and high-mindedness , therfore by you many are fined , and endited , and imprisoned contrary to any just law , and contrary to the law of the nation : and no such vain custome can you prove that ever any of the saints did act , when they were brought from vanities to serve the living god ; but the world and the conformities and fashions of the world they were brought to deny , and by the same spirit are we brought to deny all these heathenish practices , and to witness against the world who live in them ; and because we witness against the world , that the deeds thereof are evil , therefore we are hated , and by the world suffer : and here ye magistrates who plead for these things , and cause the innocent to suffer , for denying them , you act in the costumes of the world contrary to the light of christ , which condemns the world with its deeds and sayes that we contemn magistracy and authority because we cannot stoop to your wills , in these customes ; here you falsly accuse us , for authority we do not contemn , for by the spirit of the living god , whereby we are transformed , by the renuing of our minds , we do deny the conformities of the world as the apostle said ; be not ye conformed unto this world , and the same apostle did not contemn authority , but said , let every soule be subject to the higher powers , and , rulers are not a terror to good workes but to evil , but he speakes not of pulling off the hat , nor bowing , neither gives he liberty to any of you to persecute and imprison them who cannot , for conscience sake , bow to your wills , nor put off their hatts ; for he was imprisoned , and persecuted , and did suffer by that generation you are in , who suffered stripes , tumults and imprisonment , and many perils , & of his sufferings are we pertakers : and the cloak that you have for these vanities , will not hide you : for you say that though you have no written law of the nation , for puling off hats , nor scripture to prove it , yet you say that it is the custome of the nation ; as bowing &c and that the very heathens do bow , and that the egyptians bowed ; i answer , so is drunkenness , and lying , and swearing , persecution , and fighting , and quarreling , accustomed in this nation , which many that act in , go unpunished , which the righteous law of god takes hold upon : but the righteous law of god speaks not of puting off a hat , therefore be ashamed of your actings , and be ashamed of your customs , who makes a custome a law , to act in envy and cruelty , against the servants of the lord . and when you alledge , that jacob bowed to esau , and called him lord , and that abraham bowed to seth , who was a heathen . i answer , that which was acted by them , when they bowed , was not a command to you and that you might seek honour one of another , who profess your selvs to be believers and christians , to imitate these heathenish customs , though for a time jacob and abraham bowed , and jacob called esau lord , who was the elder , but when the elder was made to serve the younger , he was not lord , but servant : and so out of esaus state , and the heathenish nature , we are redeemed , and the one lord , who is the true god , we witness : so out of the many gods , and many lords , which are in the world , vve are redeemed , and hovv can ye believe and seek honour one of another , for the true god is no respecter of persons ; and he that respects persons , commits sin : and so by you that seek eye-service , and honour one another , is not the lord honoured . but ye seek that to your selves , which belongs to god ; and this is he , vvho reigns over the house of iacob , and is greater then abraham . let the heathens bovv to him , vvho hath redeemed us out of the heathenish nature , for he wil break the limits of the heathen , and dash them to peices , and all your limits , who live in envy , and rage in the heathenish nature ; and plead for their customs , and would limit the righteous to walk in their steps , and to bow to your proud flesh , : for as i live , saith the lord , every knee shall bow to me , and every tongue shall confess unto god ; as you may read , rom. 13. 11. isai. 45. 23. phil. 2. 10. therefore bow to the lord of hosts , and let proud flesh stoop before him , who seeks honour to your selves , which belongs to god , fear before the lord , and tremble , at which name every knee shall bow , and every tongue confess to the glory of god . then examine what will be the end of your earthly glory , whose honour must be laid in the dust : who seeks your own glory , and not the glory of god : whose honour and glory we seek , and not the honor of man : and therfore we cannot stoop nor bow to your pride , nor conform to your vanities , which are acted in your wills , contrary to the pure law of god ; which respects no mans person : and here you act for your own ends , and punish the servants of the lord , who for his sake cannot submit to your deceit , and heathenish vanities ; you act contrary to the law of god , and the law of the nation , and for the lords sake act not , neither were you sent of god to this end , therefore accuse us not for contempt of authority , neither say that we are not subject to every ordinance of man , for the lords sake : for to every ordinance of man , which are for the lords sake , we are subject : whether it be to supream , or unto ▪ governors , as unto them that are sent by him , for the punishment of evil-doers , and for the praise of them that do well . but you who are sent to judge of causes , between man and man , according to the truth , and equity , by an outward law , which takes hold upon transgression , and now execute power upon them , who by the law of the spirit of life are made free from the law of sin , and death , and so would usurp authority over the consciences of the people of the lord , whose consciences is exercised by the light of christ , which condemns the world with its deeds , and so you go beyond your limits , to judg in things pertaining to god , who is judge , and law-giver : and so here you act in frowardness , contrary to the light of christ in you , and so would lord it over gods heritage : and here let the rulers among the heathen , which christ spoke of , condemn your practices , who said , the kings of the gentiles exercised authority over them , but ye would exercise lordship over us , who are not heathens , but christians . therefore , ye magistrates of this nation , see whom you are acting for , and what order is set up by you , and whose glory it is you seek , and who it is that you seek to exercise authority over : for when the judgments of god comes upon you for acting in your wills , and in your cruelty , against the innocent , you will witness them to be just by that of god in your consciences , and your just reward . and know that in as much as you persecute them , whom christ hath sent , you persecute christ : therefore now while the lord doth not speedily execute his judgments upon you , consider your wayes , and see what you act , and whom you act for , as you will it eternally answer . the ground of john harwoods & my imprisonment ; that innocency may be cleared , and the wicked bear their burthens . upon the 30 day of the 5th month , being the 2d day of the week , i & my two bretheren , jo : harwood , & richard clayton , , passing through a town called bury , in suffolk , about 5 miles from halstead , in essex , where we were at a meeting the firstday before , in the feare and service of the lord , and passing by the steeple house , in the said bury , richard clayton , was moved to set up a paper upon the steeple house door , and john harwood ▪ & i passing on a litle before , and seeing some people of the said bury , coming to richard clayton , where he was seting up the paper , and so we passed back to them , who stayed him , and were about him reading the paper ; who could find nothing contrary to scriprure in it : so john harwood , and i , being to speake a few words to the people there present in the name of the lord , exhorted them to turne to the lord from the vanities , & wickednesses they lived , in , which several of them was made to confess the truth of which was declared to them , and the mouths of many who were in rage , were stopped , and so we passing from the people there present there came a constable ▪ called richard hum , who stayed us , and said , he had a warrant to stay us : so we demanded to see his warrant , but he had none to shew , but said he had order from the justice , & so carried us two before harbert pellam , called justice of peace , in the said bury , whose office is for essex : so first i was carried before him , and he examined me , & then john harwood , of our names , and country , and abode , where we had been , and what money we had when we came out of our own countryes : which we answered as we were moved , and had freedom ; and many other vain questions he asked in his b●sie vain light mind , which were not worth mentioning : and when i was moved to speak a few words , concerning his rage ▪ & filthiness , which he uttered forth , he said , he sent not for me to preach : but he could lay no transgression , nor the breach of any known law to our charge : but in his fury , & rage , sent us by the constable & some others with him , to one thomas walgrave , who is called justice of peace at smalbridg in suffolk , about half a mile from the said bury , whose office is for suffolk : so when we came before the said walgrave , we were carried into the house , & they first examined richard clayton , of his name , and country , and where he had been , and what was the cause of his coming into that country , and who sent him , which he answered as he was moved ; and some other vain questions were asked him : & when he had examined him he then examined me of my name & country , and where i was born : and how long i had been acquainted with richard clayton ; and where i first met with him , which i answered according to my freedom , & some other vain needless questions were asked not worth mentioning ; so he could lay nothing to our charge , concerning the breach of any law : we being free born english men , and not chargeable to any ; so then john harwood was brought before him : and richard clayton , & i , commanded to go out of doors with a keeper , so the said waldegrave , asked john harwood , if he would answer him all the questions that he should demand of him . but jo. denyed to be limited to his will , but as he had moving : so the said harbert pellam , being there present , who before had examined us , and had our examination in writing : john harwood told walgrave , that pellam had his examination in writing , and bad him , if he had any thing to accuse us of , to declare what he had against us : so then the said waldegrave being in a great rage , would not suffer him to speak , but caused him to be haled out of doors : so he and the said pellam , consulted a great vvhile together : so after a time , walgrave came forth , and spoke to john harwood , and in a fury put off his hat , and cast it dovvn , and asked him his name , and country , vvhich questions john ansvvered : so he came to me , and asked me if i would work at hay : so i denyed to be bound to such task-masters : for i was in that calling whereunto god hath called me , wherein i was chargable to no man : for he had nothing to do , to lay any task upon any of us , who was brought out of egypt , from under pharoahs task-masters ; so he went in , and sent out a warrant to imprison john harwood , and another : to have richard clayton whipped at bury , and sent from constable to constable , till he came at his outward being : so he charged the constable , to keep me that week , till another justice came from the assizes at bury ; so we demanded of him what law we had transgressed . but he would shew us none , neither declared unto us any transgression that we had acted . but called the paper that richard clayton set upon the steeple-house door , a seditious paper , and non-sence , which he could not prove , nor shew any thing in it , contrary to the scripture . but he would scarce suffer us to speak , but did stamp , and rage , and caused us to be haled out of doors , so we were had back again to the said bury , and according to the warrant , richard hum , the said constable , the same night in the open street , whipping richard clayton , he being stript naked to the midle about the wast , so presently after he had whipped him , he sent him away that nighr , according to the warrant : and john harwood , and i was kept at an inn in the same town that night , and early in the morning , john was sent with 2. men to the prison of bury , st. edmonds in suffolk , about 16. miles from the said bures , so until the next day , under the constables custody i remained , so in the morning there came a warrant , from the said waldegrave , to the constable , to send me to the said prison of bury : so accordingly i was sent the same day , where we remaine in bonds by the cruelty of these called justices , to wit , harbert pellam and thomas waldgrave , and are not convinced of the breach of any known law , of the nation . but in patience we suffer , and in our sufferings , have peace ; our bonds being unjustly laid upon us , by them who profess justice : but here they , and their profession is seen , and with the light of christ condemned to be contrary to the law , justice , and equity . therefore let the supreme , and governors , who are in authority , consider for all your professing liberty to tender consciences and religion , what liberty by you is brought forth : when as we , who are sent of the lord , to bear witness unto pure religion , and to witnesse forth a good conscience , and our labour and travel is , that justice and equity might be set up , and deceit confounded : and also we being free born english men , may not have freedom , to passe the high-way about our lawful calling . but have such bonds , and snares , laid upon us both contrary to the law of god , and the law of the nation ; and contrary to that liberty which hath been promised to them professing godlinesse by the supreme of this nation . as in the act for the government of england , scotland , and ireland , in article , 36. that to the publike profession held forth none shall be compelled by penalities , or otherwise , but that endeavours be made to win them by sound doctrine , and the examples of a good conversation . article . 37. that such as profess faith in god by jesus christ , though differing in judgment , from the doctrin , worship or discipline publickly held forth , shall not be restrained from : but shall be protected in the profession of the faith , and exercise of their religion , so as they abuse not this liberty to the civill injury of others and to the actuall disturbance of the publique peace on their part ; provided that this liberty be not extended to popery or prelacy , nor to such who under the profession of christ hold forth and practise licentiousnesse . article 38 : that all lawes , statutes , ordinances and clauses in any law , statute , and ordinance to the contrary of the aforesaid liberty , shall be esteemed nul and ●oyde . now let the supreme , and magistrates , see and examine what performance there is acted by you , of these solemne promises which hath beene promised for the liberty of godlinesse in this nation , when such injustice is winked at , and acted by you who professe justice , and are set in authority to act according to the law of justice and to remove unjust causes : when now both contrary to the law of god , and contrary to your own law , you cause the servants of the lord to suffer whipping and imprisoning , them which you cannot charge which the breach of any law : here be ashamed of your unjust actings , ye oppressors and persecutors of the innocent , and know that at your cruelty the lord will not winke , but though you joyne hand in hand you shall not go unpunished , and the very heathens may condemn you that whip and act contrary to your own law , against them , whom the law condemnes not : for when they were ready to whip paul , he said to the centurion , is it lawfull for you , to scourge a man that is a roman and uncondemned , and said he was free borne , and so both the centurion and the chiefe captaine , who bound paul were afraid , after they knew that he was a roman , and caused him to be loosed : but though we be free-borne english men and uncondemned by the law , you are not ashamed to whip and act in cruelty against us , therefore see what equity is owned by you , and see whethe● you do as ye would be don by , yea or nay : and let al● people who have any feare of god in them , see you● shame and envy , you utter forth and have acted againe the innocent . for they who are authorised to beare this sword of justice , ought not to be a terrour to good work-but to the evill , and saith the lord by his prophet david he that ruleth over men must be just , ruling in the feare of god , and such who rule in the feare of god , are not persecutors of the innocent , but doth defend and preserve , such as these men before mentioned whip and persecute . for the law which because of transgression is added , doth not take hold upon the innocent , which no law hath transgressed . so ye who have acted your cruelty upon the innocent , who in the sight of god , are free from the breach of any known law , who according to your own law , by you ought to be protected ; here you are found transgressors of the law , which because of transgression is added , and with it are condemned , and with the light of christ you are seene to be the magistrates , which beares the sword in vaine , who turnes the edge of the sword against the righteous seed , which you ought to turne against the wicked , that the land might be emptyed of transgressors and evill doers : for the law was not made for the righteous , but for the lawless and disobedient ; which law is witnessed by us , ( to be good in its place ▪ ) who suffer by the wills of unreasonable men , contrary to the law of god and the law of the nation : for we who professe faith in god , by jesus christ , and through faith hath victory obtained over that nature , which leads into the transgression of the law , ought according to your own law , to be protected in the exercising of our religion , but you instead of protecting us , whip and imprison us . and here let your own law be a witnesse against you , and be ashamed of your unjust actings , but the lord of god of heaven and earth , ( who is our protector ) who is righteous , who beares not the sword in vaine , who will execute the judgment upon the transgressor , who will reward you according to your works , before him you shall not be able to stand in judgment , in the day of your account , therefore come downe to the light in your consciences , which calls for justice and equity , and awake to righteousnesse , all ye that li●e in your pride and presumption , and therein act against the innocent , for the day hastens wherein you will be found out by the righteous judgments of god : for the cry of the innocent , which is oppressed by you , hath entred into the eares of the lord of sabbath , who will come quickly and reward every one of you according to your deeds . therefore repent of your cruelty before the evill day come , least you be found guilty of the blood of the innocent , when the lord calls you to an account : for know this that when the lord comes to plead with you , that of god in all your consciences , will witnesse for god in his righteous judgments ; therefore by that light which is pure in your consciences learne your condemnation , and own it upon those things before mentioned , which are contrary to the light , that peradventure you may be hid in the day of the lords wrath . from us who are sufferers in outward bonds , for the testimony of a good conscience , for the innocent truth sake , which shall stand for ever a witnesse against all cruelty , and bloody persecutors , in which truth we have assurance and peace in our sufferings , who are counted by the world deceivers yet true , persecuted but not destroyed . our names according to the flesh are george whitehead , iohn harwood &c. from bury gaol this 14 of the 9 month , a true coppy of the paper which richard clayton was moved to set upon bures steeple-house doore , for which he the said thomas waldgrave , called iustice of peace caused him to be whipped which he the said thomas waldegrave called a seditious paper and non-sence . if you do set up such ministers as seeke for their gaine from their quarters , you do set up such as the prophet disapproves , isa. 56. 11 : and if you do set up such as do beare rule by their meanes , you do set up such as the prophet jeremiah , and the lord disapproves , jer. 5. and you that set up such as seeks for the wool , and make a prey upon the people , you set up such as the prophet ezekiel disapproves , ezek. 34 : and you that set up hirelings , set up such as micah disapproves , mica . 3. and you that set up such as are called of men masters , stands praying in the synagogues , and have the chiefest places in the assemblies , you set up such as christ disapproved math. 23 : and you that set up such as are given to filthy lucre , you set up such as the apostle disapproves 2 pet. 2. 14. and you that set up such as persecute , and cause people to be sent to prison for speaking the truth in the synagogues , you set up such as goe in cains way jude . 11 , and you that set up such as receives guifts and rewards , the wages of unrighteousnesse , you set up such as minde earthly things , whose god is their belly , which the apostle disapproves ; phil. 3. 10. and you that set up such as strives to keep out gods labourers out of his vineyard and keep up such which christ and the apostles disapproves ; and you that set up such as would not suffer another to speake that stands by , when any thing is revealed , but sends him to prison if he do , you set up a persecuting spirit , full of disorder , and are judged by the apostles life and doctrine , ( who was a minister of christ ) both you that set up , and them you do set up , ( who said they might speake one by one ) and so you all by this spirit are judged to be in the spirit of errour , and to be such as would quench the holy spirit , and would limit the spirit of god , and despise prophecying and dare not try all things , manifesting your selves to be haters of the light , and disapproved , with the prophets and apostles , and their practices and life : and you that sets up such as gives people , davids quakings , tremblings , cryings , roarings , and tears , and prophecyes , and prayers and praises , in meeter mixt together , you set up such as have not the spirit of understanding to sing with the spirit and with understanding , which spirit brings to know the time of praising , praying , groaning , and crying , and trembling , and quaking , and prophesying : the spirit of understanding witnesseth , these things in their places , but you give scoffers , and scorners , and drunkards , and swearers , and threatners , and persecuters , davids conditions to sing , for he was scoft at when he was in such conditions , and these do so now at these that are in such conditions . and if you set up such as takes tythes , you set up such as the apostle denied , for the apostle said , the preisthood was changed , and the law was changed also , heb. 7. and if you set up such as is before mentioned , you set up such as are contrary to scriptures , and plants no vineyard , nor labours in the vineyard ; for first they must plant a vineyard , before they eat of it . to all you-rulers , gentry , priests , and people in the nation , who accuse us , you call quakers , for idleness ; take notice of your envy , you have against gods labourers . whereas by many of the magistrates , priests , and people of this nation , we are accused of idleness , who are sent by the lord of the harvest into his vineyard to dresse it ( as the disciples of christ ever were ) and are faithful and diligent in his work , who hath called us , ( as the true ministers , sent forth by christ , were in all ages ) and are not idle , but do ( as they did ) by the same spirit , bear witness against all such as live in idleness , and prophanenesse , as the most part of these people do , who accuse us : such , as live in pride and wantonness , who work not at all with their hands , accuse us of idleness , who have a cloud of witnesses for our practice ; for the holy men of god travelled from place to place , ( as we do ) as they were moved of the lord , and they were sent ( as we are ) by the lord ; to testifie against such ungodly practices , as the people of the world live in ; and the same generation in nature , hated and persecuted them , as do hate and persecute us ; and by the same holy spirit , ye are tryed and found to be the idle persons , who accuse the servants of the lord of idlenesse , who are in the work of the lord , labouring in his vineyard . you magistrates , gentry , priests and people , who sport your selves in the day-time , and wantonly lives upon the earth , feeding your selves with dainty dishes , dives-like , wasting the creatures of god upon your lusts , devouring the creation , decking your selves in gorgeous attire , that you may be set up and esteemed of , above your poor brethren , & so are found gentils in nature , exercising lordship over your brethren persecuting & imprisoning them , who are redeemed out of that nature you live in , who cannot bow and worship you ( as the heathen do ; ) but know this , you gentiles , priests and people , who lives in these practices , ( in envy , pride , idleness , and fulness of bread . ) the day drawes nigh , wherein you an account must give to the creator , for your envy and cruelty , and for the creatures which you have wasted , and do waste and devoure , upon your ungodly lusts ; and in the day of account , you will houle and lament , for the misery which will upon you come ; for , to the mighty god of heaven and earth , the creatour of all things , you an account must give , for your pride and idleness , fulness and gluttony , which you have lived in , and do live in , and your reward you must receive , according to your deeds and practices , your outside formal profession will not at all avail you , in the day of the lord : and you shall then know , who have lived in idleness , whether you who are found in the sins of sodom alive , or we whom the lord sends amongst you , to declare against such practices , and to forewarn you of the evil , which is to come upon you , who are found in these practices and doth in life and word bear true testimony against you , who live in , and practise such things daily , as is before mentioned . and many of you are grown so dainty , and so curious in your dyet , and apparrel , that you scarce know what to eat , what to drink , or what to put on ; and so causes the whole creation , to groan under the weight and burthen of your corruptions : who lives in idleness , whose belly is your god , who glory in your shame : and here both priests and gentry , who accuses others of idleness , are caught in their own snares : you who accuse us for idleness , who are in the work of the lord , or you your selves , who are found in the work of the enemy of god , let the honest hearted judge , who live in idleness : you who are enemies to the servants of god , which labours to have such practices destroyed , as causes the wr●●h of god to remain upon such as act in these things before mentioned . all your coverings which you can make , will not hide you ; for the righteous judge , who will plead the cause of the innocent , will finde you out , in the day of his fierce wrath , which is comming upon you , which you cannot avoid , nor escape : your high thoughts , nor your greatness will not save you though you esteem never so highly of your selves , and scorn and der●de your poor fellow-creatures , counting them inferiour to you . and many of you think us not worthy to live upon the earth : we seem so vile and base in your scornful eyes . but know this , you proud , high minded , self-conceited ones that god is no respecter of persons , who hath chosen the ( despised ) poor of this world , to be heirs of eternall salvation and hath left you for utter destruction , except you speedily repent ; for wo will come upon all you that are covered , and not with the spirit of the lord : therefore now be you warned , and while you have time , prize it ; for the mighty terrible day of the lord draweth nigh : therefore repent , and forsake the evil of your doings , ( you sodomites ) before the evil which is determined against you , come upon you : the day of your calamity hastens , the lord is righteous in his judgements , who a short work will make upon the earth , and he will reward you according to your works : you who are workers of iniquity , must depart from his presence , and into utter darkness must be cast ; for the living dreadful god of life and glory , is of purer eyes , then to behold iniquity : therefore cease , cease , from your pride and vain glory , ye high-minded self-conceited ones , and sit down in dust and ashes , lest the door of mercy be for ever shut against you , and you perish eternally . remember you are warned in your life time , from edmonds bury goal , the 19. day of the 6th moneth , 1655. by a servant of the lord in outward bonds for the truthsake , in scorn by the prophane world , called quaker , whose name in the flesh is , john harwood . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a65876e-310 isa. 42. 6. & 49 ▪ 9 joh. 8. 58 jhon 1. joh. 17. joh. 5. 22. joh. 10. ●3 . 1 joh. 5. 12. & 8. 12. joh. 1. 9. joh. 7. 19. joh. 5 , 47. & 8. 37. mat. 23. & 10. 8. 9. 1 cor. 6. 4 , 5 , & 11. 24. heb. 11. 36 , 37. joh. 16. 2. mark . 12. 38. math. 23. isa. 6. 11. mica . 3. 11 ●er . 5. ezek. 34. 3. je. 38. 6. amos. 7. 10. psalm . 2. 2. rev. 6. 10. isa. 1. 13. ezek. 16. 49. mat. 23. isa. 5. 7. is. ia 1. v2 . answer . rom. 13. 3 , 4. ro● . 12. 2. john . 5. 4. jam. 2. 9. psal. 2. 2. 1 cor. 7. 20. a letter from a person of quality to an eminent dissenter to rectifie his mistakes concerning the succession, the nature of persecution and a comprehension. hickes, george, 1642-1715. 1685 approx. 58 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 18 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a43660 wing h1854a estc r40161 18769318 ocm 18769318 108255 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a43660) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 108255) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1656:15) a letter from a person of quality to an eminent dissenter to rectifie his mistakes concerning the succession, the nature of persecution and a comprehension. hickes, george, 1642-1715. [2], 30, [1] p. printed by t.b. for randolph taylor ..., london : mdclxxxv [1685] attributed to hickes by wing and nuc pre-1956 imprints. "a reissue of the sheets of: the judgment of an anonymous writer, 1684, with the title-page and clavel's preface cancelled and a new title-page substituted:--nuc pre-1956 imprints. advertisement: p. [1] at end. numerous errors in paging. reproduction of original in the huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng dissenters, religious -england. persecution -england. great britain -history -restoration, 1660-1688. great britain -kings and rulers -succession. 2008-09 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-11 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2009-01 megan marion sampled and proofread 2009-01 megan marion text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a letter from a person of quality to an eminent dissenter , to rectifie his mistakes concerning the succession , the nature of persecution and a comprehension . london , printed by t. b. for randolph taylor near stationers-hall . mdclxxxv . a letter sent from beyond the seas to a noted dissenter . dear cousin , i was very glad to receive your letters , but very sorry to find by them , that you are still so extreamly desirous of innovations in a government so well established , as that is under which you live . i perceive you are more zealous then it becomes a good subject , or a good christian to be , for carrying on a project of the earl of shaftsbury , as unreasonable as new ; viz. that of disabling a papist to inherit the crown . for doubtless that proposal was first made , and afterwards promoted by him , the last sessions of parliament , not out of true love to the reformed religion , but out of spite and revenge to the d. of y — who , were he not only papist , but heathen or mahumetan ( which i think is not much worse ) would certainly have as good a title to his crown , and all his temporal rights , as if he were the most orthodox and holy christian in the world. and i am perswaded , that my zealous lord chose would not be willing that the king and parliament should make a particular act , to disable his own posterity , to inherit the great estate he hath got , if they should turn papists or atheists , as others have done before them . we all know what mischief in the world , that damnable doctrine has made , that temporal rights and inheritances depend upon saintship and grace . and if it be clear from scripture ( as nothing is more clear ) that a king ought not to lose his crown , for not being a christian , or for renouncing the christian religion as julian did ; then it is plain , that neither the duke nor any other prince ought to be debarred from the crown , which is the greatest and most sacred of temporal rights , for not being protestants ; or which is more , for renouncing the christian religion . and i am heartily glad , that god gave the fathers of the english church the grace and courage to defend her doctrine , in opposing that unreasonable , and truly romish proposal of my lord chose ; which if they had approved , and defended after it was proposed , they had truly acted in that like prelats popishly affected , and really shewed themselves to be what their adversaries would fain perswade the world , they are . for 't is the romish church , and her doctors , which maintain , that kings excommunicated , or heretick kings , or ( which is all one ) that kings that renounce the apostolick faith , ought to be deprived and deposed . but 't is the church of england that maintains the contradiction of that unscriptural , unevangelical principle ; and thinks her self as much obliged to submit her self to a heathen , atheistical , heretical , or popish prince , where she can , as to an orthodox king ; and where she cannot , she thinks her self obliged to suffer , as her saviour , like a lamb brought to the slaughter ; and dares pretend to take up to arms but those of the primitive christians ( whose true copy she is ) tears , arguments and prayers . i say , it is the church of england , that is of this judgment , and neither the church of rome , nor the kirk of scotland ; both of which have actually excommunicated and d●posed lawful and rightful princes , under the notion of being hereticks , and enemies to christs kingdom ; forgetting both alike the pr●cepts and examples of our saviour and his apostles , on which the church of england hath grounded the contrary doctrine , as well as on right reason . our saviour , though god rendred unto the heathen caesar the things that were caesar's ; he owned his right to the empire , both by word and deed , although he were but the adopted successor of the greatest usurper that ever was in the world. nay furthermore , he owned and submitted to the procuratory power of pilate , who acted but by commission from the emperour tiberius ; who ( if there be any truth in the character of tacitus ) was one of the greatest tyrants , and most wicked men that ever the world saw . and as for st. paul , there is no article of our religion , not even that , that jesus christ is the son of god , more clear in his epistles , than that every soul should be subject to the higher powers ; that we should obey , not only for wrath , but conscience sake ; that whosoever resisieth , receiveth to himself damnation ; and lastly , that all the powers ( and when he wrote there were none but heathen powers ) were ordained of god. i might here insist upon the practice of the apostles , as it is represented in their acts , and the constant submission and sufferings of the primitive christians , as they are reported by the ecclesiastcal fathers , and historiaens ; but the scripture it self is sufficient to demonstrate the truth of this argument , which the church of england has not only established in her doctrine , but her fathers and sons of late , maintained in their practices : and which the kirk of of scotland ( agreeing in this and many other points with that of rome ) did ever oppose , both in word and deed. and since that kirk and nation have been of this opinion , we need not wonder that the english disciples of their buchanan and knox have practised those rebellious principles , which have so debauched and corrupted the subjects of the kings of england , as to make them be proverbially called , the kings of devils : and which the anababtists in germany improved into this maxim , that saintship was the foundation of soveraignty , and that the righteous ought to inherit the earth . and furthermore , if crowns ought to descend upon protestants only , then it is but just , that the estates of all subjects whatsoever should be so entailed : ●nd if for example , the d — of y — must be cut off from his right , for being a roman catholick , then let the rest of the papists lose theirs ; they are all alike idolaters , and let them all alike suffer . and , to bring the case to your own house , can you imagine that you your self ought to lose your right to the estate you have , or may have hereafter , upon that supposition , that you should turn papist ; which men as firmly resoved against it as you have certainly done . these practises and proposals are such , that they have left a blot on the memories of some men , that seem more zealous than their brethren . and i am glad at present , that the religious lord chose is the chief patron and promoter of such and unreasonable and romish design . it is unreasonable to exclude a popish heir from a crown , to which he derives his right from popish ancestors , and i have more than ordinary reason to call it romish , because i have heard it maintained here among all the priests i converse with . it is a doctrine dearly beloved by the romanists : and put but the name of heretick to a prince here , and it is just the same case , as when you call a prince a papist in england ; where , if there be no more than my good lord chose that are fautors of this romish doctrine , my country is in a far better case than i thought it to be . and truly this noble project of the late lord chose was condemned by all protestants as soon as it took air in france ; not only for that it was an ungospel way of proceeding , and savours strongly of the doctrine of rome , which they abhor ; but because it puts their king in mind of a project he is very much inclined to , viz. to make a like law here , that none but a roman catholick shall ever be king , or bear any office or trust in the kingdom . and certainly , if it should ever please god , for our sins , to suffer our princes to backslide into romish idolatry and superstition , we have nothing to do , but to pray , and like our glorious ancestors in queen mary's days , suffer quietly , when we cannot flie . and therefore i wonder that you would so obliquely reflect upon the bishops , and censure them for doing that , which in honour and duty , they were bound to do , and represent this to their disgrace , which all good and well advised protestants must needs commond them for , if they will be impartial . but put the case such an act were made , who can see the bad consequences thereof ? the union of great bri●tain will be broke upon it , and war entailed upon both kingdoms , and by the same reason , that none but a protestant shall succeed now , faction still increasing , none perhaps within a while , will be thought sit to inherit the crown , but a presbyterian , &c. for you that are used to talk of numbers and strength , can best tell how numerous and powerful they are that are possessed with as firm a prejudice against the church of england , as the church of rome it self ; denying communion equally with both ; and who educate their children in perfect hatred of the one , as the genuine daughter of the other . i have wrote all this to present to your view what ( perhaps in the hurry of zeal ) you have not had time to consider . and though i think it very impious and unreasonable to debar any such prince from the crown , upon this account , yet could we imagine the government were to be formed again , i would be as zealous for this condition , as the greatest zealot of them all : and am as sorry as any other good protestant , that it was not always one of the fundamental laws of england , though now it be too late to make it such . you tell me also that my lord — intends to come and live in london ; i suppose it may be under pretence to secure his person from the papists ; but i wish it may not be with a design to act over the same things , under a pretence of securing the protestant , which the duke of guise acted in paris , under a seeming zeal to secure the popish religion . the reason that makes me fear it , is the conformity of our times in england with those in france , as you may see by the following account . the duke , who was a man of an high spirit , and not able to bear the least disgrace , being removed by henry iii. from them most rich and honourable of his court-preferments , became thereupon male-content ; and retiring from the court , which he now did hate , went to live at his house in paris : where , by many arts , as in particular by the subtle practises of the priests and jesuits , he became in a short time the minion of the people ; whose affections he drew off from the king , by representing him ( though a hearty roman catholick ) as a favorer of the hereticks ; who under the protection of the princes of the bloud increased mightily in his reign . he also represented him in particular to be a great favourer of the king of navarre , against whom he himself had a particular ill will ; and whom the people , through the instigation of the priests and jesuits , did perfectly hate , because he was a protestant ; although he was primier prince of the blood ( for whom the french commonly have a great reverence ) and by consequence heir apparent , or as a friend of your would have said , heir presumptive ( for the king had no child to inherit ) to the crown of france . after he had thus made the credulous people , by the help of the priests and jesuits , zealous for the defence of their declining religion , he drew them to league into rebellion against their lawful soveraign , under a pretence of securing the same , by removing evil councellors from his person , and obliging him to employ his royal power in suppressing the protestans ; and in particular by declaring the heretick king of navarre ( afterwards h. iv. ) uncapable of succeeding to the crown . for the sake of peace the king was willing so far to deny himself as to grant the two first , but could never be made so false to the interest of the royal family , as to consent to the last , by changing the order of succession to the crown , by which his ancestors had reigned so many hundred years ; and which have been so long established , without any respect to religion , by the salique or original laws of france . hereupon the league ( in imitation , and after the pattern of which the solemn league and covenant was formed ) or rebellion grew so high , as to beat the king out of paris ; where the guisards had a design to sieze upon his sacred person , shut him up , like king chilperick , in a monastery , and set up the silly old cardinal bourbon , the king of navar 's uncle , to reign in his stead . but the king escaping from paris , sheltered himself in chartres ; where to compose differences , he issued out writs to call together the three estates ( which much resemble our parliaments ) at bl●is . thither the deputies or members repair , some for the king , but far more for the cursed league ; and therefore the guisards finding themselves more potent than the royalists , insisted almost on nothing else , but securing the roman catholick religion , by de claring the king of navarre , because an heretick , uncapable of succeeding to the most christian crown . you see cousin , what a parallel there is between those times and ours ; excepting first , that there are no priests and jesuits to second such a design in england , as there were in france : but to supply that defect , there may be found men as fit in all points as they in black , to stir up the people to discontent and rebellion . i mean the same sort of persons that preached up the late bloody war ; who really are the bastard-brood of the monastick and jesuitical emissaries , though they bear not the names of their fathers ; but ( like bastards ) are disowned by those that begot them . the seditious principles . preached and printed by them in the late times , are evident proofs of what race they are come : and as a man may travel so far west , till at last he come to the same eastern point from which he did set out , so you cousin , and your brethren have gone so far from the church of rome , that you are ( some i believe unawares ) come thither again ; as is unanswerably proved by lysimachus nicenor , lately reprinted at oxford , in his letter of congratulation to the kirk . but secondly , the parallel fails in this too , that his royal highness is not a declared papist , as the king of navarre was a declared protestant ; nor has yet openly renounced the communion of the church of england , for which his blessed father died a martyr . and therefore of the two , our english guisards are much more to blame , in representing his roual highness as a papist , which is so difficult to imagine him strictly to be . but furthermore , upon supposition he were a declared papist , the proposal of my lord chose was very ridiculous , since it did suppose a possibility of prevailing with his majesty to disinherit his royal brother , who must needs be so much dearer to him , than the king of navarre was to henry iii , as he is nearer in blood. and for may own part , i cannot but imagine at this distance , that his majesty who is a prince incomparably wiser and juster then was henry iii. of france , must needs disdain and abhor such a proposal ; which , were it enacted , it would enervate the laws of succession by which he and his ancestors have hitherto reigned , and give a greater blow to the english monarchy , than that which cut off his royal fathers head. i have here forborn to give you an account of the tragical end of the duke of guise , which is a lesson well worth your learning , and may teach all persons , so disposed as he was , how unsafe it is to provoke soveraign authority ; since the goodness of the best of kings , like the infinite goodness of god himself , whose ministers they are , may at length be so injured and affronted , as to be forced to sharpen it self into sovereign vengeance and justice . and therefore cousin , let me advise you , if not for conscience , yet for wraths sake , to have nothing to do in blowing up the flames of sedition : nor let your soul enter into the secret of my lord — though his interest among the senators ( as you write ) be so very considerable and strong . you likewise forget your self , in miscalling the execution of the late laws by the odious name of persecution ; which if you can prove to be such , according to the scriptural notion of persecution , viz. infliction of evil for righteousness sake , then will i become your proselyte , and forsake the church of england , as much as i have this idolatrous church of rome . for no man is persecuted , but either for immediate matters of divine worship , which concern the first table ; or with respect to matters of morality , or a good life , which concern the second . with respect to the first ; a man is persecuted either on a negative account , for not worshiping a false god , as the three children in daniel ; or for not worshipping the true in a false way : as st. paul and the other apostles were persecuted by the pharisees , for not worshipping the true god according to the jewish manner after it was abrogated : or as our fore fathers in england , for not worshiping god and our saviour after the romish rites . or secondly , on a positive account , for worshipping the true god in a way that is true ; or to express it yet more clearly and absolutely in your own terms , for serving of god : as daniel was cast into the lyons den , for praying to god against the king's decree . with respect to the second ; a man is also persecuted on a negative account , for not doing something , which is in its own nature , or by god ; positive command , morally evil : as the good midwives were afraid to be persecuted by pharaoh , for not murthering the hebrew infants . or else on a positive account , for doing some good moral action , which ought in such and such circumstances to be done : and thus was our blessed saviour persecuted , for opening the eyes of the blind man , and for healing on the sabbath-day . now these distinctions being premised , tell me in which of these cases you are persecuted ? or , which is all one , for what you are confessors and martyrs ? for no man is persecuted , but as he is persecuted he is a confessor or martyr ; and by his sufferings bears witness to the truth . with respect to the second head , you cannot say that you are persecuted ; and therefore let me see whether you are so with respect to the first . and first , 't is plain that you do not suffer for not worshiping a false god ; and 't is likewise as plain , that you do not suffer for not worshipping the true god in a false way . for first , the laws , whose execution you mis-call persecution , do not punish you for not worshiping god after our way ; or if they did to prove their execution to be persecution , you must first prove that the church of england ( whose doctrine is down right against idolatry and superstition ) does worship god in an idolatrous and superstitious manner ; which , good cousin , you know can never be proved . there remains nothing then but to assert , that you are punished for serving god , or for worshipping god in a way which you are sure is true . that you worship god in a true way , i verily believe , and could heartily joyn with you in other circumstances . but then you are not punished for worshipping god in that manner ; for the same laws you complain of , allow you to worship god in what fashion you please ; and not only you , but your family , be it as great as it will ; and lastly , not only your family , but five persons more ; which allowance , were you the only christians in the world , and the magistrates heathens ; or , which your friends are more likely to suggest , were they papists or atheists , is so far from being persecution , that were you of the temper of the primitive christians , you would esteem it as a great priviledg , and instead of reviling , thank the kind magistrate for the same . but then if on the contrary hand you be considered ( and many good english men , and good christians cannot but consider you ) as a sort of men that have formerly raised a most unnatural rebellion , and now make schism in the church , and broyles in the state , the punishments you suffer and complain so loudly off , will be so far from seeming persecution of you as christians , that they will rather seem your just desert , as factious and turbulent subjects . and i assure you , that your brethren in france ( whom you falsly so call , and for whom you pretend so great respect ) are so far from judging you persecuted , that they will not excuse you ; but wonder at your non-submission to the church , and pity your mistakes , that make you stand out against the laws . they that have seen and examined our english liturgy , which is printed at geneva in french , cannot understand your notion of persecution . and ministre claude , the most famous of them all , for piety and learning , told me in the presence of many others , ( after a discourse , wherein he said all for you that could be said ) that he wondred how the presbyterians in england could rend the peace of the church , for such little indifferent mat●ers ; and that , if he were in england , he would be of the episcopal party , and heartily submit himself to the discipline and government of the church of england . and if you would do so too , how happy a thing would this be both for your selves and the nation ? or seeing , as you pretend you cannot , yet at least live peaceably , and forbear to trouble the world with compassing sea and land ; that is , by doing all that you can , like your fathers the old pharisees , to make proselytes ; when yet you cannot shew any sinful condition of communion with the church of england , nor prove your way of worship as apostolical , as that of hers ; from which out of pride , interest or ignorance , or partly altogether you dissent . i am sure this would rather become the dissenting brethren , then to foment divisions raise parties , betake themselves to the wickedest of men , as of late to — and cry up the kings prerogative , which they formerly cried down ; which with many other self-contradictions , confirms me in an opinion you know i was of before , that in those matters wherein you differ from us , you are men of no principles , and know not where to six . i have enlarged upon this theam more than i thought to do a first , because the papists here in france complain as loudly as you of the cruelty of our ecclesiastical laws ; and cry out wherever they come , how their brethren have been ; and still are persecuted among us ; though with this difference , that in disputing ad hominem , their case is far more reasonable and pleadable then yours . as for you , i pro●est , tho' the laws you complain off look like hard laws , when i consider you as free born subjects of england , yet when i consider you as head-strong , turbulent and factious subjects , i cannot but think them just and good , and i will maintain that the execution of them would not be persecution , altho' you 〈◊〉 the only true christians in the world. for , as ●●●●ted before , you have the liberty in your houses so profess what religion you please , and to worship 〈◊〉 ●n what manner you will : and for sear your fa●●●● should not be a just congregation , you may have 〈◊〉 ●ore : but for fear you should do as you have 〈◊〉 done , you are not to have five hundred , or 〈◊〉 thousand ; which liberty , not only the primi 〈…〉 christians , but our own ancestors , an hundred 〈…〉 would have called a blessing , and a privi 〈…〉 have heartily thanked god and the king for 〈…〉 e. and god grant we may never see that time england , when truly tender consciences will esteem so much liberty as the greatest blessing in the world. the good protestants here in france , though their religion is made an obstacle to all state-preferments , though it disable them to sit in the courts of parliaments ( except just so many as serve in the chamber of edicts , to decide controversies between protestants and papists ) or to have any other charges of judicature , or any high offices in the army , though their numbers are much diminished , and their interest weakened , by a prohibition to marry with roman catholicks , and by a capital law , which makes it death to return protestants after they have once turned papists ; and though a great number of their temples have been demolished ( some under a pretence that they were built since the edict of nantes , others that they were built without license , and others that they were built upon holy ground ) so that hereby they are forced in very many places to the grievous inconvenience of going two , three , four or five leagues to church , it not more : and though all the places of strength , where they do abound are demolished , and cittadels are erected to awe them in other towns , where they are numerous ; though their own particular hospitals , and all other their perpetual provisions for their poor , are taken away , and they disabled , either living or dying , to give any setled maintenance either to their own ministers or people ( as to endowe churches , bu●ld schools , colledges or hospitals , &c. ) nay , tho' they are deprived of the benefit of other hospitals , provide for the rest of the subjects ; and although their ministers are forbid to speak against the pope , or to preach against the romish religion , with half that freedom and plainness that you dare speak against 02 the church of england ; or to preach in any places out those few appointed by the king , though they are forbidden to call the papists in their sermons by any other name but that of catholicks ; or to make mention of their religion and ceremonies , without reverence and respect ; though they are forbid to call themselves priests or pastors , and have no other title allowed them , but only ministres de la religion pretenduë reformée ; and thought it be enacted , that their religion shall be called by no other name in any publick acts , registers , &c. though they are forbiddent to bury their dead in catholick churches , or church-yards , even where the deceased person was patron of the church ; of where his ancestors had purchased buring-places for their families ; though they are forbid to make any publick exhortations or prayer , or to sing psalms at their burial : though they are forbid to instruct or condole those of their own religion in prisons or hospital ; or to pray with them in a voice so loud as to be heard by the standers ; by , tho' they are forbid to make any collections of money among themselves , but such as are permitted and regulated by the edicts of the king ; though they are forbid to work or open their shops on romish holy-days , or to sell flesh on their fasting-days , &c. i say 02 the good protestants here in france , notwithstanding all this hard dealing , are yet so far from complaining of persecution , that they shew themselves thankful both to god and the king , for the liberty and indulgence they enjoy . indeed they will complain , for the aforesaid reasons , that their religion is very much discouraged , and they themselves hardly used : but persecution is a notion that they rarely think or speak of , when they discourse of their own condition , being very far , though not so far as you , from a state of martyrdom ; which consists in a forcible obligation to suffer or renounce the truth . and therefore cousin i beseech you and conjure you , not to misuse the name of persecution again . it is a very sinful way thus to abuse and amuse the vulgar , by calling things by their wrong names : and as to this particular , honest and knowing men will be apt to suspect , that through the name of pers●cution , you have a design to make your governours pass for tyrants , and your selves for martyrs . to conclude : if this which you call persecution , be not such indeed , then i doubt not but they who miscal it so , that is all presumptuous or affectedly ignorant schismaticks , without bitter pangs of repentance , will be persecuted by the god of peace himself to a sad and endless eternity . as for the bill of comprehension , it begun to be talked of , before i left my country , and i have often discours'd it with many of the projectors , but could never understand from them , how it was practicable to unite so many incompossible sects , which agree in nothing , but their opposition to the church . however if the altering , or taking away of a ceremony or two could effectually unite the protestant partys , as you are pleased to assert , i think it would be worth the while to do it , and that the doing of it for so sure an end , would reflect no dishonour upon the church of england , which acknowledgeth the few innocent and decent ceremonies , which she hath ordained to be indifferent and alterable , according to the exigency of times . neither , if this were done , could the romish church have the least apparent reason to reproach us for such a slight alteration ; seeing her own missals and breviaries have been so diverse and different in several times and places ; and have undergone so many emendations , or rather corruptions , before they were established in the present form , by the authority of pius v. and the decree of the council of trent . but unless this alteration would surely and infallibly produce this effect , it had far better be let alone , and in the mean time , i would have all good christians wait in peace and complyance with the established religion , till authority shall think to make this alteration in it , that so a poor english traveller would not be tauntingly asked by every impertinent priest here , whether he were a true son of the church , or presbyterian , or independant , or anabaptist , or quaker . and i assure you , when they meet with a man that owns himself a true son of the church of england , they will seem with great formality to pity him more than any other ; but yet they will never attempt to convert him . but when they meet with one that will own himself of any other sort , they will be pleased , smile in their sleeves , and set upon him as a person not far from their kingdom of god. ana i am perswaded , had you seen or heard as much of their idolatries , blasphemies and superstitions , as i have done in one christmas , one line and one easter , you would be so far from doing the church of england any ill office , that you would rather ( like st. paul after his conversion ) preach against your own partizans , and thank god that you lived in a church reformed from romish idolatry and superstition . and i cannot but freely confess , that i am since my travels become ten times a greater lover of our own church , and as many times a greater hater and detester of the romish church , than i was before . and therefore i cannot here dissemble the hearty grief i have conceived , for the great hopes you have , that the licenses ( as you express it ) will be once more authorized by his majesty , or the declaration revived . for as it is that which at first was hammered out by a popish lord , who was the patron and idol of the presbyterians ; so 't is that which the roman catholicks here ( especially the priests ) do hope , and wish for as well as you . they desire nothing more , than such a toleration , as that was , knowing that it must needs tend to the ruine of the church of england , which is the principal butt of all their envy and malice ; as being the main support and credit of the reformed religion every where , and the only hedg against popery it self in our unfortunate british isles . we meet with not a few priests of several orders , that have the confidence ( in our most familiar conferences ) to tell us , that by the just judgment of god upon our church , the time of her ruin is at hand ; the nation it self being over-spread with schism and atheism , and the hearts of the faithful being disposed by the spirit providence of god , to re-embrace the holy catholick truth . and therefore they freely confess , that this time of distraction is their harvest ; and withal express their intentions and zeal to transport themselves into england at the critical time of toleration , that they may be fellow-laborers with your selves in the harvest . they seem to lament as much , and complain as fast , of the prodigious increase of schism and atheism among us , as you are wont to do of the daily growth of atheism and popery . and whilst you both complain alike , and in the formality of your complaints , both alike reflect upon the church of england : it is she only that is the sufferer , and she only that truly laments the growth , and at the same time sets up banks to hinder the perfect inundation of all the three among us ! as for schism among protestants , you were the first fathers , and continue the chief fautors thereof ; all the inferior sects having sprung from you , and dividing both from you and one another , under pretence of the same reasons , for which you profess to divide from the church . and 't is from you , that even the quakering sect it self ( the dregs of schism ) have learned to talk of illumination , and the spirit : and the rest of the sectaries ; in what number soever they be , differ no more from you than the second , third , or fourth , &c. from the first book of eu●lid . not that by this comparison i intend , that you have any such principles , or data among your selves , as there are among , mathematicians ; for i am very well assued ; that take but any four of the presbyterian demagogues , and they can scarce agree amongst themselves in any four particulars , wherein they differ from the church of england . and therefore if you be not schismaticks , then the church of england , from which you separate , and out of which you have gathered congregations , and preach and administer the sacraments unto them ; i say , if you be not schismaticks , then our church must be the schismatick , in the controversie between us ; and be justly chargable with the same indictment , which she hath drawn upagainst the church of rome . an assertion , consin , which i never knew any other person , except one or two , besides your self , have the confidence to aver , and an assertion , which no protestant here in france could hear us yet relate , without horror , impatience and disdain . and therefore , if the reformed church of england , from which you wilfully divide , and to which by your divisions you cause so much scandal abroad and evil at home , be not a schismatical church , that is , a church which requires some sinful conditions of communion ; in what a woful condition will your unpeaceable , seditious spirits appear before the god of peace ? and how will you answer that , at the tribunal of his wisdom and justice , which neither your fathers , nor you could never yet answer , to those instruments of his glory , judicious hooker and the venerable sanderson ? but whether you are schismas ticks , or whether you are not , the separations which you and your brood have made from the church , are the apparent causes of the growth of popery ; and both your separations , and your superstitious enthusiastical way of worshipping that god , whose people you emphatically pretend to be , are the true causes of that abundant atheism , which at present makes england an astonishment nad a scandal to foreign nations . and if you , or any other of the brother-hood , think it strange , that i charge yours , which is the capital sect , with enthusiasm , or make superstition , which seemeth diametrically opposite to atheism the mother thereof ; i offer , upon the challenge , to make good the charge , in both particulars : but in the mean time , to shew you how unsafe it will be to provoke me to that trouble , i advise you to read one or two short chapters in the beginning of mr. smith's discourses , concerning these distempers of the soul , and you shall find what i have said , proved with more plainness and perspicity , than , i am confident , you would wish to see . but besides the schism and enthusiasm , the bloody wars , which you formerly made in the state , under pretence of the glory of god , and the reformation of of the reformed religion , have given many inconsiderate men occasion to suspect , that all religion , like that of most of your leaders , is but a politick engine which men use , to make themselves popular and powerful , that they may afterwards act with good colour whatsoever their interest shall suggest . and furthermore , to consider , that the great pretenders of the spirit , and the power of the christian religion , ( which with respect to magistrates teacheth nothing but to obey or suffer ) should notwithstanding preach up rebellion against their rightful prince , fight him from field to field , romove him from prison to prison , and at last most barbarously put him to death , is such an absurdity against the principles of right reason , so repugnant to the laws of our own nation , and so inconsistent with the peaceable doctrine of the gospel ; that , besides the atheists it hath made , it hath , and ever will constrain men of honest principles , and just resentments , to persecute you with satyrs and exclamations to the end of the world. i had not here presented that tragical scene of the king's murther , but that i have had so many unpleasant occasions to hear our nation reproach'd with the scandal and dishonour of that inhumane fact. particularly , it was my bad fortune to be at a station in paris ; where there were met about two hundred persons , to read the gazetts , at that very same time , when that of england came full charged with the news of burning the pope in essigie at london . this feat did at first surprize that roman catholick concourse of people ; but after a little recollection , collection , they ceased to wonder , saying in every company as we passed along ; it is not so strange that the english devils should do this , who formerly murthered their king. and another time , it was my ill luck also to be at the same place , when the london gazette brought us the news , that the house of lords had taken into consideration the growth of atheism in our nation : whereupon some french gentlemen of my acquaintance seriously enquired of me the causes of so much atheism , amongst such a thinking and solid people . i assigned the same reasons which i have written above , besides some others which i will not stand to mention , as the most probable causes thereof . and as i hope i did not misinform them , so i am confident did not unjustly charge you in any particular , especially with the murther of the king. for there were no accessaries in the murther of that sacred person : neither was it the last stroke only that sell'd the royal oak ; but you and the independants , like the two sacrilegious priests of jupiter , are equally guilty of the crime ; the one for binding the direful victim , and the other for putting the knife to his throat . but to be short , where i am so unacceptable , i 'le conclude my argument with a fable . a principal . ship , which for many years had been sovereign of the seas , was at last attacted by a tempestuous wind , which the devil raised , and notwithstanding all the help that could be made to save her , was driven by the force of that malignant wind , and split upon a rock . the very same instant she dashed upon the rock the wind ceased ; and being afterwards cursed by the sea-men , for the wrack of the royal charles ( for so the capital vessel was called ) answered , you charge me most unjustly my friends , it was not i , but the rock as you saw that split your ship. the moral of this parable is very obvious ; and if the application thereof , or any thing else that i have written , may conduce to awaken your conscience , and reclaim you from schism , i shall think my pains well bestowed . but if you and your seditious brethren will still persevere to assault the church on one hand , as fast as the romish priests do undermine her on the other , her days are like to be but few and evil ; and except god encline the hearts of our magistrates to put the laws in execution against them , and sind some effectual means to reduce you , you may live to see her ruin accomplished , which you both alike desire and expect . how numerous you are , the world can guess , and if the accounts which we receive from the fathers of intelligence of several orders , be credible , there are about three thousand of them , which sind entertainment and success within the king of great britain's dominions . but in the mean time , till her hour is come , she struggleth against both , like her saviour against the pharisees , whose true disciples in part you both are ; they representing those sworn enemies of the gospel , by the cabala of their ridiculous and impious traditions ; and you representing them in their hypocrisie , pride , envy , evil-speaking , moross and censorious dispositions , &c. ( which are sins scarce consistent with humanity , much less with grace ) as likewise in observing many fasts and making long , prayers , with design not to serve god , but to delude the people . and therefore i wonder not that you are such malignant enemies to the church of england , since that pharisaical spirit , which reigneth so much amongst you , is a wicked pusilanimous spirit , that affects to be seen in the head of parties , and dictate amongst the ignorant ; and loves as much to rule , as it hates to obey . but would you once be so sincere , as to subdue your pride , lay aside your prejudice , inform your ignorance , and forsake your dearly beloved interest , for the truth ; it would not be long ere we should see you joyn with the church of england , without troubling our senators to bring you in with an act of incomprehensible comprehension . your pride appeareth in heading of parties , and in the pleasure you are seen to take in the multitudes , that run after you ; and in your boasting , that without you the souls of people would starve for want of knowledg . your prejudice is an effect of your pride , and discovers it self together with your ignorance , in not submitting to those invincible reason which you cannot answer : and as for your interest , the greatest paradox of all , that is evident enough to me , who have so often heard many of you glorifie your selves in the number and riches of your followers , boast of their affection to your sacred persons , and brag of the great sums you have collected in your congregations ; which makes the king's chapples ( as you arrogantly call your conventicles ) better places than most of the churches , of which he is patron . and therefore never complain that you live either worse , or at greater uncertainties than you did before . for by your pretentions to poverty and sufferings , and by other unworthy arts , you have so wrought your selves into the esteem of your disciples , that few of them are either so covetuous or so poor , but they will pinch at home to supply you . there are several orders of fransciscans here , who have renounced not only parsonages , but all temporal estates and possessions whatsoever ; and by their vain glorious sanctity and austerities , they have got ( like you ) such fast hold on the souls of the people ( which is the fastest hold of all ) that they can easily make most of them dispose of their children , cashire their servants , and settle their estates as they please ; and by these tricks do more effectually promote the interest of rome , than all the parish priests within the pale of that church . and really , when i consider what influence these sanctimonious and self-denying zealots have o're all families , in all places where they live ; how they steal away the hearts of the people from their parish-priests , and drain their congregations ; and how the deluded people had rather give them the worth of a shilling , than the dues of two pence , to their own curees ; it makes me often run the parallel between you and them , and think what a politick and gainful pretence you have got to renounce your livings , for to secure your consciences , and to preach the word gratis like the primitive apesiles ; when god knows , 't is not out of love to the people , but to your selves . and i protest to you , were i a man to be maintained by the pulpit , and consulted my prosit more than the goodness of my cause , i should take the same course that you do ; i should rather be mr. m. than dr. a. of plymouth ; and should chuse the plentiful income of that dull zealot dr. manton , before that of his most learned and religious successor of govent-garden . but though you live very well , and better indeed than most of the ministers of the church , yet the mischief of it is , you are uncapable of dignities ; which makes you such aerians , and upon all occasions openeth your throats as wide as sepulehres against the bishops and the church . you know what an history of bishops mr. pryn hath wrote , and what a fair collection the learnes smec . hath taken out of him ; as if when a bishop is defective , either in piety , learning or the skill of government , it were not the deplorable unhappiness , but the fault of the church of england . should an heathen or mahumetan , make such an historical collection of scandalous christians , either in this or former ages , you would not be perswaded for all that , to prefer the alcoran before the gospel ; or the most exalted paganism whatsoever , before the christian religion . therefore wise and sober men will make no inference but this , from such a malicious enumeration of particulars ; that corruptions will creep into government , notwithstanding all the care that can be used to the contrary ; and that by the favour of princes ( who hear with other mens ears , and often receive undeserved characters of men ) sometimes ambitious , sometimes ignorant , and sometimes slothful , imprudent or debauched persons , will be preferred to the most honourable dignities in the church . but this , as often as it happens , is the misery of the church of england , which all true church men lament though the men of the short cloke take all such occasions to expose her to the scorn of the common people who judge by sense , and not by reason and who are taught by you , to make no distinction between the bishops and the church . but were all her bishops the best christians , the best scholars and the best governours in the world and should the royal hand place her mytres on the heads of none but jewels , whit-gift's , andrews's , hall's , ushers's , morton's , taylor 's , and sanderson's , yet that unchristian spirit of envy and discontent , ; ; ; which informs the non-conformists , would still fly upon her with open mouth , like beasts upon the saints of old condemned to the amphitheater ; and make her , as she hath already been for almost forty years , a speactacle to god , to angels , and to men. the wicked lives of scandalous bishops and priests , if there be any such , are her sad misfortune , but cannot justifie the schism you are guilty of ; who are bound to hear even them , as much as the jews were bound to hear the scribes and pharisees those hypocrites , that sate in moses's chair . and in that deplorable state of the jewish church , when the priests and prophets were both alike corrupted and called by the holy spirit , dumb and greedy dogs , yet it had been unlawful to make a separation , and set up other altars against that which god ( who was their king ) had set up . i cannot but mind you of the schism of jeroboam , who by dividing the church , as god was pleased to divide the kingdom into two parts , made israel to sin . but to insist on the samaritan secession , and write all , that is necessary to discover and aggravate the damnable nature of schism , would require as much more paper as i have bestowed , and so make me as tedious again , as , i fear , i have already been . besides , it would oblige me to answer mr. hale's treatise of schism , with whose leaves you vainly endeavour to cover you shame : and i had indeed a year ago undertaken that easie task , but that a western gentleman , to whom i discovered my intentions , told me , that mr. long prebendary of exeter , a friend of his had already begun that good work : so that i hope it is printed by this time . and if either that or this , or any thing else , a thousand times better , and i am able to write , may prove effectual to reclaim you from schism ; i shall be as glad , as to see some other of our friends reformed from drunkenness , swearing , and uncleanness , which are very grievous , and dreadful sins , but yet not more damnable in their nature , nor more destructive to the christian religion , nor more deeply rooted in the soul of man , than that of schism ; from which , i pray god , by the power of his grace , to preserve me , and reform you , through jesus christ our lord ; to whose protection i commit you , and rest , your most affectionase cousins , and humble servants . saumur : may 7. 1674 finis . advertisement . there is lately published a book entituled , the royal apology : or an answer to the rebels plea : wherein the most noted anti-monarchical tenents , first , published by doleman the jesuite . to promote a bill of exclusion against king james , secondly , practised by bradshaw and the regicides in the actual murder of king charles the 1st . thirdly , republished by sidney and the associators , to depose and murder his present majesty , are distinctly considered . with a parallel between doleman , brad , shaw , sidney , and other of the true protestant party . london , printed by t. b. for robert clavel , and are to be sold by randolph taylor near stationers-hall . 1684. price 1 s. a second relation from hertford containing the unjust proceedings of some called justice there at the general quarter sessions, upon the tryal of one and twenty innocent persons called quakers for a pretended breach of the late act, with an account of the most material passages between the prisoners and the court, the 3d, 4th, and 5th dayes of the 8th moneth, 1664 : whereby it appears that meeting to worship god in spirit and truth is the great crime for which they are under so grievous a sentence, and that whatever is pretended by those that love the title of justice, yet in very deed they hate justice it self, as by their proceedings appears / by w.s. smith, william, d. 1673. 1664 approx. 56 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 12 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a60650 wing s4326 estc r32690 12746298 ocm 12746298 93254 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a60650) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 93254) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1536:44) a second relation from hertford containing the unjust proceedings of some called justice there at the general quarter sessions, upon the tryal of one and twenty innocent persons called quakers for a pretended breach of the late act, with an account of the most material passages between the prisoners and the court, the 3d, 4th, and 5th dayes of the 8th moneth, 1664 : whereby it appears that meeting to worship god in spirit and truth is the great crime for which they are under so grievous a sentence, and that whatever is pretended by those that love the title of justice, yet in very deed they hate justice it self, as by their proceedings appears / by w.s. smith, william, d. 1673. [2], 21 p. s.n., [london : 1673] page 15 misprinted 14, p. 20 misprinted 26. reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -england. persecution -england. 2005-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-08 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2005-08 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a second relation from hertford ; containing the unjust proceedings of some called justices there at the general quarter sessions , upon the tryal of one and twenty innocent persons called quakers , for a pretended breach of the late act , with an account of the most material passages between the prisoners : and the court , the 3d 4th . and 5th . dayes of the 8th . moneth , 1664. whereby it appears , that meeting to worship god in spirit and truth is the great crime for which they are under so grievous a sentence : and that whatever is pretended by those that love the title of justice , yet in very deed they hate justice it self , as by their proceedings appears . by w. s. woe to them that devise iniquity , and work evil upon their beds , when the morning is light they practise it , because it is in the power of their hands , micha 2.1 . judgement is turned away backward , and justice standeth afar off , for truth is fallen in the street , and equity cannot enter , isa , 59.14 . printed in the year , 1664. the court set in the usual place , henry chancy being judge , together with these who are stiled as followeth , thomas vicount fanshaw , with his son thomas fanshaw , knight of the bath ; brocket spencer , baronet ; richard atkins , knight and baronet , john gore , and richard lucy , knights ; thomas stanley , esquire , and james wilmot , commissioners for the peace of the said county , his assistants , with several others , who did not manifest themselves so far from moderation and tenderness , as most of the persons afore-mentioned . the first day of the sessions ( being the third day of the 8th . moneth ) passed with little concerning the people called quakers , save that the grand jury was empanelled of persons , pickt out of many , who were warned to attend that service , care being taken , that such should be left out and laid aside , that were more moderate , and only such made use of as were eminently disaffected to the persons that were to be tryed , and so far ingaged by prejudice , as resolved to find the bills beforehand ; which thing was so much the easier , in that their way was ready thereunto , by a precedent made by judge bridgeman in the like cases , at the late assizes , holden for the said county of hertford . on the 4th . day in the morning , four of the prisoners called quakers , were brought to the bar , viz. lewis laundy , thomas moss , william burre , and thomas bur of baldock in the said county . their indictment being read by thomas burges , clerk of the peace there , which was to this effect , * that the aforesaid persons being assembled at an unlawful meeting ( or conventicle ) at the house of thomas baldock , of baldock aforesaid , under colour and pretence of religious exercise , contrary to the liturgy , or use of the church of england , with divers other malefactors , contrary to the form of the late statute , to the disturbing of the peace , and endangering the kings crown and dignity . lewis laundy was called to the bar. cl. lewis laundy , are you guilty of these offences for which you stand indicted , or not guilty ? l. l. i am an innocent man , and have wronged no man , neither have i transgressed any just law ( that i know of ) neither have i done any thing for which i deserve here to stand indicted , or words to that effect . hen chancy . this is not an answer sufficient , you must plead guilty , or not guilty ? l. l. i am not guilty of the breach of this law. then thomas moss was called to the bar. cl. are you guilty of this indictment , or not guilty ? t. m. that in the indictment which is true ( as my meeting at thomas baldocks house ) i am guilty of ; but as for meeting there with malefactors to the breach of the peace , i am not guilty of . the next called to the bar was william burre . cl. what say you william burre , are you guilty or not guilty ? w. b. as to the substance of the indictment that i am charged with ( as meeting with malefactors , and disturbers of the peace ) i am not guilty . the last of the four aforesaid , thomas burre , was called to the bar. cl. are you guilty , or not guilty , of this indictment ? t. b. not guilty of unlawful assembling , unless it can be proved to be unlawful to meet in the name of the lord. cl. you must plead guilty , or not guilty ? t. b. not guilty . cl. how will you be tryed ? prisoners . by the witness of god in our countreymens consciences . court. well , well , that 's well enough . then a jury was called , sworn , and charged in the usual way , form , and manner , well and truly to try betwixt the king and the prisoners at the bar , and to make true deliverance , and bring in their verdict according to evidence , &c. their names are , john taylor , henry castel , george white , edmond ralph , ralph thorne , george ward , john watty , john bessex , francis genne , william joyce , edmund noads , edward hammond . then the indictment was read again , and the witnesses called and sworn . h. chancy . stephen young , what can you say against the prisoners at the bar : s. young. may it please your worship , i took them at thomas baldocks house , met together . h. chancy . how many was there ? s. young. about sixteen men and women . h. c. what did you see them do there ? s. y. nothing , they were sitting still , and did say nothing , nor do nothing as i saw . h. c. was it the place they usually met at ? s. y. yes . the other witnesses being called , spake to the same purpose , and no more . h. c. lewis laundy , what say you for your self ? l. l. we are no malefactors , neither are our meetings unlawful , nor under colour and pretence of religion , but really to worship the lord ; neither are we contrivers of plots , nor disturbers of the peace ; nor have we made insurrections therein , neither are our meetings contrary to the liturgy of the church of england ; for that sayes we must worship god in spirit , without any limit to time or place . — interrupted . h. c. what say you thomas moss , what did you at thomas baldocks ? what was the end of your meeting ? t. m. it was to wait upon the lord , to receive refreshment from his presence , which is more to me then all the worship in world , where the presence of the lord is not felt . cl. william burre , what say you for your self ? w. b. i have frequented those meetings these seven years , at baldock , and if there be any that can accuse me of those things charged against me , let them speak . h. c. but wherefore did you meet there ? w. b. because the lord god of heaven and earth required me , and my eternal salvation was upon it , if i disobeyed the lord , and therefore if i suffer , i suffer for obeying the lord. tho vic fansh. where doth the lord command or require you ? w. b. in my heart and conscience . tho. vic. fansh. that is the light within you , but your light is darkness , and a melancholly vapor of the brain , and leads you to one thing to day , and another thing to morrow , and i know not what the third day ; so you change every day . tho. bur. thou hast not found us so changeable hitherto , neither wilt thou . w. b. i desire the light may not be villified , ( for it is the grace of god that brings salvation ) and i will gladly tell you what it hath done for me ; it hath redeemed me from a vain conversation , and taught me to live soberly in this world , — interrupted by tho. vic. fan. you have broken this luw ( meaning the late act ) which is not to hinder you from your religion , but to hinder you from your meetings ; and you are not to meet . w. b. if men , or laws command one thing , and the lord requires another , which should i obey . unto which the court returned no answer . h. chancy . thomas burre , were you at thomas burdocks house ? t. b. yes . h. c. what was your end of being there ? t. b. to answer the end for which i was born into the world , and for which i have my life continued to me unto this day , viz. to worship the lord in spirit and truth , who ought to be worshipped at all times , and in all places , and for that end we shall meet there or in other places , as we have freedom . — interrupted . then h. chancy spake to the jury , and said , gentlemen , i think the evidence is sufficient , and they themselves confess that they were there ; one saith that he was there to worship the lord : another saith , that he was there to wait upon the lord , and the other to worship god in spirit and truth , which is in effect all one ; and they have been twice convicted already upon record . so he caused the records to be read to the jury . the prisoners would have spoken further to the jury , but were not permitted , but commanded to be set by , and the jury commanded to go forth , who quickly returned , agreed upon their verdict , that the foresaid four prisoners were all guilty . prisoners . it is little to be condemned by men , when the lord justifies . h. c. look to them goalers and make room for the other prisoners . then were set to the bar , robert crook , thomas crawley , samuel wollaston , robert faireman , richard thomas , francis haddon , william brown. then the several indictments were read , which for matter and form were the same with the former , except onely that these were met at an house adjoyning to the dwelling house of nicholas lucas , in the parish of all-saints in hertford . and robert crook aforesaid being by himself set to the bar , thomas burge , clerk as aforesaid , asked him , if he were guilty of this indictment , or not guilty ? r. c. where was it that i was taken ? cl. in the house belonging to n. lucas . r. c. is not that within the corporation ? cl. yes . r. c. it was read in the indictment , that i was a subject to the king ? cl. are you not ? r. c. yea , i am , and being a subject , whether i have not a due right to by tryed by the court of the corporation wherein i was taken ? tho. vic. fan. you were committed to the county goale , and so you ought to be tryed by us , or words to that effect . cl. you are to plead guilty or not guilty now , and may be heard concerning that afterward . r. c. i am ignorant of your laws , and do not know my time or place for that . cl. are you guilty , or not guilty ? you must plead . r. c. i have no guilt upon me , as for what i am accused and apprehended . cl set thomas crawley to the bar , are you guilty ; or not guilty ? t. c. not guilty . cl. set samuel wolleston to the bar. are you guilty of those crimes whereof you stand indicted , or not guilty ? s. w. not guilty . cl. set robert faireman to the bar ; are you guilty of the crimes whereof you here stand indicted , or not guilty ? r. f. i am not guilty of the breach of any just law. cl. set r. thomas , and fr. haddon to the bar ; you stand here indicted fer being at an unlawful assembly , in an house adjoyning to the dwelling house of nicholas lucas , with several other malefactors : what say you , are you guilty , or not guilty ? r●chard thomas . this pretended offence was committed within the borough of hertford , which corporation hath power , by vertue of their charter to try any matter of fact within it self ( treason and felony excepted : ) and therefore i conceive , that i ought to be tryed at the corporation sessions , not at this court ; for by the magistrates of this corporation we were committed , & some of us are members of it , and therefore by them ought to be tryed . h. c. i must tell you , that the justices of the corporation have turned you over to us , and it is according to the act that we should try you ; therefore you must plead guilty , or not guilty ? r. t. i think not so , for the act saith of such pretended offences , that they are to be tryed within the limit , liberty , or division wherein they were committed . tho vic. fan. you must plead to this court , for there have some of this corporation been tryed in the like case , before the lord chief justice bridgeman ( one of the gravest , and most learned judges that ever sate upon this bench ) at the last assizes here , they coming first , which is according to the act. r. t. that might be done there , for that court sate by a commission of oyer and terminer , and in some sense comprehended the corporation , but you are the ordinary quarter sessions , and have no such special commission . — interrupted . tho. vic. fan. we have a special commission , and have power to try you here . r. t. we were committed twice for that you call the first and second offence , by the magistrates of the corporation to their prison , and for the third offence by some of the same magistrates were sent to the county goal , who are no justices of the peace for the county , ( meaning the mayor , and robert deane . ) and further i would ask this question , whether if the corporation sessions had come first , should such as had been taken in the county , and committed to the county prison been brought from thence and tryed by the corporation sessions . one of the justices upon the bench j k. stood up and answered yes ; by which it appears , that the young man hath more authority then knowledge of the laws and customs of the corporation , although he be a member of parliament , as one of the burgesses for that corporation . t. vic. fansh. you shall not be permitted thus to stand pleading here , to over rise the court. r. t. it is not like that i shall over-rule the court , but the court may over-rule me , although by law they cannot . cl. you must answer , whether you are guilty , or not guilty ? r. t. not guilty , according to manner and form of the indictment . cl. francis haddon , what say you , are you guilty , or not guilty ? f. h. inasmuch as i had no evil intent in meeting , i am not guilty . cl. william brown what say you , are you guilty or not guilty ? w. b. i am not guilty of evil doing . proclamation being then made , that if any person had any thing to inform against the prisoners at the bar , they should come into the court ; and they should be heard . then the clerk being about to swear the jury , and john taylor , foreman thereof aforesaid , r●chard thomas , one of the prisoners at the bar , called to the cour● , saying , he claimed his priviledge by law , viz. to challenge such of the jury as he thought meet before they were sworn , saying , r. t. i except against the foreman , called , captain taylor , and desire he might not be sworn . h. c. what is the reason you except against him ? you must shew some cause why you challenge him , or else it shall not be allowed you ? r. t. i think i need not give any reason why , conceiving it my priviledge to challenge more then one , without shewing any cause ; but however i have something against him , he is a military man , and hath been active in that party , against which i have been charged , to be ingaged in opposition ; and that therefore i may expect to have no justice from him ; and also that he was one of that jury that had already brought in four of my innocent friends guilty , with some other reason ; but he being a person chosen on purpose for that work , it would not be admitted he should be put by . a. c. you must shew greater reasons yet for your challenge , or else it will not be admitted . tho. fansh. this person hath been a very loyal subject to his majesty , and done him very good se●vice ; and therefore it should not be suffered , that so worthy a person should be so much dishonoured , as to be laid by , unless greater cause could be shewed ; as that he was a perjured person , or one convicted , &c. so that unless you have any weightier exceptions the court will over-rule you . r. t. the court may over-rule me in this thing , as they have already over-ruled me in a greater matter , as not to let me have my right , as a member of this corporation ; but by law i am sure you cannot do it . — interrupted . the said tho. fansh. you were committed to the county goale , and by-law we are to try you ; swear the jury . then the jury was sworn , and the witnesses called and sworn , viz. edward laurence , edward tufnail , robert stoddar , robert tyte , john lavender , who gave in evidence to this effect . that the prisoners at the bar were taken at such a time and place , met together , above the number of five ; but they said they heard them speak no words , nor do any thing but sit still : and to this they all agreed . h. chancy . was there forms in this house belonging to n. lucas where they were met ? edw. laurence . yes , there were forms . h. chancy . is it their usual meeting-place ? witnesses . yes . h. chancy . you hear what the witnesses say ( speaking to the prisoners ) were you not at n. lucas his house ? r. crook . i have met at this house often , and have been there in the fear of god ( and in obedience to him ) in which i stand before you , and in which i am preserved here : and although i might be aware of what ye were minded to do , if my life and liberty lay at stake , i could not but in obedience to god meet there : but if any can say that i was there under colour and pretence of religion , or to meet with malefactors to disturb the peace , or do any evil , let them appear , and bear witnesses of it , and let matter of fact be proved against us . the witnesses , prove nothing against us , but that we were met together , which is not the crime exprest in that law , on which our indictment is grounded : did we do any evil there ? tho. vic , fan. that is not the thing , what you did there ; the thing is meeting . r. thomas . i think not , for the act hath relation to the end of meeting . prisoners . if our meetings are not seditious , they are not contrary to the act h. chancy . i must tell you all such meetings are seditious . prisoners . our meetings are not seditious , neither have they been so proved . h. chancy . have you any thing else to say ? pris. we are innocent . henry chancy . you were found met together above five in number . pris. many meet together upon many occasions , above such a number : that is not the breach of the law , to meet onely , except some evil be done , or contrived at the meeting . h. chancy . what did you do at the meeting ? pris. wait upon the lord , to be refreshed by him , and for no evil design ; neither can evil be proved against us . tho. vic. fansh. do you think that the law makers could expect that any should be able to prove what you did at your meetings , except you should have a false brother amongst you ( which i believe you have not ; * for i must needs say , that you are true to one another : but this is the notorious evidence of the fact , that ye were met together above five at that house . r. t. i think that is not the notorious evidence of the fact , meerly to be met together , unless something were acted , or done , which the scope of the law provides against ; and therefore the preamble of the act , which was a key or inlet into the intent and meaning of the law makers , saith , * for providing therefore of further and more speedy remedies against the growing and dangerous practices of seditious sectaries , and other disloyal persons , who under pretence of tender co●sciences , do at their meettngs contrive insurrections , as late experience hath shewed . and now if any thing of this can be laid to our charge , let our accusers appear : and further , let witnesses prove that we at our meeting were practising something contrary to the liturgy of the church of england , or else we cannot be found guilty , according to the act. and i think thy self ( meaning tho. vicount fanshaw aforesaid ) shouldst understand the intent of the act , in regard thou wert one of the principal promoters of it in the house of commons . tho. vic. fansh. that 's more then you know . r. t. it 's credibly so reported . tho. vic. fansh. come , to the point , you have met there at other times for religious exercise , and therefore for that end you met there then . r. t. that doth not follow , you sometimes meet at the bell in hertford , to proportion assessments ; do you alwayes therefore meet there for that end ? tho. vic. fansh. when we meet at church ( which you call the steeple-house ) we alwayes meet to worship god. r. t. not alwayes so , for sometimes there are visitations kept there , &c. but however , i am upon my tryal , and the matter of fact done there , should be proved by witnesses against me , and not supposed and imagined . — then interrupted . h. chancy . set him by . r. t. jury-men , the indictment should be grounded upon the late act , and the matter of fact should be proved against us , or else you ought to acquit us , for you are judges of law , and fact. — interrupted again , and henry chancy said , they are of fact , but not of law. r. t. yes , they are of law as well as of fact , and that may be proved . * r. t. jury men , all that hath been proved against us is , that we were met together above the number of five . — interrupted again , and henry chancy spake to the jury . h. chancy . the wise , judicious , and worthy judge bridgeman was of this opinion , that if any person shall meet with others , above five in number , at such houses which are their common houses of meeting , and can give no good account what they did there , that is a presumption in law , and not onely a presumption , but a violent presumption ; and they say they meet in the fear of the lord , to worship him in spirit . this they confess . then were the records commanded to be read , to prove the first and second convictions : and he told the jury that if they did believe the witnesses , that they were met together , they must finde them guilty . the prisoners would have spoken further to the jury , but were not suffered , onely some few words were spoken by rich. thomas , as they were going out of the court ; as to warn them of being over-awed by the fear of men , but judge righteously , as they would answer it to the lord ; and that the matter was very weighty , and of great concernment ; and if but one of them would stand out in opposition to the rest , they could not find the bill against us : for there were some in the court that thirsted after our blood ; but they could not drink it , except you of the jury give it them . but the jury was hastned away , who in as must hast returned in the space of a quarter of an hour . cl. set them all to the bar. set robert crook , thomas grawly , samuel wollaston , robert fairman , richard thomas , francis haddon , and william brown to the bar , which was done . cl. gentlemen of the jury , are you agreed of your verdict ? jury . yes . cl. who shall speak for you ? jury . our foreman . cl. is robert crook guilty of that unlawful assembly , or not guilty ! jury . yes , he is guilty , and so they answered concerning all the other six above named . cl. look to them goaler . pr●s . well , we are justified in the sight of the lord , and we believe you will not be found clear , nor justified in the sight of god nor men , for this dayes work . then the court adjourned till three in the afternoon , and about four they met again : and proclamation being made , the goaler was commanded to bring seven more of the quakers indicted as aforesaid to the bar. the goalers bringing them to the bar , they were called as followeth , first michael day ; whose indictment being read , agreeing much with the former , save onely as to place of meeting ( being in the parish of great amwel in the liberty of ware , in an house adjoyning to the out-houses of robert dawsor . ) it was asked of him , whether he was guilty of the indictment , or not guilty ? m. d. answered , not guilty . then john thurgood was set to the bar , and his indictment also read in form as aforesaid ; and being asked whether guilty , or not not guilty ? answered , j. t. i am not guilty . after him , the rest of the number of prisoners called for ; were set to the bar successively , viz. john presbon , john reynolds , john witham , william adams , robert hart : their indictments read , and their answers returned in the negative , not guilty , as aforesaid ; onely this was added by some of them , that they were not guilty of those crimes expressed in their indictments , but were innocent peaceable men , and had transgressed no righteous law. then was a second jury empanelled , whose names are as followeth , edmond hassel , benjamin jones , edward bache , jonas hunsdon , john how , john flowre , john hall , thomas jermin , 〈…〉 broughten , john ford , thomas jordan , charles noads ; and henry chancy stood up and spake to the prisoners as followeth , and told them the court had a minde to shew them favour , and that favour was this , if they would promise to meet no more together , above the number of five , the court would discharge them ; what say you , have you any minde to accept of this favour of the court ? john bresbon . we have no minde to purchase the favour of the court with such promises ; our meetings are peaceable and lawful , and our consciences are tender towards god , and we can promise no such thing , to gain more then our liberty . hen. chancy . then swear the jury . the jury being sworn and charged ( as before ) well and truly to try betwixt the king and the prisoners at the bar , and true deliverance make , and to bring in their verdict , according to evidence . the witnesses were called and sworn , whose evidence reached thus far ( and no further ) that they were taken at such a time and place , met together , above the number of five ; but that they heard them speak no word , nor saw nothing , but that they sate together in silence . then the prisoners called upon the jury , to take notice , that no matter of fact was witnessed against them by those witnesses : but the jury seemed to give more heed to the minde of the court , and what they would have them to do , then either to the prisoners , or witnesses . h. c. there are two records against the prisoners already , for two former offences ( which were read ) and as for this third offence , of which they stand indicted , the evidence is sufficient . his memorandums ( or breviates ) were also read , viz. what the witnesses had said , and what the prisoners had confessed , that they were met there in the fear of the lord , to wo●ship him in spirit and truth ; and withal he told them , that if they did believe they were met , they must finde them guilty : and though all this while no matter of fact was by the witnesses proved , nor by the prisoners confessed ; but onely meeting above five , in obedience to god , to wait vpon , and worship him in spirit and truth . the jury was commanded to go forth , who did so , and quickly returned , agreed upon their verdict , that they were all guilty . court. look to them g●aler . then henry sweeting , henry stout , and j●remiah dean , were brought to the bar , and their indictments read , which agreed in form ; and being required to plead guilty , or not guilty : some of them insisted upon their liberty and priviledge , as freemen of the borough of hertford ; and henry stout alledged , that they ought to be tryed by the mayor , and other magistrates of the corporation , according to their charter , and their oaths . h. c. the court hath a particular kindeness for you , if you will accept of it ( viz. ) if you will engage to come at no such tumultuous meetings any more , but onely stay at home with your own families , you may be discharged ; and set it liberty . hen. sweeting . if i were sure that my life were to answer for the thing , i could rather offer up my life , as a sacrifice , then to engage to any such thing . and the other answered in like manner , that their meetings being no unlawful assemblies , nor seditious conventicles , and that they neither acted nor contrived any thing of evil against the king , or any other person : if they suffered it was for their consciences towards god , and for worshipping of him . tho. vic. fan. i would not have you cheat your selves , it is not for worship , for conscience , or religion , that you suffer ; but the matter of fact is for meeting ; the evil is to meet together , above the number of five . h. c. said also something to the same effect , quoting judge bridgman his opinion therein , and his practice as a president the last assizes , and a sufficient warrant for their proceedings , then the jury was called , sworn , and charged , in the usual form . as is before expressed ( being the same that brought in the former seven guilty ) the witnesses also were called and sworn , whose testimony agreed in this onely , that they were taken at such times , and places , met together , above the number of five . h. ch. what say you , what did you meet there for ? prisoners we met there in the fear of god , for no evil end , but to worship him in spirit and truth , and not under colour and pretence . this answer h. chancy noted down , together with the depositions of the witnesses , and then spake to the jury , saying , h. ch. we have two records against the prisoners at the bar already ( which were read ) and they are sufficient for the first and second offences : and as concerning the third offence , you hear what the witnesses say , that they were at such an house , met together , above five : and they acknowledge and confess , that they met there in the fear of god , to worship , &c. i think the evidence is sufficient , go forth . but before they went forth h. stout was called again to the bar ( who stood for a tryal by the corporation ) and his indictment was read , and it was said to him as to the rest , you stand indicted , &c. are you guilty , or not guilty ? h. s. i conceive i am not to answer at this court , for any pretended offence , which is done within the corporation ; but am accountable to that court , within whose jurisdiction i live . court. you must be tryed here , and cannot be tryed elsewhere . h. s. if i should plead here , then should i make a breach of the priviledge of the corporation , which the free-men and magistrates of the corporation are sworn to maintain ; and i being a free-man , and an inhabitant of this corporation , it is my just right and priviledge to be tryed by the corporation and neighbourhood that knows me . tho. vic. fan. harry stout will you plead ? h. s. i do not deny pleading , so i may plead where i ought to plead . h ch. you ought to plead here , i will give it so for law. h. s. the law saith , it shall not be lawful for any justices of the county to intermeddle in a town corporate , where there is a justice of the same . and further the law saith , we will grant to all cities and towns corporate , that they shall have their liberties and free customs . clerk. vvill you plead or not , if not you must be taken pro confesso . h. s. i am willing to plead , provided i may not be debarred of that which is my right , that is , that i may be tryed by the corporation . cl. the corporation hath turned you over to us , and you must be tryed here . h. s. i desire the court would be pleased to satisfie me , by what power the mayor committed me to the county prison , seeing by his charter he hath no such power ; and without his charter he is no more then one of us , or another man. to this they returned no answer , but bid the clerk read the indictment , which he did , and then it was demanded of him , whether he was guilty , or not guilty ? h. s. if the court would be pleased to satisfie me in this one thing ; i know not but that i may plead , that is , by what power the mayor committed me to the county goale , or where he had it , seeing the charter doth not give him it : for the mayor hath the same power in the corporation , to try all things that are to be enquired of , as the justices in the county ; for the corporation hath power by their charter to try all persons , trespasses , and all offences whatsoever , except treason , murther , or felony , or the taking away of life or limb ; so he hath no power to commit to the county prison in this case , but to his own prison , which is allowed by the charter . if the court please i will read the copy of the charter : so they bad him read it ; and as he began to read , they asked him if it were in latine , he said no ; then they would not let him read it . court. will you plead or not ? if not , sentence will be passed upon you as mute , and you will lose the priviledge of a jury . h. s. i desire the court would give me an understanding of the act ; for as i understand it , i do not conceive it doth at all concern us ; for by it , meetings are allowed , so they are not above such a number ; and certainly a number cannot be hurtful of it self , provided the intent be not evil : so i conceive the act is against such as do intend evil at their meetings , as to plot and contrive against the government : we are no such , but our intent is really to worship god , and nothing else . cl. that 's your mistake , the act is made against all meetings , under pretence of religion of above five persons in number . h. s. it would be an absurd thing to think that the act is against worshipping god ; so understanding of it , it would violate the kings promises , which in three declarations ( that are publick to the world ) say , that no man should be disturbed in matter of conscience , provided they lived peaceably : and i dare presume to say , that if the king were asked , whether any breach should be made of his promises , he would say no , not for abundance . for in his speech to the parliament , he saith , no man shall have power to charge us with the breach of our promises ; so that the act cannot be so understood , but as it self sayes , against such as shall at their meetings contrive insurrections . court. we do not deny you your religion , but you may meet , so you meet not above the number of five , that you may not have any opportunity to contrive insurrections . h. s. some have had a suspicion of us , but god knows we have no such design ; but our design is to promote righteousness and holiness , and to reprove evil where ever we see it ( although it be in the great ones of the world ) and that we may live a godly life , in all honesty ; and this is our design . court. we permit you to plead , and you make a speech ; will you plead to your indictment ? h. s. i do not deny pleading , neither do i contemn the court , but do expect my priviledge , to be tryed by the corporation ; and if it be not granted me , i do take it as a great injustice done unto me . court. if you will not plead you shall be recorded , and sentenced as a mute . h. s. i do not deny pleading . court. record him . h. s. i thank god you have nothing of evil against me ( now nor formerly ) to condemn me for ; but it is purely for conscience sake , for worshipping god. one of the jury , as he stood at the bar told him , that if he did plead they should finde him guilty . so it seems it was determined beforehand what to do ; and that all their shew of a legal tryal was but under colour and pretence , having fore-judged them , and before hand concluded to condemn them . so the jury went forth , and about the space of a quarter of an hour , returned agreed upon their verdict . and being asked , if they were agreed answered , yes ; and who should speak for them , answered , their fore-man : who being asked if henry sweeting were guilty of the crimes : he stood indicted of , or not guilty ; he answered , guilty , and so of all the rest . court. look to them goaler . then was henry stout set again to the bar , and his indictment read the third time ; and he still desiring to be tryed by the court , that ought to try him , viz. the court of the corporation . the clerk recorded him again for a mute the third time . this done the goaler was commanded to fetch the rest of the prisoners to the bar , being one and twenty persons , which also was done ; and proclamation being made , that all persons should keep silence while judgement was given . the prisoners were called over severally ( one after another ) to whom henry chancy directed his speech particularly as followeth , viz. what say you lewis laundy , why judgement of transportation should not be passed upon you ? l. l. i am innocent in this matter , and have not transgressed this law , for our meetings are not contrary to the liturgy , but your practice is contrary to it ; for that sayes , cursed is he that parteth man and wife , which thing you are doing this day ; and assuredly the lord will reward you according to your deeds . then henry chancy being about to pass sentence , richard thomas called to the court , and said , hold , there is something to be said first before the sentence is passed : whereupon henry chancy said , richard thomas , what have you to say why judgement of transportation should not be passed upon you . r. t. i have much to say , first , nothing hath been proved against me , as matter of fact , which should deserve such sentence . and again , i ought to have been tryed by the corporation for the pretended offence ; and therefore there ought to be an arrest of judgement . h. chancy . as to that you have had a fair tryal , and the court doth over-rule you in that thing , and you have been answered . then john reynolds was asked what he had to say , why sentence should not be passed upon him . and tho. vic. fansh. stood up and said , he had done very much for him at the assizes . to which j. r. answered , that the light in his conscience would convince him of the evil he had done to him ; whereupon tho. vic fansh. retorted in a rage , that the light you hold is one thing to day , and another thing to morrow . before sentence , several others of the prisoners said , they were innocent , and had not deserved any such sentence . but h. c. said , your plea of innocency will not now avail you . the jury hath found you guilty ; therefore you must hearken to your sentence . so the prisoners were set to the bar , and sentence was pronounced by him as followeth , richard thomas , john bresbon , robert fairman , william brown , francis haddon , samuel wollaston , thomas crawley , john reynolds , john witham , robert crook . it is awarded , and the court doth award , that you , and every of you shall be transported beyond the seas , to the island of barbadoes , being one of his majesties plantations , there to remain seven years . then * sentence was also pronounced upon the rest thus , viz. lewis laundy , william burre , thomas burre , thomas moss , michael day , robert hart , william adams , john throughgood , henry sweeting , jeremiah dean , henry stout , it is awarded , and the court doth award , that you , and every of you shall be transported beyond the seas , to the island of jamaica , one of his majesties plantations , forreign , there to remain seven years . but before the prisoners went from the bar , divers of them expressed themselves to this purpose , viz. richard thomas said , the lord justifies though you condemn and sentence us . and be it known unto you , that i account it great honour , and much mercy from the lord that i have been preserved unto this time , to hear a testimony for gods eternal truth , against such a generation of men as you are : and as sentence was pronouncing , lewis laundy ( one of the prisoners directed these words to henry chancy , alas for thee poor chancy , ( observing a great change in his speech and countenance ) it had been well for thee if thou hadst not done this dayes work , &c. after a little space the said henry chancy recovering himself , spake to the prisoners as followeth , viz. if you , on every of you will pay one hundred pound into the court , you may be discharged from this sentence , and the court shall not be discharged till the morning . it was now after the 9th . hour at night , and the court adjourned till eight the next morning , the prisoners being remanded back to prison . on the morrow about the 7th . hour the court met again ( being the third day of the sessions ) and the goaler being ordered to bring the forenamed twenty one persons , or whom sentence was passed : they were brought accordingly , and set to the bar , and called over . court. then the court demanded of every several person respectively , whether they would pay down their several hundred pounds to redeem them from the sentence of transportation that was passed upon them . pris. to which they returned , their several answers , some whereof are as followeth . lewis laundy . it is for the testimony of my conscience towards god , that i am sentenced , and if i had an hundred lives , and could redeem them all with an hundred pence , i should not give them in this case . rich. thomas . be it known unto you , that the service we are called unto , is more honourable then to be purchased off , with money ; and therefore if the tenth part of a farthing would do it , i should not give it you : and further he also said , the religion we profess , we are neither afraid , nor ashamed to suffer for ; it is the truth , and shall stand over the heads of all such transgressing wretches as you are . tho moss . i am in the service of god , and i do not intend to hire my self out of it ; but you had more need to hire your selves out of the service that you are in r. crook . whether shall i be free , if i should pay an hundred pounds . court. yes . r. c. then i may go meet again with those you call malefactors , to the disturbing of the kings peace . court. yes , paying an hundred pound he might , for the law said so . will you pay an hundred pound that you may not be transported . r. c. no , i have not so much money to spare . others h. s. r. f. t. b said they were satisfied in their hearts and consciences , that they had done no evil , and therefore could not consent to give one farthing , or words to that effect : and henry stout ( being included in their unjust sentence , notwithstanding his just plea to the contrary ) delivered himself in these words ; before i give an answer to your demand , i do expect a legal tryal ; and further desiring to be heard to speak a few more words , said , i remember i heard some upon the bench speak very contemptuously of the light. now they chat despise the light despise christ , for the light is christ , and was made manifest , to destroy the deeds of darkness , and to condemn sin in all its appearances ; for he that is of god walks in the light , as god is light ; whereupon they cryed , that is true , that is true , but would not endure to hear any further of that truth , but cryed take him away , take him away ; and so he had liberty to speak no more . friend , whoever thou art that readest the precedent passages , mayest observe , that though henry chancy ( the judge of this court of pretended justice ) did oftentimes urge the prisoners to confess what they met for , and what they did at their meetings ; yet when some of them did confess that they met upon no other account , but to worship god , and to wait upon god in the spirit : when he came to speak to the jury , he made that confession to be the chief ground for the jury to proceed , to finde the bills ; whereupon they are sentenced ; notwithstanding one that was chief among them said ( more then once ) that they had their religion free , and they meddled not with worship , conscience , and religion ; so that any people that have any religion in true simplicity ( be it of what form it will ) that have not sold all honesty in that profession ( on purpose to please and serve the present times ) may see that the main ground of this grand persecution is for worshiping god in spirit : and as it is said that one of the eminentest among them that sit in the seat of cruelty and violence in this day , hath said , that this act was made against worshipping god in spirit : and if ever any person in this nation read or heard of any people or nation , that hath so directly in plain words and open deeds manifested such defiance and opposition to the worshipping of god in spirit and truth ; notwithstanding the scripture speaketh expresly , that god is a spirit , and will be worshipped in spir●t and ●ruth , and that these men do own the scriptures in word ) let him come forth and endeavour to justifie this generation of men. and further observe , that nothing is here punctually proved ( as to the breach of the late act ) but onely meeting above the number of five , which ( without the proof of sedition , or breach of the peace ) can be no violation of the act : so that people may see the unjust proceeding of these unrighteous judges , who pretend law for their rule , in this matter , but practice none of it , as was clearly observed by them that were spectators ; for no clear evidence they had for what they did : the witnesses deposing onely their meeting together , but nothing that they spake or did ; and this was the great pretended crime they sentenced them for . o generation of vipers , do you think to escape the damnation of hell for your illegal proceedings ? who are not content to do wickedly your selves , but either fright or flatter other ; to do the same . ( as one of the jury said at the bar , besides what others were over-heard to say in a threatning way ) what numbers were warned to attend your wicked service , that you might have your choice of fit instrumments to do your abominable work . o height of impudence and hard-heartedness , that you should dare do such things , and yet before the people , cover your wickedness with smooth words , saying , we do not deny you your religion , and yet condemn them for it . god takes notice of these things , and if such great woes were pronounced against such as did not fit , when he was in prison , and did not feed him when he was an hungry , and cloath him when he was naked , what will be their portion , who when he was at liberty cast him into prison ? and when he had food took it away from him ? and when he had cloaths stript him naked . inasmuch , saith christ , as ye do it unto the least of them that fear my name , ye do it unto me . but it was the portion of the people of god in dayes past to be so dealt withall by an hard hearted generation , as may be seen , mat. 10.17 , 18 , 19. but beware of men , for they will deliver you up to councels , and ye shall be brought before governours and rulers for my name sake , for a testimony against them , &c. the end. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a60650-e130 * 1 part cooks inst. sect. 366. fol. 226 , 227 , 228. to h. sweet . * it was observed in his speech , countenance , and deportment , by the spectators , that while he was passing sentence , he was as smitten of the lord , and ready to faint away under the sence of his stroke for the wicked works he was about . a true relation of the unjust proceedings, verdict (so called) & sentence of the court of sessions ... against divers of the lord's people called quakers, on the 30th day of the 8th month, 1662 / published for the honour of god, the vindication of the innocent, and the information of people, by john chandler. chandler, john, 17th cent. 1662 approx. 44 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 12 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a31659 wing c1929 estc r35804 15563837 ocm 15563837 103768 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a31659) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 103768) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1184:2) a true relation of the unjust proceedings, verdict (so called) & sentence of the court of sessions ... against divers of the lord's people called quakers, on the 30th day of the 8th month, 1662 / published for the honour of god, the vindication of the innocent, and the information of people, by john chandler. chandler, john, 17th cent. 22 p. [s.n.], [london?] printed : 1662. reproduction of original in the huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -apologetic works. persecution -england. great britain -history -charles ii, 1660-1685. 2006-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-09 celeste ng sampled and proofread 2006-09 celeste ng text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a true relation of the unjust proceedings , verdict ( so called ) & sentence of the court of sessions , at margarets hill in southvvark , against divers of the lord's people called quakers , on the 30 th . day of the 8 th . month , 1662. published for the honour of god , the vindication of the innocent , and the information of people . by john chandler . printed in the year , 1662. a true relation of the unjust proceedings , verdict ( so called ) and sentence of the court of sessions , at margarets hill in southwark , against divers of the lord's people called quakers , on the 30th . day of the 8th . month , 1662. after our appearance at the sessions at kingston , having been prisoners at the white lion in southwark above nine weeks , we were indicted , for unlawfully and tumultúously gathering and assembling our selves together , by force and arms , &c. under pretence of performing religious worship , &c. which indictment , richard onzlow ( who sate judge of the sessions ) said , was according to a statute made in the 35th year of queen elizabeth ( the late act of parliament , made purposely against the meetings of the quakers and others , being by them laid aside ) whereunto , although most of us were willing to plead , and desired a tryal , as knowing our innocency as to what was laid to our charge ; which , although it was at first , promised us ; yet at last , would not be granted us ; but except we would give bond to answer at the next quarter-sessions , we were to return to prison again , and there to remain till that time : at length , through urgency and importunity for a present tryal , that justice might not be delayed ( as it ought not to have been ) the sessions was adjourned till the 28th day of the 8th month ; and because we could not come under bond for our appearance , contrary to our christian liberty and consciences , we were remanded to prison till that time . so when we , to the number of thirty two persons , appeared before the court , in the sessions-house at magarets-hill , on the 30th day of the same month , for tryal ; the former indictment ( unto which , for not giving bond to appear to plead , were committed ) was laid aside , and another indictment was drawn up against us , and presented to the grand jury upon the same statute ; the form whereof is as followeth . surrey . the jurors for our lord the king do present upon their oath , that arthur fisher , late of the parish of s. olave , in the burrough of southwark , in the county of surrey , yeoman ; nathaniel robinson of the same , yeoman ; john chandler of the same , yeoman , and others , being wicked , dangerous , and seditious sectaries , and disloyal persons , and above the age of sixteen years : who on the 29th day of june , in the year of the reign of our lord charles the second , by the grace of god , king of england , scotland , france , and ireland , and the fourteenth ; have obstinately refused , and every one of them hath obstinately refused , to repair unto some church , chappel , or usual place of common-prayer , according to the laws and statutes of this kingdom of england , in the like case set forth and provided , ( after forty dayes , next after the end of the session of parliament begun and holden at westminster on the nineteenth day of february , in the year of the reign of our lady elizabeth late queen of england , the thirty fifth , and there continued until the dissolution of the same , being the tenth day of april in the 35th year abovesaid ) to wit , on the third day of august , in the year of the reign of the said charles king of england , the fourteenth abovesaid , in the parish of s. olave aforesaid , in the burrough of southwark aforesaid , in the county aforesaid ; of themselves , did voluntarily and unlawfully joyn in , and were present at an unlawful assembly , conventicle , and meeting at the said parish of s. olave , in the county aforesaid , under colour and pretence of the exercise of religion , against the laws and statutes of this kingdom of england , in contempt of our said lord the king that now is , his laws , and to the evil and dangerous example of all others in the like case offending , against the peace of our said lord the king that now is , his crown and dignity , and contrary to the form of the statute in this same case set forth and provided . this indictment being read , it was replied , that this was not the same indictment with that at kingston , unto which we desired to plead : richard onzlow answered , that they had quashed or nulled that , and that they had power to quit one indictment , and to draw up another , if the former were not sufficient : then it was required that we might be tryed by the late act of parliament ; whereto he answered , they might try us by what act they would , that was in force . so , after we saw their bad intent towards us , the country was bid to take notice , that there was another indictment formed against us at kingston , to which , we pleaded , not guilty ; and some ( that is , six baptists ) were tryed and cleared by that ; which they perceiving , refused to try us according to their promise ; but adjourned the court , that so they might draw up another , and that , for ought we knew , if some of us should be cleared by this , they would draw up another , that so they might ensnare us : to which richard onzlow said , we should all be tryed by this . then it was desired , that that statute might be read , to see whether it contained all the particulars of this last indictment : so then he caused but a part of the statute to be read , saying to the clerk , it was enough : whereby , the penalty , and other particulars , were concealed from the prisoners , and from those that were to be of the jury . then it was openly declared , as a testimony against that wicked law , that the parliament that made that act , did at that time , take counsel against the lord , and against his anointed . also , that it was made in the time of ignorance , when that people were newly stept out of popery , but now there was more knowledge . also , by this , the reader may take notice , how unjustly and falsely the first indictment was framed on the same statute , which mentions nothing of tumultuously gathering and assembling together , or by force and arms , &c. or of performing religious worship . after this , we were urged to plead , guilty , or not guilty , to the indictment . then one desired a copy of the indictment , and the court promised it him ; but instead of giving him the copy , they thrust him out of the court , because he did not plead guilty , or not guilty , before he had the copy , notwithstanding they promised it him , and so bad , take him goaler ; and bad the clerk to give the copy to another , because he understood it , it being in latine . then calling another , who standing in the fear and counsel of the lord , not daring to answer hastily , they bad , take him goaler . these , with others , to the number of ten , were violently haled out of the court , as taken ( as they say ) pro confesso , or for guilty , and thereupon were soon sent back to prison again . the rest of us , being twenty two in number , knowing our selves to be most falsly charged , were free to joyn issue , and plead , not guilty : then the jury-men were called , who were men fit for their purpose ; yet were we hardly allowed the liberty of common malefactors , ( as also the liberty that the court allowed to the six baptised persons at kingston , as was re-minded to richard onzlow ) which is , to except against many persons , without shewing any cause ; but we passed five , before we excepted against any ; and when we excepted against one , richard onzlow seemed to be offended , and said , we must shew a lawful cause , or else we should not except against him ; it was answered , where we saw envy and prejudice , or a light , vain deportment in any man , it was a cause sufficient ; but he did not like of such a reason . then another was excepted against , which he would allow of , without shewing a reason : to which it was answered , that that man was heard to say , that he hoped ere long , that the quakers should be arraigned at the bar , and be banished to some land where there was nothing but bears : at which the court made a great laughter , and the man was put by : so , we made little more exception , seeing what manner of persons we were to chuse out of . then they were sworn , and two witnesses were called , who could but testifie at most , that such persons , whose names were specified in writing , they took in such a place met together , but that no words were spoken . after this , we spake to particulars contained in the indictment , on this wise . first , the jury was bid to take heed , how they did sport or dally with holy things ; and that those things which concerned their and our consciences , could not be denied , but to be holy things : and as a man was not to sport with the health of his neighbour ; so not to sport with the liberty of , or banishment of his neighbour . and whereas we were accused for wicked , dangerous , and seditious sectaries ; that was not true : for we were not wicked , because we lived soberly , righteously and godly in the world ; and that it was so , we appeal to themselves : neither were we seditious ; for that was to be tumultuous ; but we were peaceable . and whereas we were charged , for not coming to bear the common-prayer without any lawful cause , for one month after the 29th of june last ; we made it appear , that there was none to hear if we would have come ; for the service-book was not quite printed for several weeks after the said 29th of june , ( yea , they made haste to have it finished by that which is called bartholmew-tide , which was the time enjoyned by the late act of parliament , for the priests to reade it ) also , that it was the rigor of the law , or summum jus , which was confessed by themselves to be summa injuria , or the greatest wrong , for the act to be in force against as before the publishment thereof , as rich. onzlow said , it was , and would have it to be : whereby the reader may take notice , how like unto the blind and cruel aegyptians , this court of justice ( so called ) did act ; who required their full tale of brick of the israelites , and yet would not allow them straw . they would have us also , to prove , that we had come to hear common-prayer , they having no witness to prove the contrary , if it had been read ; whereto it was replyed , that it was according to the law of the land , in all criminal causes , for positive evidence to be brought against the prisoner accused ; which rich. onzlow could not positively deny : wherefore he told the jury afterwards , that he thought we must prove we did come , because the coming to common-prayer did excuse the meeting . but let the reader know , that the judge of a court is to declare the law by a positive assertion , and according to knowledge , and not his own thoughts . it was also insisted on the word , heretique , that it was such a one , who after conviction of his error , wilfully took it up and maintained it against the truth ; and therefore the apostle said , such a one was condemned in himself . rich. onzlow 〈◊〉 off that , with the word sectary , the word heretique not being in the indictment , although in effect , it is both as one : for that word which in the acts , is rendred sect , is ' airesis , or hiresie . then it was answered , that a sectary is taken for one that divided or separated in contempt , which he did not deny ; but we did not separate in contempt of any man. and indeed reader , if thou art not wilfully blind , thou canst not but conclude , that whatsoever is done in conscience to god , is not done in obstinacy or contempt . thou mayest also here take notice , of the great partiality of these men , who in what might make against us , would keep exactly to the form of words in the indictment ; but would not keep to the form of words therein , although essential to the thing in hand , in what made for the justification of our cause , as plainly appears by this : for whereas we were charged for an unlawful assembly , conventicle and meeting , under colour and pretence of the exercise of religion , we insisted on the word pretence , as that it came from a word which signified to cover over ; so that a pretence is a false cover , and so , to cover danger and sedition under meeting together ; which was false ; for we came from a good intent , and not from a pretence , as our consciences bare us witness , namely , to wait upon the lord , as being in his fear where-ever we are , according to those sayings , be thou in the fear of the lord all the day long . and wait upon thy god continually . and that a good intent was good in it self . now although a man might do evil , that good might come of it , which he ought not to do ; yet , whoever did really good , that evil might come thereof ? for , ex vero , nil nisi vera sequuntur ; of truth , nothing but true things do follow . also , that the word , intent , was not mentioned in the indictment . and as for pretence , they could not prove any thing either by word or deed , whereby they might gather any pretence ; for there was an exercise of religion mentioned in the indictment : now we truly pleaded , that an exercise , as to man , did imply some visible action , either of the tongue , hand or knee ; for the mind was as invisible being , and therefore the exercise therereof was not discerned by man : but at the time of our assembling , there was no action , either of prayer , exhortation , doctrine , prophesie , thanksgiving , or the like ; therefore there was no exercise . one thing also is not to be forgotten ; that when it was queried , how could the going a stones cast or two from ones dwelling , only to a place , be a breach of the king's peace ? rich. onzlow answered impertinently thereunto , unto this purpose , saying , yes ; for if a man did go over or thorow another's ground , he committed a trespass , although he did nothing else : but the reader may observe , that this was a going in the high-way , and not out of the common-path , to our own proper place and ground : neither was it a fit similitude ; because we were charged in the indictment with wickedness , danger , and sedition , under colour and pretence of an exercise of religion as aforesaid , and so in truth , it was a wresting of judgment . also , it was minded to the jury , that the doors were open , which , according to their own law , is said to excuse from a conventicle , which is taken for a meeting to a bad intent , and wherewith we were charged . this was the substance of what was pleaded to the particulars charged against us in the indictment , from the first to the last , till the jury brought in their ultimate verdict ( so called ) which appeared to be so sufficient for a just defence unto impartial judges , and a judicious and consciencious jury , that the standers-by generally thought we should have been brought in not guilty . the jury going out of the court , they continued a certain time ; then coming again , the bayliff said they had a verdict : they being asked , if they were agreed ? said , yes . they asked , whether arthur fisher and the rest of the prisoners at the bar , were guilty , or not guilty ? they said , they were guilty in part , and not guilty in part . then richard onzlow said , they must either be guilty of the whole indictment , or else not guilty ; they answered , they could not find us guilty of the whole , but only guilty of meeting ; which meeting ; they said , they could not find to be upon pretence of worship , because there were no words spoken : neither could they find as guilty for not coming to hear common-prayer , because it was not to be heard before their imprisonment : but this verdict would not be accepted of , although richard onzlow had told them , that if they could not find us guilty of all , then , not guilty : and they said , they could not find us guilty but in part ; so that , according to his own words , we ought to have been cleared ; but judgment was turned backward , and equity could not enter ; but they would force the jury to bring in another verdict . then one of the justices that committed us , was sworn , as to what our confession was when we were committed , who said , we confessed , we met in the fear of the lord ; and this was the best evidence that he could give : then the jury was sent out again , where they stayed long , insomuch , that the court adjourned until the third hour , about which time , they sate again , and asked if the jury were agreed : the bayliff said , no ; but said he , master pound is here now ; whereupon richard onzlow casting his eye up toward the window ( the jury being in an upper room ) said , his evidence was nothing now : the reader may take notice , that this pound was the constable that accompanied the souldiers to fetch us out of the meeting . then in a little space after , the jury came again , and being asked as before , they answered to the same effect ; which verdict would no more satisfie the court , than the former : then pound was called and sworn , whose evidence , richard onzlow had said to be nothing now ; neither did we judge it legal to swear witnesses for either party , after the jury had gone out twice before : but we knowing our cause to be just , and our selves innocent , we mattered not what any could say or swear against us ; and his evidence , as to what he saw , agreed with the others ; but they asked him , if he heard us say , we met to worship god , or upon pretence of religious exercise : he said , he heard us say nothing ; but we did not deny that we met to worship god ; so they took it for granted : but it was told them , that a not denying , was not a confessing of any thing : and we spake to the jury to mind the fear of the lord ( it was also told them , he that justified the wicked , and he that condemned the righteous , both those were abomination to the lord ) insomuch that richard onzlow told one of us , he should be bound to his good-behaviour . and thus , all people may take notice of the unjust dealings of the rulers of this nation ; for when it seemed very probable that we should have been cleared , because the evidence could prove nothing against us , richard onzlow said , well , my masters , if ye be not found guilty now , ye will be found guilty shortly : whereby he manifested the intent of his heart ; for his words did imply , that if the jury did clear us , we should be ensnared by some other means ; for he knew not , that all we should ever be brought to any more such tryals . then the jury going out again , returned quickly . then it was asked , as before , whether arthur fisher , and the rest of the prisoners , were guilty as they stood indicted , or not guilty ? they said , guilty . how are they guilty , said he ? guilty of meeting , said the foreman : but said richard onzlow , are they guilty according to the form of the indictment ? he answered , yes . then they cryed , look to them jaylor . then they began to hale us away , without passing any sentence upon us : then we desired to hear our sentence , which richard onzlow pronounced , as followeth : that we should return to prison again , and there lye three months without bail ; and if in case we did not make submission according as the law directs , either at or before the end of the aforesaid three months , that then we should absure this realm ; but in case we refused to make abjuration , or after abjuration made , should forbear to depart this realm , within the time limited , or should return again without licence , we should be proceeded against as felons . an advertisement . one of the jury hath since said , that george snelgrove the bayliff of the hundred , told the jury , they must fine for the king , or else they would be fined themselves ; for the king was not to be cast in any suit ; and of this , seven of them said , they would take their oaths . there was also an honest man , who was at the hearing of our tryal , that since affirmed in the prison , that he heard one of the jury-men say , as they were going up the stairs to consult ; here is a deal of do indeed to condemn a company of innocent men . after the jury had delivered their final verdict , before sentence given , a holy courage arose in the prisoners , and as one of them who stood by the table was haling away , they bad he should be brought again ; to whom richard onzlow said , notwithstanding this , there was a way to escape the penalty , which was by submission . then the prisoner asked him , what their submission was ? he said , to come to common-prayer , and resrain these meetings : unto whom , when the said prisoner had given his reasons ( in the fear , power and wisdom of god ) of denial of both , and being desirous to hear the penalty ; he said , we must abjure the land : to whom when the prisoner answered , to abjure is to forswear : one of the justices ( so called ) preventing the prisoner ) said , smilingly or laughingly , and ye cannot swear at all ; as though he was delighted , that we were taken in such a snare as to our lives . other things were uttered amongst us , as christianly witnessing a good confession before their judgment-seat ; and if any one particular of us , through a forward zeal , rather than from any evil desire toward the court of jury , ( for we do pray for our persecutors ) uttered any words that might give our enemies any just occasion , for the honour of truths sake , we declare a disowning of it , and that the light of jesus christ , to which our minds and hearts are turned , judgeth and condemneth it . but whereas richard onzlow , about the beginning of our tryal , voluntarily said unto us , that at kingston we complained that we had not justice ; but now they had brought the sessions hither , that we might have justice ; and we found the matter so far otherwise , that we concluded , as in the scripture is said , their words are as smooth as oyl , but they have war in their hearts . a few words to the jury , who contrary to their oaths brought in a false verdict ( so called ) against the innocent . to every individual , as well the promoters of , as consenters unto that unjust verdict , these few lines are directed ; desiring that ye may reade them with patience and moderation ; and consider what you have done , and repent and humble your selves before the lord , before it be too late , even before the anger of the lord ( who is patient and long-suffering ) break forth upon you , and you be utterly cut off and perish in your sins , and you be for ever deprived of the presence of the lord , and have your portion amongst murderers and unbelievers , which will assuredly be your portion , except you repent . and truly , this i can say , that my soul hath been grieved , and my spirit full of heaviness for you , and with tears have i besought the lord never to lay this sin to your charge , having learned to bless them that curse , and pray for them that despitefully use us : but truly , your sin is very great ; for you have not only made your selves murderers ( if the lord prevent it not ) of twenty two persons , to the ruining of our wives and children ; but also have made your selves a president unto others in the like case ; you being the first and most hardly that ever durst bring in such a verdict amongst us in our generation . and now i desire to expostulate a little with you , to know what was the very ground and cause of your so dealing , seeing there was no evidence to prove any thing against us . and first , you the promoters , was this your end , to have the righteous cut off from the earth , that so you might live in swearing , drunkenness , whoredom , and all manner of prophaness and debauchery , without once being reproved ? or , was it for fear of finement or hope of favour ? or , did you expect some reward ? or , did you believe that your bringing us in guilty , would ( as it did ) extend to the depriving of us both of liberty , life and estate ? and did you hope to be sharers thereof ? or to advantage your selves by destroying of us ? which of these was the reason ? deal plainly with your own hearts and consciences , and think not to hide any thing from the all-seeing eye of the lord , nor from such as walk in his light , and abide in his counsel . and now to you the consenters , who for a season withstood your fellows , i have a few words to write ; that although your end was not so bad , nor your envy so great as the others , yet your reward will be the same , and you must drink of the same cup , except you speedily repent ; and it is well if a place of repentance be found for you ; for , you have not only betrayed the lives of honest men , but also have betrayed your own consciences , and done despight against the spirit of grace that strove in you , and through cowardise and slavish fear consented to condemn the innocent : for the scribes and pharisees could not compass the death of christ until judas betrayed him ; no more could those blood-thirsty-men have compassed ours , but by your consent . oh that you would consider , and lay these things to heart , and remember the saying of the servant of the lord ; what is required of thee , o man , but to do justly , shew mercy , and walk humbly with thy god ? but you have dealt unjustly , you have shewed no mercy ; and now for you to repent and walk humbly with your god , would indeed be the rejoycing of my soul , who desires , that the lord may shew mercy unto you all , though you have not done justly towards me nor the rest of my brethren . written at white-lion-prison ; by one who knoweth well , and also is well known unto many of you , by name , nathaniel robinson . a collection of some of the particulars of the proceedings of the court at quarter sessions , holden at margarets hill in southwark , upon the 11th . day of the 9th . month , 1662. as followeth . the court being sate , there was brought ; before them thirteen of the people of god , called quakers , who being brought to the bar , an indictment was read , which was grounded upon an act of parliament of the thirty fifth year of queen elizabeth , for the punishment of wicked and seditious sectaries . the indictment being read , the prisoners were asked , guilty , or not guilty ? several of the prisoners seeing their wicked intent , had not freedom to answer to that limited form of words , [ viz. guilty , or not guilty ] we said , it was all one whether we plead or not , seeing they had determined what to do , as we had experience in the former tryal , yet we spake to the same effect , denying the substance of the indictment , and declaring it to be a pack of lyes and forgeries . then several of us being suffered no further to plead , were committed back to prison , and but five only remaining whose plea the court accepted ; whose plea could hardly be received : for , when they asked us , guilty , or not guilty ? some of us answered , that we did believe that they knew in their own consciences that we were not guilty of that indictment , and that it was lies and forgeries , and that we were not guilty of that charge . they said , it was a sign our cause was not good , we were so loth to put our selves upon a tryal . we answered , we did not question the honesty of our cause , but we did question the honesty of those that were to try our cause ; and that we knew that such men who feared god , and trembled at his word , could not judge us evil-doers in this matter . reply was made ; were not those men that feared god ? ( meaning the jury ) we replyed to john lenthal , that if he could say , in truth and righteousness , that he was a man that feared god , and trembled at his word , we would refer our cause to him ; but if he was not such a one , he was not fit to sit there as judge over us : and whereas we declared against the forgery contained in the indictment , they said , we were uncivil : we said , it was not uncivil to say a lye was a lye. the jury being called and sworn , they also swore two witnesses . the first swore we were at a meeting at horsey-down , to the number of about three-score . the court demanded what we were doing ? he said , we were doing nothing , nor he heard nothing spoken . the second witness , whose name is crosswell , he swore we were met at horsey-down , to the number of about an hundred , and that a woman was preaching before he came into the meeting , and continued speaking a good while after he came in ; although the former witness , being asked how long he came in after crosswell . he said he came in within three minutes after him , and heard nothing spoken ; and when it was demanded of crosswell , what was spoken ; he could give but a slender account , but said she spoke out of jeremiah . but this testimony was forged by the devil the father of lyes in the heart of this his servant , which was signified to the jury ; and also , that this crosswell , who lives at the horns in kent-street , is generally known to be a very wicked man , and to keep a wicked house of entertainment for drunkards and all manner of wicked persons ; who was a constable at the time when we were brought to prison , he took us out of our peaceable meeting , where we were in silence waiting upon the lord , which was testified in open court ; and this false witness was objected against , as not being a competent witness , because he is known to be a man of a wicked conversation , and one that is a common swearer , and not making conscience of an oath . it was also pleaded to the jury , that they ought to take notice of the confutation of the witnesses ; the first affirming that nothing was spoken , the last affirming that a woman spake . it was also questioned , whether that court had any lawful authority to proceed against us , seeing it is enacted in a statute , made and provided in the first year of queen elizabeth , that no matters of religion , or causes ecclesiastical , shall be judged errour , heresie , or schism , but by ecclesiastical authority by especial commission , by letters patents under the great seal of england . the court said , that statute of the thirty fifth was since . to which it was answered , that this statute of the first of queen elizabeth , is not repealed , but is yet in force . john lenthal said , that should not hinder their proceedings . john lenthal asked us , wherefore we were met together ? we said , the end of our meeting together , was to wait upon the lord , to feel his power and presence in our hearts , and that we were neither wicked , seditious , nor hereticks , but were in the fear and counsel of god , bearing testimony against those things in our conversation , whereof we were accused in the indictment . then john lenthal said , directing his speech to the jury , that one witness said , we were at the meeting ; and the other said , that a woman spake ; and thirdly , that we confessed that we were there worshipping of god , which he charged against us as matter of fact ; they also charged us of obstinately refusing to hear the common-prayer : some of us said , we were in prison before it was in being : others of us bid them produce evidence that we did not hear it . they answered , that we should prove that we did hear it . we said , that did not belong to us , nor the law doth not require it . then we , directing our speech to the jury , bid them take notice of the confutation of the evidence , and that it was a weighty matter they went upon ; that not only our liberty , but our lives also were concern'd in it , for they sought our blood ; and that the end and issue of it was to take away our lives ; for we see the end of their proceedings , by this act , is , to make us abjure the realm , which is , to swear , which we must rather die than do ; ( oh! must you so , said the cryer ) we said , we were innocent men , fearing god , and because of that they sought our lives ; but if we had been drunkards or swearers , we might have our liberty . they said , if we would conform , we might have our liberty . it was answered , we might obtain our liberty for our bodies for a time , and bring our souls in bondage to all eternity . so they sent forth the jury , who remained together till the court adjourned to dinner , and after they were set again , the jury came down ; the court asked them if they were agreed ? they said , no. some of them questioned , whether a woman speaking might be called the worship of god. john lonthal said , it was all one for that , whether men or women : but after some time , the jury came in again , and brought us in guilty , as the court said . we demanded their verdict , but they would give us no answer . then john lenthal pronounced the sentence , that we must return to prison for three months , without bail or mainprize ; if in that time we did not recant , we must abjure the realm . we asked them what benefit we might obtain by such submission ? they answered , we might have our liberty . we answered , that they could afford us no more than the divil offered christ ; all this will i give thee , if thou wilt fall down and worship me . one of them said , that was not a fit comparison . whereupon we answered , if we should say that with our mouthes , which we did not believe with our hearts , we should be hypocrites and children of the devil , falling down to worship him . so as we passed from before the court , we bid them remember cain , who was the first that persecuted about sacrifice and worship , who flew his righteous brother . now let the impartial reader take notice of the slender ground that either the jury had to bring us in guilty of that indictment , or the court to pass such a cruel sentence , there being only two witnesses . the first swore , that a woman was speaking before he came into the meeting ; and a good while after ; and the other came within three minutes after , and heard nothing spoken . this was all the evidence that was against us , as the auditors that were present at the court can witness . now whether this evidence was a sufficient ground for such a verdict ( so called ) and sentence , let all sober-minded people judge : they could not prove us either wicked , dangerous , seditious , nor sectaries ; neither have the effects of our meeting ever at any time tended to any such consequence ; but our meetings do , and alwayes have tended to peace , and to the rooting out the ground of wickedness , sedition , and heresie ; therefore not guilty of this indictment . secondly , there was no evidence against us , that we did obstinately refuse to hear common-prayer ; neither was it in being at those places which they call churches and chappels , till after we were in prison ; therefore we are not guilty of this indictment . thirdly , they did not swear that we were met in pretence of worship ; therefore we are not guilty of this indictment . fourthly , the evidence did not swear that we were met in contempt of the king , his laws and statutes ; for we were met in the fear and counsel of god , which is not an evil , but a good example to others ; not against the peace , but against the ground of strife ; not against the king's honour and dignity , but in the ground of all true honour and dignity ; therefore not guilty of that indictment : our meeting-doors were open ; and therefore by the law not a conventicle , which is to plot and contrive mischief , which it is manifest to all people was not our intent ; therefore not guilty of that indictment , nor deserving such a cruel sentence . now all people who have any sence or seeling of the measure of god's spirit in their hearts , may see and discern that this persecuting spirit is no other , but that which was in cain when he slew his brother about sacrifice and worship ; for , no other but that same spirit hath persecuted about religion and worship , from cain to this day ; who , because of that spirit , are and ever have been driven out of god's presence , as cain was , and so are become open enemies to that innocent life in all the faithful , which was in abel , whose sacrifice god accepteth at this day , as he did his . give ear , o king , o parliament , o judge , and justices , who bear the saints a grudge , who have or may promote , as men of strife , a wicked statute for to take their life . behold ! all people of the english nation , a law set forth against the separation , made by a council , signed by a queen , long laying dormant , now reviv'd ageen ; horrid design , ever to be accurst , to leave the late act , and to take the worst ; which blames a harmless people , by its lies , as wicked and seditious sectaries , and such like falshoods , which the priests , with all ill magistrates , possessed have , and shall , until the beast and prophet false are cast into the lake , when they have done their last . the while , let 's talk a littl ' of your abuse , to leave y' at least the more without excuse : what have we said , or done ? we fain would know before we die ( the land we can't forgo ) that ye should thus us sentence right or wrong , sure , not by god's law , but your own so strong : did ever men just judgment more pervert , christians in name , but hypocrites in heart ! if we should hold our peace ; the stones might cry with rumbling voices to the heavens hie . what do ye say to christ and christians in ages past , inhabiting all lands , who separated from the wicked train of idol people , where they did remain ? what to the sect declar'd of in the acts ? and paul accus'd by th' jews of heinous facts ? who being spoke against in ev'ry place ; yet you 'l not dare in words them to deface . see then how like your fathers ye do walk , who of the scriptures then did prate and talk , who justified the saints that went before , and yet condemn'd the present ones as sore . repent , repent , be humbled in the dust , and bite those tongues that did condemn the just : yea , rather rent your hearts , which took content to prison , banish , kill the innocent : for if we felt not light , life , truth and love , we durst not thus so boldly to reprove . well , come what will , glory to god on high , that we three months in prison are to lye , wherein , if not submit , the cross to fly , then to forswear these lands , or else to die . but we must hearken to our master's call , who saith within us , swear ye not at all ; for he hath brought us unto yea and nay , and him we are resolv'd for to obey ; ' cause we through grace , are sure to gain by loss , this makes us love the seed , and kiss the cross . o immortality , most glorious sight ! which through the gospel , god hath brought to light : o hellish darkness , and eternal pains ! for all th' impenitent ( reserv'd in chains ) and persecuting antichristians , both great and small , who do defile their hands with blood , or any thing that may offend . the lambs of christ that hold out to the end . th' all-powerful mighty judge to such will say , within their consciences , depart , away ye cursed ones , into eternal fire , prepar'd for evil angels in mine ire : for ye not only have not visited my babes and brethren dear , when hard bested ; but wrong'd them much by various enmitie , and doing thus y' have done it unto me . come , come ye blessed , shall christ jesus speak , within his flock , whose hearts now melt and break for the abominations committed , and who by suffring now , for him are fitted ; receive the kingdom and the endless life , i 'le be thy bridegroom , thou shalt be my wife ; for thou hast holp my poor in want and need , and born the burdens of the suffring seed , and loved me above all earthly thing ; so i into this glory do thee bring . then ye that know the father and the son , and sp'rit , that brought you out of babylon , what the good husbandman in you hath sown , see that it grow , and do not smite your own fellows , nor eat and drink with th' drunken , but feed them , lest he do you in sunder cut , as hypocrites ; for 't is a sudden day ; see how it dawns , hark how he comes away . even so come lord jesus , come quickly . john chandler . the end . a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor, and court of aldermen, at guild-hall chappel, upon the 5th of november, 1673 in commemoration of englands deliverance from the gun-powder treason / by john scott, minister of st. thomas's in southwark. scott, john, 1639-1695. 1673 approx. 61 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 20 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a58811 wing s2065 estc r15382 13144658 ocm 13144658 98050 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a58811) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 98050) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 778:14) a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor, and court of aldermen, at guild-hall chappel, upon the 5th of november, 1673 in commemoration of englands deliverance from the gun-powder treason / by john scott, minister of st. thomas's in southwark. scott, john, 1639-1695. [7], 32 p. printed for tho. taylor ..., london : 1673. advertisement: p. 32. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -controversial literature. liberty of conscience -sermons. persecution -sermons. sermons, english -17th century. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-11 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-11 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion hooker mayor . cur. specialis tent mercurii vo. die novemb. 1673. annoque reg. car. sec. angl. &c. xxvo. it was ordered by this court , that mr. scot be desired to print his sermon , this day preached at the guild-hall chappel , before the lord mayor , and aldermen of this city . wagstaffe . a sermon preached before the right honourable the lord mayor , and court of aldermen ; at guild-hall chappel , upon the 5th of november , 1673. in commemoration of englands deliverance from the gun-powder treason . by john scott minister of st. thomas's in southwark . london , printed for tho. taylor , at the hand and bible in the new buildings on london-bridge , 1673. the epistle dedicatory to the right honourable sir william hooker , lord mayor of london , and to the right honourable the court of aldermen . right honourable , though i esteem my self as much as i deserve , and perhaps a little more , yet i thank god i was never yet so partial to my self , or fond of my own conceptions , as to think the publication of them an act of charity , either to the world , or to the bookseller ; and as for this discourse , i assure you , had not you had a better opinion of it then i ; i should have been so charitabl as to have kept it within doors , and not to have exposed it to the open air , in which i have known many wiser discourses to have gotten their bane ; but i shall not be so unmannerly as to controul your opinion , which yet i doubt had not been so favourable to me , had not your judgments been bribed by your zeal to the protestant religion , against the adversary whereof this discourse was designed , perhaps the protestant reader , who is unacquainted with the transactions of the last 600 years , may think i have been too severe upon the roman religion , charging it with such bloudy principles , and practises : to which i shall say no more then this ; that if i have falsified its character , or represented it fouler than it is : let me indure the shame , and punishment of a common calumniator ; but if i have drawn it according to its own natural features , and complexions ; it is not my fault that it appears deformed , and if it be as bad as 't is represented , it makes invectives enough against it self , and carries its satyrs in its own bosom : but what i have said of it is all matter of fact , which i have proved by the testimony of their own authors , who cannot be supposed to be false witnesses against themselves , and if , after this , any one should be so obstinate as to suspect me of forgery ; let him peruse the martyrologies of the six last centuries , and compare them with the bloodiest of all the ten pesecutions : and i doubt not but he will be of my opinion , viz. that domitian and dioclesian were but puny persecutors , and bunglers in cruelty compared with the infallible cut-throats of the apostolical chair . having thus accounted for the honesty of this discourse ; i have no more to say for it , but only this ; that however it may succeed , it was well intended ; and if it prove any way instrumental to alay the un-christian heats , and animosities among us , to promote the peace of the church , and the interest of the protestant religion , i have my design : and though i should be defeated in this , it will be some satisfaction to me , that i have honour'd my self before the world by this address , and testified by my ready compliance with your commands how really i am , right honourable your most humble and faithful servant john scott . a sermon preached before the right honorable the lord mayor and court of aldermen , novemb. 1673. luke 9. 56. for the son of man came not to destroy mens lives , but to save them . it is the glory of the christian religion , that it hath conquered the world , and triumphed over all that opposed it , without any other weapon but its own victorious beauty , and reasonableness : had it been proclaimed by the mouths of canon , or marched like paracelsus his daemon , upon the pummel of the sword : it had been rivalled by sundry successful impostures ; and the alcheron it self would have compared victories with it : but in this it hath the preeminence of all the religions that ever were , that it atchieved its conquest without scrib or sword , without the aid of worldly force , or policy : that by its own native light , it vanquished the ignorance and prejudice of the world ; and by pure dint of reason , subdued mens minds to its impire : for 't was not by racks and tortures , that it converted infidels , & convinced hereticks ; but by reason , and miracles ; and till it began to be sophisticated with temporal interests , and designs , it taught its followers only to indure , but not to inflict persecutions : for this was their language in the purer ages , non est religionis , cogere religionem , quae suscipi debet sponte , non vi , as tertull. expresses it . religion presseth no man to her service , and disdains to have any followers , but volunteers ; but when once its followers began to bend it to their interest , and make it the solicitor of their temporal designs , to break into parties , and imbarque their own reputation , and in the success of those disputable opinions , that distinguished them , then according as they had the luck to succeed in their disputes , and the favour of the emperors , they began to solicit , and arm the temporal power against their adversaries ; in which bad practice , they imitated those , whom in all other things they did condemn ; namely the arrians the circumcellians , and donatists , who were the first christians that either perswaded , or practised persecution ; and yet for a long while so abhorrent it was from the temper of christians , that vrsatus , and ithrius , two otherwise catholick bishops , for perswading maximus to destroy the priscillianists , were branded by their brethren with an infamous character , and sharply reproved by the good bishop of trevers , who plainly tells them , satis , superque sufficere ut episcopali sententia haeretico judicati ecclesijs pellerentur : novum est , & inauditum nefas : ut causam ecclesiae judex seculi judicaret : it is sufficient that heriticks be banished by the church as out-laws , from the communion of christians : but it is a now and unheard of wickedness , that a cause of religion should be judged and punished at a secular tribunal ; and yet this was above 370 years after christ : but as the churches fortunes grew better , and her sons grew worse , and some of her fathers worst of all : so persecution and tyranny prevailed in christendom , till at last it was baptized , into the name of zeal , and enthroned among the graces of religion : for if we look into the history of the roman church , we shall find persecution first preached from the infallible chair : the popes whereof growing great , and proud , and impatient of contradiction , began first to murmure against the tollerations of the novatians , which being a great eye-sore to those haughty prelates , as soon as they had gotten power into their hands , they rooted them out by force and violence , but yet they had not so far abandoned all their natural sense of mercy and goodness , as to proceed to bloodshed , till the divine right of fire and faggot was invented by st. dominick , that rabbid and furious incendiary , by whose instigation the albigenses were wasted by a dreadful war , and 180 of them burnt to death , because they would not abjure their religion : which horrid butchery was acted by the commission of pope innocent the third , who to encourage it , granted a plenary pardon and indulgence to the executioners , and now like lybian tygers , having tasted blood , they thirst insatiably for more ; and instead of pastors turn buttchers to the flock of christ , by their repeated cruelties , converting that church into an infamous slaughter-house of christians , which was once so famous a seminary of martyrs ; and for these 600 years bleeding , hath been the only remedy those spiritual mountebancks have prescribed , to cure the diseased church ; and this hath been cryed up as their great catholicon ; witness the infinite slaughters they have acted and instigated in italy bohemia , the upper and lower germany : witness the spanish inquisition , where the holy fathers confute hereticks with racks and gibbets ; witness the parisian massacre , where our religion was consuted only with skenes , and daggers , witness the marian days , wherein the roman faith was defended so gloriously against all arguments , with only that dreadful text , recant or burn : and if all this be not enough , witness that horrid power plot , the prevention of which we now commemorate ; a villany so foul and monstrous , as was never parallell'd either in fiction or history ; and compared with which , the most tragick scenes of melancholy poets , and dismal phantasms of despairing souls , are but all comick tales , subjects of sport and laughter : a tragedy so deep and bloody , that certainly had the most barbarous canibal in america been hired to act it , the very thought of it must have startled him into an agony ; and he could not but have relented , considering thus with himself ; i am now giving fire to a train , which at one blow will ruine a whole kingdom , tear in pieces its king and princes , and scatter their members in the air , strew its fields with the limbs and quarters of its slaughtered nobles and gentry , fill its streets with the threns and lamentations of woful mothers , the shrieks and out cryes of desolate wives & children , shake its goodly temples , and royal palaces into ruines , and in one moment lay all its glory in the dust : and yet [ o tell it not in gath , publish it not in the streets of askalon ! ] all these cruelties were designed under the livery of the most merciful jesus , and this cannibals feast of fellow-christians blood prepared to entertain the father of mercies , and the prince of love ; as if they like the heathens daemons , fed their hungry nostrils with the niderous reeks and steams of humane sacrifices : thus by degrees you see persecution is imbodyed into the romish religion ; and when heresie is the disease , ruine is the only remedy : a sure one indeed ; but o how heavenly wide of those mild prescriptions of the great physician of souls ! who being urged by his own disciples to revenge himself upon a company of rude and obstinate scismaticks , solemnly professes , that he came not to destroy mens lives , but to save them . the occasion of which words was an affront which the samaritans had offered to our blessed saviour ; who being notorious scismaticks , and professed enemies to the jews , that worshipped at jerusalem , refused to entertain our saviour for one night ; perceiving he was a jew , and so of a contrary religion to themselves , upon which james and john moved with great indignation , to see their blessed master so unworthily treated , request him , that after the example of elias , they might call for fire from heaven to destroy them : but he no way approving their motion , severely rebukes them for it , and plainly tells them , that they knew not what spirit they were of ; as much as if he should have said ; if you will needs imitate that legal zelotick spirit elias acted by ; whatever you pretend , you act not like my disciples , whose spirit and genius ought to be more tender and merciful ; and therefore , though these samaritans are of a different sect ▪ and religion , and will not imbrace me , nor my doctrine ; yet far be it from me to destroy them ; for this is quite contrary both to my temper , and the design of my coming ; which is not to destroy mens lives , but to save them . so that you see the plain scope of the words is this ; that to destroy mens lives upon the score of religion , is a practice contraty to the spirit of christ , and the design of his religion . before i proceed to the proof of this proposition , i shall briefly endeavour to state , and restrain it within its just bounds and limits : and they are these four . first , that it is not to be understood of any religion , that is in its own nature wicked and immoral : for if a mans religion teacheth vice , or directly patronizeth it , his vice is not the less punishable , because his religion prompted him to it . indeed if he keep his wicked opinion to himself , it cannot be punished , because it cannot be known ; but if he perswade others to it , or practise it himself ; it becomes matter of fact , and is as punishable as the crime is it perswades to : for the great rules of virtue and good life , are so clear and perspicuous , that a man cannot be ignorant of them , without being faulty : and therefore if a man imbrace a wicked opinion , and act or spread it , the matter of fact is justly punishable , according to the proportion of its malignity . and indeed if wicked actions were to be excused upon the score of conscience , or opinion , religion would be made a sanctuary for all the villanies in the world ; and there is no crime so monstrous , but would make a shift to shelter it self from punishment under the protection of conscience . secondly , and more particularly , that the proposition is not to be understood of such opinions , as either directly , or in their immediate consequents , undermine the foundations of government : for government being indispensably necessary to the well-being of the world , men ought to know that that can be no good religion which teacheth doctrines , whose consequents destroy it ; and therefore its just and reasonable it should be rooted out , as a dangerous post , and nuisance to the publick interest ; and the necessity of the thing , will justifie the lawfulness of it : for were princes bound to tolerate ungovernable principles , they must be kings no longer than they can get leave to reign , from the humour or conscience of each hot-brained opinionists ; and all their authority must be dependant upon the little capricio's of every peevish zealot ; the consequents of which must be the dissolution of government , and that an in-let to all disorder and confusion : and therefore those that under a pretence of religion propagate such principles , are justly accountable for all the consequent inconveniences , and punishable accordingly . thirdly , that the proposition is not be understood of our practice , but of our judgements and opinions : for every man hath a natural right , as he is a rationable creature , to judg for himself ; and to punish any one for so doing , is the greatest tyranny in the world ; it being an exercise of dominion over the minds of men , which are subject only to the empire of god ; but as for our practice , that 's liable to the restraints of humane laws ; and that as well in sacred , as in civil affairs ; they cannot indeed oblige us to do what god hath forbidden us , because his , being the supreme authority , ought to take place against all the countermands of any inferiour power whatsoever : but then there are a world of things which remain in a state of indifferency , and are left undetermined both by the natural , and positive laws of god : and these are all liable to the commands and determinations of humane authority , and are the proper matter of civil and ecclesiastical laws ; to the extent of whose jurisdiction , there can be no other restraint , than only the countermand of a superiour authority ; and therefore if there be nothing antecedently evil enjoyned by the laws , whether civil , or ecclesiastical , we are bound to obey them ; and if we do not , we are justly punishable for our disobedience . indeed if we believe the thing enjoyned to be evil , though it be not , we ought not to do it , in obedience to the supreme authority of god , which we believe hath forbidden it : but yet if we mistake , and the thing be not evil , but in its own nature indifferent , we are justly punishable for the not doing it , because our mistake alters not the nature of the thing ; if it be indifferent , it is a proper object of humane laws , whether we think it so or no , and as such may justly be imposed ; and the imposition being just , our not obeying it must needs be justly punishable . in this extremity therefore we have no other redress , but to seek information , and get our mistaken consciences better instructed ; and if when we have done all , we cannot alter our opinion , our meek and patient submission to the penalty , will be our excuse before the tribunal of god. fourthly , and lastly , that the proposition is not to be understood of our making a publick profession of our opinions , so as to disturb the peace of the church with them , so long as men are humble and modest in their dissent , and do not go about to advance their opinions into factions , and to divide and rend the church in the propagation of them , i see no reason why they should be punished , and persecuted for them ; but if men openly profess their dissent , to the prejudice of the publick peace and intrest , and doat so much upon their own conceits , as to phancy them necessary for all the rest of mankind , and consequently go about to vex their neighbours , provoke their rulers , and unsetttle the government for the propagation of them : if through an inconsiderate zeal for their own notions , they should be active and industrious to make a party against the church , and withdraw others from her communion , they are offenders to the publck peace , and as such are justly liable to punishment : for they ought to consider , that unless their opinion be of greater moment than the churches peace , it ought to vail , and give way to it , and that there are no opinions weighty enough to ballance the churches peace , whose contraries do not undermine christianity it self , and utterly defeat the ends of christian society : for everyman is obliged , by vertue of being in society , to do his utmost to preserve the honour and intrest of it , and to joyn in all acts of it , so far as they tend thereunto ; and dissent from every thing which tends to the apparent ruine of that society . now the main end of christian society , being the honour of god , and the salvation of souls : the primary reason of mens entring into churches , or christian societies , is to advance these ends , and to joyn in all acts of the society they are listed into , so far as they tend to the advancement of them ; but if any thing be required of us directly repugnant to these ends , we are bound to manifest and declare our dissent from them , and if for so doing we are 〈◊〉 cast out of the particular christian society ; by so doing , and suffering , we preserve our communion with the catholick society of christians ; but if i am never so much perswaded that such a practice or article of the church is an errour ; yet if it be not such an errour as doth defeat the great ends of christian society , i am bound either to keep my parswasion to my self , or at least not to disturb the peace of the church in my indeavours to propagate it to others ; because , next to the honour of god , and the salvation of souls , the churches peace is to be valued above all things whatsoever ; and therefore is not to be disturbed for the sake of every little errour , and trifling opinion : it is sufficient that we are allowed the liberty of opining , and are not deprived of our natural right of judging for our selves ; and we ought not to complain , though we should be restrained by laws and penalties , from making parties against the church , and propagating our little opinions into factions ; since if we will not restrain our selves , without such a restriction , it is impossible there should be any peace among christian societies ; every hot-brain'd opinionist will be making a party for himself ; and every differing opinion will grow into a sect ; and so there will be continual dividing and subdividing , till the christian world be crumbled into as many churches , as there are opinions ; and as many opinions as there are men : for whilst every one is zealously propagating his little opinion , no man will let his brother be quiet : this man will be ready to burst till he hath vented himself ; and the other will be as impatient till he hath contradicted what he hath said : and whilst both are thus zealous to proselite each other , neither will be content with a single conquest ; but the publick must be disturbed , and by the zeal of the contending parties , rent into infinite sects and divisions ; so that you see it is indispensibly necessary , that there should be some restraint , though not upon mens opinions , yet upon their publick profession of them , since without it , the church will be inevitably exposed to perpetual tumults and disturbances . having thus stated and bounded the proposition , you see the plain meaning of it is this , that it is contrary to the spirit of christ , and the genius of christianity , to destroy or persecute men for meer opinions , or errours in religion : that it is so , i shall indeavour to prove from these following instances . i. it is contrary to that tenderness and compassion which christianity requireth of us : for our religion enjoyns us to sympathize with the miserable ; and not to add afflictions to the afflicted ; and therefore fallibility being the natural imperfection , and unhappiness of humane understandings , the errours of them should rather be the subject of our pity , than our revenge : for 't is as much out of our power , not to err , as not to be sick or die : and we may as reasonably punish a man for not being immortal , as for not being infallible : for the seeds of fallibility are sown in the nature of our understandings , as well as those of mortality in the temper of our bodies : and we can no more avoid being mistaken in all instances than we can prevent the consumption of our radical moisture : all we can do is to endeavour not to err : to stand as fast as we can in the center of truth ; but if when we have done so , we should reel on either hand towards the circumference of errour ; we have done our duty , and were not bound not to be mistaken : for no obligation can reach a mans conscience , if it be impossible ; we cannot be bound to do more than our best ; to have the understanding of an angel , or to be infallible ; for these are things that are not within the sphere of our choice , and therefore are no matters of law , or subjects of rewards and punishments : 't is true , errour is many times occasioned by a corrupt byas in the will ; and mens understandings are frequently mis-led by their lusts ; and then indeed the errour hath a guilt derived to it from that evil principle to which it owes its original : but if we see men honest in their lives , we are bound to think them so in their errours too ; and if their errours be only innocent mistakes , what an inhumanity is it to persecute them for that which is their misery only , and not their sin ! who but a barbarian would cut a mans throat , for being poor , or blind , or lame ? and is it not altogether as barbarous , and cruel to destroy a man for that , which is the poverty , and blindness , and lameness of his understanding ? what is this , but to lay load upon load ; to trample upon the prostrate , and heap miseries on the miserable ? suppose that a different education , different books and company , have cast thy brothers understanding into a different figure from thine ; is it reasonable that therefore thou shouldest persecute and destroy him ? or rather is it not as unreasonable , as if thou shouldest cut off his head , because he hath a dimple upon his chin , or a mould on his cheeks , or some line in his face that renders him unlike thee ? suppose he hath the ill luck to believe some proposition , which to you and i seems wild , absurd and unreasonable , must we presently beat out his opinion with his brains , because the poor soul was so unfortunate as to be mis-led by education , and imposed upon by authority and custom , which we see do so often cheat the honestest minds ; and like a mighty whirlpool , having once sucked a man in , do keep his head under water , and make it almost impossible for him to emerge , or recover himself ? how can such a piece of cruelty , do ye think , consist with the tenderness and compassion which our religion enjoyns . ii. it is destructive of the union and harmony among christians , which the christian religion requires : for certainly the design of christianity is not to reconcile mens notions , or to beget in the world an universal harmony in systems of orthodox opinions ; which considering the frame of humane nature , the infinite variety of mens ages and complexions , and the different sizes of our understandings , would be , i doubt , as vain a project , as to attempt to build a castle in the aire nor indeed is it necessary that men should be all of one opinion , any more than that all should be of one humour and temper : for as in these , divine providence hath made a great diversity , in which there is both beauty , and convenience : so perhaps for the same reason it hath contrived variety of opinions , in which if there were an universal harmony , mankind would be at a loss for subjects of discourse , and so be deprived of a great part of the pleasures of conversation . the union therefore which our religion doth so studiously design , and zealously promote , is that of hearts and affections , and this , i doubt not , might well enough consist with different opinions , were they but managed with that humility , modesty , and charity which becomes christians : were we but so modest , as to propose our opinions calmly , or to keep them to our selves ; so humble as not to over-value our own notions , and fancy them necessary for all the rest of mankind ; so charitable , as to alow our brethren a liberty of opining , and not to damn and persecute them , because their brains are of a different figure from ours ; i cannot imagin why difference in opinions should more disturb the church , than difference in faces ; for such a demeanour one towards another would infallibly keep our charity alive , which when all is done , is the strongest ligament of christian society , and the surest band of the communion of saints ; for this will twine and clasp our souls together , and tye us one to another by the heart strings : but the destroying mens lives upon the score of their opinions , is the most effectual way in the world to supplant charity . for how is it possible , considering the passions of humane nature , that the persecuted party should love their persecutors , whom they see armed with fire and faggot to destroy them ? and when once they hate them ( as they will soon do when they 〈◊〉 them ) their passion will immediately provoke their reason to damn and censure them , which is the only means that persecuted people have a stay to the stomach of their hungry vengeance , till they have power , and opportunity to glut it in the blood of their persecutors : and if in the revolution of things , the persecuted should get above their persecutors , what can be expected , but that to preserve themselves , they will destroy them from whom they can expect nothing but destruction , should another revolution mount them uppermost again ; and so christendom will be made a cock-pit of cruelties , and as often as mens understandings are deceived , and abused ; so often there will be new executions and massacres , which must therefore needs be the more cruel and unmerciful , because they are so consecrated with a pretence of religion : for when religion , which should be the antidote of our cruelty , proves its greatest incentive , it must needs run on the faster into mischief , by how much that which stopped its course before , drives it on with the greater violence ; so that by persecuting men upon the score of opinion , we do what in us lies , to banish charity out of the world ; and in the room of that love and union , which our religion injoyns , to introduce nothing but rage , revenge , and cruelty ; and to make christendom more barbarous th●● america . iii. it 's contrary to that method which christianity prescribes us for the convincing deceived , and eronious persons 〈◊〉 for the only remedy our holy religion prescribes 〈◊〉 the cure of errour , is charity , and forbearance piety and reason ; for the sense and spirit of 〈◊〉 is described in these excellent words of st. paul , 2 tim. 2. 24. the servants of the lord must not strive , but be gentle unto all men ; in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves ; if god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging the truth . so that unless we can torture men without striving with them , and meekly instruct them by cutting their throats , its evident by this text , we must either not persecute men , or quit the title of being the servants of god. so also the same apostle in gal. 6. 1. brethren , if any man be overtaken with an errour , ye that are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness . and sure there is some difference between destroying , and restoring a man ; between the halter , and the spirit of meekness . 't is true indeed , the procedure of the gospel was more severe and rigorous against wicked and obstinate hereticks ; but then it was not for their opinions barely : but for the wickedness of their opinions , and obstinate perseverance in them , to the disturbance of the churches peace ; both which i have shewed you are excepted cases : but yet as the gospel was a great deal tenderer of making hereticks , than the church of rome is ; so was it also a great deal gentler in punishing them ; for its utmost severity against them was excommunication , which at the worst did not destroy mens souls ; but only consigned them to that sad portion they had deserved , and should have received independantly from the churches censure ; but the primary design of it was to scare them into a lober mind ; which if it obtained , it proceeded no further 〈◊〉 that in its own nature it was medicinal ; and though it was a distastful and uneasie potion , by reason it gave the devil possession of their bodies , to torture and afflict them ; yet in it self 't was holesome , and restorative , and did no man hurt , unless he would himself ; but if he would be obstinate in his wickedness , notwithstanding he felt the woful effects of it , he might thank himself for all that followed , it being his own obstinacy that actuated the judgement , and gave a sting to it . but to destroy a mans life is as strange a way to cure him of his errors , as cutting off his head is to cure him of the toothach ; for the only way to reduce him , is to perswade his understanding , which we shall hardly do by beating out his brains ; 't is true indeed , corporal punishments may make a man dissemble his opinion , and profess contrary to his conscience and judgement ; but they have no more vertue in them to inform his conscience , or rectifie his judgement than syllogisms , or demonstrations have , to cure him of the stone or strangury , and therefore what ever he may pretend , he cannot think his opinion truer or falser , because you threaten to wrack and torture him for it , for such premisses can infer , no conclusion but only that of his life , so whilst you attempt by such rough arguments to force him into your opinion ; you may perhaps vanquish his courage , but you will never alter his judgement ; and if you make him a hypocrite , and terrifie him into a profession of what he doth not believe ; instead of erecting a trophe to god , you shall but build a monument for the devil : and as persecution is a bad remedy for errors , so 't is a worse antidote against it ; for if you consult ecclesiastical history you will find , that fire and faggot hath made more hereticks , than it ever destroyed , witness the priscillianists , who as sulpitius tells us , were so far from being suppressed by the death of priscillian , that they were more confirmed by it , and grew much more numerous ; and it is the complaint of one of the italian inquisitors , that he had found after 40 years experience , wherein they had destroyed above 100000 hereticks ; they were so far from being suppressed or weakened , that they were much more strengthened and encreased . for there is a popular pitty that follows all persons in misery , which breeds likeness of affection , and that very often likeness in opinion ; and so much the rather , because he that persecutes another for his opinion , gives the multitude reason to suspect , that that is the best argument he can urge against it : whereas on the contrary , he that dies for his opinion , and seals it with his blood , confirms it with the most popular argument in the world ; for although [ as one says ] laying a wager be an argument of confidence , rather then of truth ; yet when a man stakes his life and soul , it argues at least , that he is resigned , and honest , and charitable , and noble ; and this among weak people will more advance his opinion then reason , and demonstration : so by persecuting of error , we do what in us lyes to canonize it ; and by crowning of it wth the glory of martyrdom ; we take an effectual course to encrease the number of its voterys . iv. and lastly , it is contrary to that care , and tender regard of truth , which christianity injoyns us ; for in many instances there is so near a resemblance between truth and error , that our purblind reason can hardly distinguish between them ; and therefore if error were left to the persecutions of such fallible creatures as we , truth would be exposed to inevitable danger ; for if you set a blind man to weed your garden ; you must expect that sometimes he will pull up flowers instead of weeds : and if we that are so prone to err , should be authorized to root up error , 't would be impossible but we should sometimes mistake , and root up truth instead of error ; and therefore our saviour considering this , hath reserved that power in his own hands , as you may see at large in matth. 13. 24. &c. another parable put he forth unto them , saying , the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that soweth good seed in his field , and while men slept , his enemy came and sowed tares among his wheat , and went away : upon which this mans servants ask him , in the 28 verse , if they should go and gather up the tares ; to which he answers him , nay , lest while ye gather up the tares , ye root up also the wheat with them : let both grow together until the harvest . by the field here , all men agree , we are to understand the church , and by the seed sown in it , that of the pure and sound doctrines of religion ; so that all the difficulty of the parable , lyes in understanding what is meant by the tares , and what by the not gathering the tares : by the the tares , must be meant either persons of wicked lives , or of false and evil opinions ; and by the not gathering these tares , must be understood , either the not cutting them off by the temporal sword , or the not excommunicating , and cutting them off by the spiritual sword ; but by the tares , cannot be meant persons of wicked lives , for then the text would forbid the punishment of evil doers ; by not gathering the tares , cannot be meant the not cutting them off by the spiritual sword , for then the text would forbid the church to excommunicate either wicked livers , or obstinate hereticks : and therefore of necessity by the tares , must be meant persons of evil opinions ; and by the not gathering them , the not destroying them by the temporal sword , and this interpretation is very much favoured , by the reason that is given of the prohibition , least ye also root up the wheat with them ; as if he should have said , as for external wickednesses , i freely leave them to the lash of humane judicatures ; the rectitude or obliquity of them being far more discernable , then of inward speculations , and opinions ; but i will by no means trust you with the punishment of errors ; least through interest , passion , or mistake , you should exterminate the truth with it , for you being so fallible , and apt to err , it is impossible but sometimes you must miss the mark ; mistake the wheat for tares , and hit the truth , though you aime at error . having thus shewed you how contrary it is to the spirit , and genius of christianity , to destroy mens lives , upon the score of mere opinion , or religion ; i shall now conclude what i have said , with one inference from the whole . use , from hence i infer , the antichristian tyranny of the church of rome , who hath fleshed her self with so many slaughters , and dyed her garments so deep in the blood of christians , upon no other score , but only their differing from her , in some ( at least ) disputable , and harmless opinions ; because upon her bare word they could not believe propositions , which to them seemed contrary to sense , and reason , and scripture and their faith had not stomach enough , to digest the most fulsome absurdities and swallow the grossest contradictions : blessed jesu ! that ever a church pretending to be thy spouse , should be so forgetful of thy mercies , as to spill the blood of so many thousands of christians , upon no other account , but because they could not believe her absolution such a philosophers stone , as to turn attrition into effectual repentance ; and a few words of a priest , such a powerful charm , as to conjure a man to heaven in an instant : and because thou hast made holiness the sole condition of eternal life , durst not depend upon confraternities , stations , and priviledge-altars , dei's , little offices , amulets , and such like hallowed baubles , because they could not worship images , and pray to god , and saints in the same form of words , and durst not run from scripture , to uncertain traditions , and from ancient traditions , unto new pretences ; from reasonable services , into blind devotions ; from believing the necessity of inward acts of piety , and devotion , into a dangerous temptation of resting upon the opus operatum , the meer numbring of so many beads , and saying of so many prayers ! that ever christians should be destroyed by christians , for not believing all those monstrous absurdities , which transubstantiation implies , that christs body may be in a thousand places at the same time ; that it may stay in a place while it is going from it , be both in , and out of the same place , in the same moment ; that it may come from heaven to earth , and yet never stir out of heaven , nor be any where in the way between ; that his whole body is in each crumb of each consecrated wafer , and that without being lessened , all its parts are crouded up into one single attom , and lye all within the compass of a pin's head , though it be 4 foot long ; that though it be whole and entire in every crumb , and there be 10000 of these crumbs in 10000 distant places ; yet doth it not multiply into 10000 bodies , but still remains one and the same : now what greater tyranny can there be , than to destroy and massacre men for not believing such a mass of palpable contradictions ? and yet for these , and such like causes it is that rome hath so often washed her barbarous hands in protestant blood ; imbroiled the christian world , and by the terrour of her awful thunder-bolts , scared subjects into rebellion against their lawful soveraigns , and soveraigns into persecution of their natural subjects : of the truth of which i could give you a thousand forein instances ; but in complyance with the time and occasion , i shall rather chuse to confine my self at home : to destroy mens lives upon the score of religion , was a practice never known in england , till the time of henry the 4th ; who being an usurper , and so liable to many enemies , both forein and domestick ; sought to endear the pope to him , who was then moderator of christendom , by sending him , as a token of his love and duty , the blood of his enemies : and for many years after this was the yearly sacrifice our english monarks were fain to offer up to the roman idol ; and whensoever through their own weakness , they either feared , or were forced to flatter him ; they had no other way to appease the angry demon , but by causing their children to pass through the fire to him , and glutting his thirsty vengeance with their blood : but when afterwards our english monarchs threw off the roman yoak , and would no longer be the popes leeches ; he immediately issueth out his bulls , and excommunications to alarum their subjects into a rebellion against them : for immediately upon queen elizabeth's coming to the throne , pope paul the 4th . refuseth to acknowledge her , pretending this crown to be a fee of the papacy , and that therefore it was audaciously done of her , to assume it without his leave ; and because she would not turn out immediately , when her great landlord had given her such fair warning , pope pius the 5th . takes out a writ of ejectment , issueth out his bull , and deposeth her ; in which he thus expresserh himself , volumus , & jubemus ut adversus elizabetham angliae reginam subditi arma capessant ; it is our will and command that the subjects of england take up arms against their queen : upon which followed the northern rebellion , and sundry private attempts of the papists , to murder her : afterwards pope gregory the 15th . having two bastards to provide for , one of his own , and another of the emperours , he bestowed the kingdom of england upon the one , and that of ireland upon the other ; but neither of these prevailing , sixtus the 5th . curses her afresh , and publishes a crusade against her ; and bequeaths the whole right of her dominions to philip the 2d . king of spain ; but when neither the popes bounty , nor the blessings of his successors , nor the spanish arms , nor italian arts , could prevail against god's providence , which till the end of her daies pitched its tents about her . pope clement the 8th . seeing there was no other remedy , resolved to let her go like a heretick as she was , and to take more care that another heretick might not succeed her ; for which end he sent over two breves into england ; one to the clergy , and another to the laity ; commanding them not to suffer any but a catholick , though never so near in blood to succeed her ; the design of which was to exclude king james , who was the sole heir apparent to the crown ; upon which the papists indeavoured to their utmost , to prevent his coming in , and afterwards to throw him out again ; and when neither took effect , at last they resolve to send him to heaven with a vengeance , by a blow of gun-powder ; which was a villany so black and odious , that the romanists themselves do blush to own it : and indeed , were it not so apparent from the confessions of the traitors themselves ; who acknowledged the jesuits to be their conspirators , that egged them on by their pernicious counsels ; swore them to secresie by the holy trinity , and gave them the sacrament upon it , that they should neither withdraw themseves from , nor discover it to others without common consent : i say , were it not for these , and a thousand other notorious circumstances , one would have thought it impossible such a hellish design could ever have been acted under the wing and patronage of the best religion that ever was : but he that shall consider the bloody principles with which the roman church hath sophisticated christianity , must needs confess that there is no wickedness so horrid , of which her religion will not make her capable ; for 't is decreed by the lateran council , that in case any prince be a favourer of hereticks , the pope shall discharge his subjects from their allegiance , and give away his kingdom to some catholick , who upon rooting out those hereticks , shall possess it without contradiction : and 't is the general doctrine of her most celebrated divines , that the pope hath power to depose kings at his pleasure ; and this father parsons determines to be a point of faith , to believe it is in the popes power to depose heretical princes ; and that subjects are upon their being declared heretical , thereby absolved from all duty of obedience to him ; and this bellarmin proves at large , by giving us sundry examples of popes , who have deposed kings and emperours ; as of gregory the second , who deprived the emperour leo of a great part of his dominions , because he opopposed the worship of images ; of pope zacherie who deposed childerick of france ; of gregory the 7th who deposed henry the 4th emperor of germany ; of innocent the 3d , who deposed the emperor otho the 4th ; of innocent the 4th , who deposed frederick the 2d , and clement the 6th , who also deposed lewis the 6th , a●d so at last gravely concludes ; that because they had done so , they might do so still ; as if wickedness were sanctifyed by wicked examples . so also gregory de valentia affirms , that an heretical prince may by the popes sentence be deprived of his life , estate , and soveraignty . but beyond all these are those traiterous positions of mariana the spanish jesuite ; who affirms , that it is not only lawful to kill a king upon the popes s●ntance ; but also upon the verdict of a few learned doctors : and discoursing pro and con of the most convenient way of doing it , at last determines prisoning to be the most orthodox and catholick . and if we look into the histories of these last 600 years , we shall find their practice hath made a bloody comment on their doctrines ; for in those days when excommunications from rome were so terrible , and all things shrunk at the flash of those thunders ; it was the ordinary recreation of those insolent prelates , to play at foot-ball with the crowns of princes , and trample on the necks of emperors : as the fredericks , the henries , the lodovici , bavari , found by woful experience , who were abandoned of their subjects , their kindred , their allies , their own children ; were troden under foot , deposed from their empires , defamed as hereticks , and chased like raskals . these goodly mirrours one would think were sufficient to warn all christian princes to shake off the yoak that for so many ages hath galed the necks of their ancestors . but if after so m●ny woful examples , there should remain any doubt of the tyrannick cruelties of rome , let us remember that pair of royal sacrifices the two last henry's of france , both barbarously murdered by the popes executioners : the first by the hand of a fryar , whose villany was commended by pope sixtus the 5th in an oration to his cardinals ; wherein he compares the fact with the incarnation and resurrection of christ : and the fryars virtue and courage , and servent love to god , to that of judith , and eliazar , in the maccabees . blessed god! what wickedness will these men stick at the head of whose religion cannonizeth regicide , and christians murder a meritorious virtue ? and why should the papists be ashamed to own the powder treason , [ which though it may compare with the blackest inte●●gues of hell , and was foul enough to bring the devil himself into disgrace ] yet was warranted by the principles of their bloody religion ? but 't is an old maxim of the roman politicks , never to own an unsuccessful villany ; and without doubt had not the parisian massacre taken effect , in which 30000 protestants were slaughtered in one night , the papists would have as loudly disclaimed that , as now they do the powder treason : but it being successful , the news of it at rome , as their own thuanus tells us , was welcomed with publick festivals , bonfires , and tryumphs ; the pope himself congratulating the inhumane cruelty of the french king , commending the faith of those bloudy wretches , whose hands were imbrewed in the slaughter , and distributing his paternal blessings among them : and without all controversie had faux and catesby been but as successful as they , their faith had been as much praised , and their persons as much blessed ; and the fifth of november had been as high a festival in the roman calender , as it is now in the english. thus if you trace the romish religion in all her late progresses , you will find that her way hath lead all along through a wilderness of confusion , and a red sea of blood : and though now she exerciseth less cruelties in the world , than formerly ; yet her will is the same , her principles the same , her documents of cutting throats the same , though blessed be god her power and interest is abated : for now a days , princes are grown too stout to kiss his holiness's toe , to hold his stirrup , and run like lacquies at his heels : those golden days are gone , and he that was wont to command , is fain to intreat his own children ; and as an ingenious author hath observed , whilst princes can stand upon their own legs , they may goe their own pace , as fast and as slow as they please ; but should any misfortune throw them upon all four , we shall soon see his holiness get up and ride them what pace he pleases : and being bestrid by such a furious jehu , to be sure they will want neither whip nor spur to make them as swift to shed blood as ever . for thus at present , the french king may allow his hugonots what liberty he pleases , and his holiness is fain to sit still , and be silent ; being kept in aw by that puissant monarch , whose cannon bullets , are grown too strong for his thunder-bolts : but the case was otherwise with charles the 9th , who being weakened by faction , and impoverished by civil broils , was in a manner necessitated to that infamous butchery at paris , to appease the pope , and prevent the excommunication he threatned him , unless he speedily destroyed the hugonots with fire and sword : and indeed the pope is bound both by their councels , and canons to destroy hereticks , if he can ; and which is all one , to excommunicate their favourers : for this is decreed in the 4th lateran councel , that all hereticks should be excommunicated , and then delivered up to the lash of the secular powers : but if the prince , or secular power being required , and admonished by the church , do not endeavour to their utmost , to exterminate , and destroy these hereticks , he shall be presently excommunicated by the metropolitan or arch-bishop ; and if within a year he doth not amend , his obstinacy shall be signifyed to the pope , vt ex tunc ipse vasallos ab ejus fidelitate denuntiet absolutos , &c. that from that time the pope may denounce his subjects absolved from their allegiance to him : and gregory the 13th , in that famous bull of his , intituled literae processus lectae die coenae domini , excommunicates , all hussites wiclivites , zuinglians , calvinists , hugonots , and other hereticks , together with their concealers , and favourers , and in general all those which desend them ; so that according to this bull , a child cannot conceal his parents , nor a prince rescue his subjecte from the popes blood-hounds , under the penalty of excommunication . and pope julius the 3d in another bull , hath determin'd , that if any man examin the doctrines of the pope , by the rule of gods word , and seeing it is different , chance to contradict it , he shall be rooted out with fire and sword. was not this a precious vicar , do you think , thus to doom men to slaughter , for not believing his own unreasonable dictates , before the infallible oracles of god himself ? and yet these bulls of the popes , with the rest of their decretals , extravagants and clementines , are all inserted in the body of the canon law of the church of rome , aud so are made as good and current popery as ever was coyned in the councel of trent : and now , after all this , me thinks 't is impossible we should be so besorted , as to trust to the cruel courtesies of rome , whose religion breaths nothing but blood and slaughter . the cry indeed of the roman factors among us , is nothing but toleration , and liberty of conscience ; and since the laws have proscribed them for their treasonous practices , and for swearing themselves vassals to the pope , whose countermands ( if they are faithful to their own principles ) must evacuate all their obligations to their natural prince ; what tragical exclamations do they make against persecution ? as if they meant to have the monopoly of it , that no body might persecute but themselves ; and though in the popish dominions , they are as fell and rabbid as so many lybean tygers , yet no sooner do they set foot upon the english shores , but as if there were an inchantment in the soil , the wolves turn sheep immediately , or at least disguise themselves in sheeps cloathing : but if ever these sweet and merciful gentlemen get into the saddle again , we shall soon find them in another note , and persecution will be zeal again , and racks and gibbets catholick arguments , and there will be no way to illuminate the understandings of us hereticks , like the light of a flaming fagget : for how can we expect it should be otherwise , when we reflect upon what is past , when the marian days are yet within our prospect ? and 't is not half an age ago since ireland swam in protestant blood , which was spilt by the instigation of some of these fawning hypocrites , who now declaim forsooth for liberty of conscience , and defie persecution and all its works : but this pretence , its evident , is only a coppy of their countenances , and without all controversie the bottom of their design is only to perswade us to let them grow till they are strong enough to cut our throats ; for 't is the subtilty of these harpys never to show their talons till they have their prey within their reach : but if what they pretend were real , why do they not allow what they plead for , and indulg that liberty to dissenters abroad , which here they crave for themselves ? why do they not as much exclaim against the spanish inquision , which hath been confirmed by so many bulls of their own popes , as they do against the english laws , and condemn the barbarous cruelties of the one , as well as the milder severities of the other ! for till they do so , we have reason to believe that 't is not against persecution they exclaim , but against being persecuted . but in the mean time , how can we expect that they should be merciful to our bodies , whose religion damns our souls ? or that if ever they get uppermost , [ which god prevent : ] they that are so uncharitable now , as to shut us out of heaven ; should be so charitable then , as not to drive us out of the world ! for this is a maxim founded upon the experience of all ages , that that religion which damns us when it is weak , will burn us when it is able . wherefore , since god in his mercy hath delivered us from the romish tyranny ; let us with thankful hearts extoll and praise his goodness , and take heed for the future , least by our divisions , or apostacies we return again unto that yoak of bondage ; and since the emissaries of rome are now so busily pursuing their old maxim , divide , & impera , and blowing the coals of our divisions , in hope at last to warm their hands at our flames ; o that we would now study the ways of peace , and reconciliation ! and not like the miserable jews , fall out among our selves , while the roman is at our gates ; for all the time we are contending in the ship , our enemy is boring a hole in the bottom ; and while we are fomenting our unhappy differences , and tearing our own wounds wider , the priest and jesuit are at work in our doublets ; who ever since their gunpowder-treason was defeated , have been strewing trains of wild-fire among our selves , to make us our own executioners , and blow us up by our own hands : for what else hath been their business among us , but only to raise sects and factions , and sow discords , and divisions in the church of england , which they know is the only bulwork of the protestant religion among us . o would to god we would once heartily attempt to countermine them ! as we might yet easily do . would we but once lay aside our unchristian passions , and prejudices , and study mutual compliances , and prefer religion before a faction , and abate some little punctilioes to the soberer , and more governable dissenters : these things if they might obtain amongst us , would yet undoubtedly secure us against all the attempts of our adversaries , and render their most hopeful design ; desperate , and unseasable : but if we will be deaf to all the arguments which our common interests , and dangers suggest to us ; if we will still squander into sects and parties , and nothing will serve our turns but the ruine of that poor church which for so many years hath been the shelter , and sanctuary of the protestant religion : the time may come perhaps , when we may dearly repent of our own follies , and remember , with tears in our eyes , that we had once an opportunity to be happy . let me therefore beseech you , even by all that love you bear to the protestant religion , to your own safety , and to the lives , and souls of your posterity ; to lay aside all faction , bitterness , and animosity ; lest by your unchristian divisions , you open the flood-gates of popery on your selves , and out a gap to let in the stygian lake of ignorance , idolatry , superstition , and blood : which god of his infinite mercy avert . to whom be honor , and glory , and power , and dominion , for ever . finis . ☞ there is lately printed , a sermon , preached before the honorable the military company at st. clements danes july . 25. 1673. by the same author : and are to be sold by t. tayler at the hand and bible on london bridge . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a58811-e520 sulp. sev. hist. lib. p. 152. antinin . pars 3. tit. 19. cap. 1. ger. busdrag . epist. ad c●rdid . pisar. ●hil●p 1 edict . elizab p. 149. de rom , pont. lib. ●5 . c. 8● . t●m . 3. in thom , dil . 1. q. 1● . p. ● . de reg. inst. l. 1. c. 6. orat. sixt. 5th . prited at paris 1589. thuan. hist. lib. 53. conc. lat. 4. c. 3. collect. divers . constit pars 3. p. 72. de vita ignati . l. 3. c 21. p. 335. a letter from a gentleman in the city to a gentleman in the country, about the odiousness of persecution wherein the rise and end of the penal laws for religion in this kingdom, are consider'd : occasioned by the late rigorous proceedings against sober dissenters, by certain angry justices in the country. a. n. 1687 approx. 76 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 17 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a52706) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 97642) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 744:27 or 796:18) a letter from a gentleman in the city to a gentleman in the country, about the odiousness of persecution wherein the rise and end of the penal laws for religion in this kingdom, are consider'd : occasioned by the late rigorous proceedings against sober dissenters, by certain angry justices in the country. a. n. penn, william, 1644-1718. 32 p. s.n.], [london? : 1687. attributed to william penn. cf. smith, j. friends' books. signed: a.n. this item is identified as wing l1388a (entry cancelled in wing 2nd ed.) at reel 744:27 and as wing n3 at reel 796:18. reproduction of originals in huntington library and in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng persecution -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-10 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a letter from a gentleman in the city to a gentleman in the country , about the odiousness of persecution . wherein the rise and end of the penal laws for religion in this kingdom , are consider'd . occasioned by the late rigorous proceedings against sober dissenters , by certain angry justices in the country . it is the part of the christian-religion to suffer , and not to make people suffer for religion , tertul. apol. printed in the year , 1687. the letter . sir , the news of a persecution meerly for a matter of religion , at this time a day , when the whole nation appears professedly to dislike it ; and the giving countenance to informers ( who are the pest of every nation , and the common enemies of property ) to the prejudice of peaceable and trading people , makes your friends , who have had notice of your late troubles , suspect that there is something in your case more than ordinary . had this fallen out in some remote country , where no informer had ever yet appeared , we might have conceived , that through ignorance that sort of devil might have been mistaken for an angel of light ; and that upon his bare averrment , some well-meaning persons , even against their own experience , might have been induced to mistake their peaceable neighbours for dangerous incendiaries , and unworthy to enjoy their own proper goods . but to see that sort of creature concerned a country so near london and westminster , as not to be capable of knowing what informers are , how detestable their trade , how inconsiderable their power , how generally indigent and dissolute , how mean their skill , how little they know more than to subborn witnesses to commit perjuries , which are discovered to their confusion , is that which raised wonder in some of your friends , to so great an height , that they generally request from your own hand the true state of your case in all its circumstances , to the end they may know , whether there be any thing which can differ it from the common cases of persecution meerly for religion ; from which the generality of the country-gentlemen of england ( and particularly those of the country where you live ) do commonly profess to have as great an abhorrency , as they have from depopulating of countries , which is the effect that such persecutions must of necessity produce . in the mean time , do not i pray take me to be one , who think it strange to hear of troubles ; what hath been formerly , may happen again without astonishment ; and you are too well known to be thought to be surprized or afraid . well did that person consider the creature man , who distinguished him into two parts , viz. the man , and the beast : but it were happy for mankind , if the beast were less imperious and cruel : in truth , it is rare to find where the man is allowed to have any power in acting ; every thing seems too much to be governed by the beast , and by the tyranny of its inordinate passions and senses . and yet where shall one find a single person in the world , who calls himself a christian , or that party of men who desire to be esteemed christians , but he and they will readily grant that principle , mat. 7. 12. all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you , do even so to them ; for this is the law and the prophets ? and that other principle , rom. 3. 8. let us not do evil that good may come , to be gospel-principles , and obliging to all mankind ? there is not a politician or states-man , nor a government any where , that owns christianity to be the true religion , but confesseth , that in the council of the jews , which was assembled in order to the persecuting of the apostles for matters of meer religion , gamaliel advised prudently , and according to the principles of true religion , acts 5. let them alone , for if this counsel or this work be of men , it will come to nought ; but if it be of god , we cannot overthrow it , least happily we be found even to fight against god. they will all confess readily , when pressed with these charitable and peaceable principles ; that the spirit of persecuting for meer religion , is a spirit of injustice , as not doing to others as our selves would be done unto ; and a spirit of diffidence and incredulity , refusing to trust god , and his providence , with the defence and justification of what is professed to be of god : and yet it is hard to find that single person , and much more to name , tha● community or government amongst christians , now in being , whose practice , when they have opportunity and power , are not contrary to their principles . and not only so , but they will take upon them to justifie such practices to be consistent with , nay , even duties , unto which they are obliged by that pure religion , which they take upon them to profess to the whole world. but to the end i may not be esteemed presumptuous , or uncharitable in what i here assert , and in regard it is impossible to produce evident proofs for what i say , as touching single persons ; let us a little examine the matter , as to parties and governments , taking this for granted , that every particular party calls it self a true church , or the true church of christ . if what is here urged of differing churches shall be proved true , the presumption will stand very strong as to single persons ; there being no single person , who would be esteemed a christian , but he is in communion or fellowship with some church , which he owns to be the true church of christ , and by whose judgment he is willing to be concluded , as being a professed member of it ; and as taking it for his principle , that every member of the true church of christ ought to be of her judgment , because the scripture says , she is the pillar and ground of truth : and though some boggle at this , yet nothing is truer than that every christian society daily practiseth it . now , the better to prepare the way for this intended tryal , we will crave the liberty first , to consider christianity in the world in general , in its first ages , when it was under persecution for meer matter of religion , and before it gained any civil power and dominion ; from them we shall know what the true christianity did teach : we will then consider christianity in england , when divided only into two distinct parties , viz. the protestants , and the papists : and in the last place , we will consider christianity in england , when the protestants were sub-divided into several parties , viz. the episcopal , or church of england protestants , the presbyterians , the independants , the anabaptists , and the quakers : and when the papists were become so small , that they were upon the matter inconsiderable ; and i suppose , from these differing times , we may hope for a reasonable information . first then , suppose the question put to the christians of the first and primitive times , in those first and greatest persecutions , under which christianity then suffered . is it lawful to persecute , and to make and execute laws for the inflicting of pains and penalties upon quiet and peaceable people , for matters meerly of religion ; and in particular , for meeting together meerly for matter of religion ? doubtless , their answer would have been given with one general voice : that it was not lawful ; and that it was against the rule of christ , and the law of nature , quod tibi non vis fieri , alteri non feceris , do not unto another , what thou wouldst not have done unto thy self : and that true it is , the jews , who persecuted the lord of life , and put him to death for matter of meer religion , did alledge for their justification , that they had a law , and that by their law he ought to dye : but that that law , and all laws of that nature , were against the law of god : and that the christians had no such custom , nor the churches of christ , is i think , a most undeniable thing . these ages ( by the agreement of all ) were esteemed the purest ages of christianity ; religion being then most pure , when the professors of it were most poor . and if any one shall conceive , that the christians of those ages would have given any other answer , contrary to what i have here framed for them , and shall give a convincing reason for such his apprehension , i shall confess my mistake . in the mean time i must say , that i cannot see what other answer they could have given but what must have justified the persecutions against themselves to have been innocent , on the part of the persecutors , who believed those first christians to err in religion , and to be disturbers of the peace , and government of their countries , and their meetings to be unlawful assemblies : and much more innocent on the part of the inferiour magistrates , who took care to put those laws in execution ; they being as much obliged in all civil respects , to put in execution the laws of their superiours , as our inferiour magistrates are obliged to the execution of our laws ; and they gave the same reasons . and the same is to be said in the case of the persecution of our lord christ , as seems very clear from that prayer , which he offered for his persecutors : father , forgive them , they know not what they do ; here then is a principle of christianity undivided . in the next place , we are to consider christianity in england , when divided only into two distinct parties , viz. protestants and papists , and when the protestants had made a sub division amongst themselves here . this i take to be in the times of k. hen. 8. k. edw. 6. q. mary , and part of the reign of q. elizabeth ; for though there were diversities of opinions amongst protestants , as well here as in other countries , even in the first beginnings ; yet they were not divided into parties , being every-where upon the defensive . in the time of k. hen. 8. which i intend to instance in , both parties were persecuted . the case stands thus : that king at his coming to the crown , found the whole nation in a quiet possession of popery , and holding it as an article of their faith , and the principle whereon they believed the unity of their faith depended , that , the pope was the supream pastor , and visible head of government next under christ , of the catholick church of christ , of which the then national-church of england was a member : the king had defended this article by writing so vigorously against m. luther , that the pope had for that very work conferred upon him the title of defender of the faith , to be enjoyed and used by him , and his successors for ever . after this , by act of parliament , this supream pastor , this visible head was thrown off , and this king put in his place , so far as concerned the church of england , by the title of supream head of the church of england , annexed to the crown ; and this by a law , 26 hen. 8. c. 1. and then by another law , 26 hen. 8. c. 13. it was enacted , that if any by word or writing , should attempt to deprive the king of the title of his royal estate , he should be adjudged a traytor : this change of the headship of the church , was , and is truly ( at least in england ) a protestant doctrine ; and undoubtedly there is no protestant whatsoever , but approves the casting off the popes headship , as conformable with the doctrine of protestants . and upon the latter of these two laws , divers suffered death for their denying the kings supremacy . this was the first step made in england , from popery towards protestancy . and the vigorous execution of this latter law , encouraged several protestants from forreign parts to come into england , not doubting but to have a liberty to exercise their religion here ; and it gave confidence to many of the subjects of england to receive and to others , to entertain good thoughts of protestancy ; being perswaded , that after the shedding of so much blood , as had been shed here upon that occasion , england would never any more admit of the article of the popes supremacy ; and consequently , would every day make greater steps from that church , of which the pope was owned to be the supream pastor . and certain it is , that protestancy upon this occasion also made its entrance into england , and gained ground here , and such ( if not by open application to the king for that purpose , yet ) at least in their hearts desired a toleration , and to be admitted to preach , and exercise their religion here , without being persecuted for their so doing ; so that their principle was at that time ( at least ) against persecution for meer religion . but protestancy being now taken notice of to grow , another law was made , 31 hen. 8. for setling unity of opinion in the six articles therein named , by which the denyal of transubstantiation , and several other doctrines therein named , are enacted to be punished with death . and now persecution in england , for matters of meer religion , grew sharp and high ▪ so that it is observed by our historians , that upon one and the same day , some who were professed papists , were put to death for denying the kings supremacy which was a protestant article : and some who were professed protestants , were put to death for denying transubstantiation , which was an article of the papists : so that at this time , the government could neither be said to be popish , nor protestant , but both parties were persecuted most severely for matters of meer religion : and he who should then have said to either party , in justification of the proceedings of the magistrate in the execution of either of those laws , that that party did not then suffer for any matter of meer religion , but for breaking of the peace , in breaking of the king's laws , would certainly have been taken not to have understood those laws , or the cause of their then suffering . and now , suppose each of these parties separately interrogated , when thus under persecution ( for afflictio dat intellectum , ) is it lawful to persecute , and to make and execute laws , for the inflicting of pains and penalties upon quiet and peaceable people , for matters of meer religion ? ( for it seemed a time to teach both parties an eternal temperance and moderation ) most certainly each party in their then present circumstances , would have answered in the negative , that it was not lawful : they would not have fallen into the debate to consider what religion their persecutors were of , whether of the popish or protestant , to the end , to have fixt the cruelty and injustice of persecuting for a matter of meer religion , upon that party , as a principle of their religion , which their fancies should have perswaded them to have been the religion of their persecutors . the papists would not have then stood formalizing that , because the first persecution was occasioned upon the denyal of the king's headship over the church of england , which was a protestant doctrine , in opposition to the pope's headship , which was the popish doctrine ; therefore the protestants were the aggressors in the persecution ; and therefore the principle of persecution was a protestant principle ; and the persecution of the protestants afterwards , was no other than a just judgment of god drawn upon the protestants by themselves , as a consequence of that principle of persecution , which gave them the first occasion of introducing their religion nationally into england . nor would the protestants , by way of recrimination , have charged the papists then , that because that king and the then government were of the popish religion in every point , save only in the article touching the supremacy ; therefore the principle of persecution must necessarily be a popish principle : no , they would most certainly , each party , have disclaimed the principle , as unwarranted by the principles of true christianity , which each of them claimed to be theirs , and each of them would have agreed , that it was their common principle , to do unto others as they desired others should do unto them . here we see the principle of christianity in england , when divided . the persecutions before mentioned , being quieted by the death of k. henry the eighth , and the crown descending unto k. edward the sixth , an infant of such tender years , as made him uncapable of exercising the government in his own person , not being come to the use of right reason ; the duke of somerset took upon him the administration of all things , under the title of protector , and with him the protestant party had their sole interest . several penal laws were made in this king's reign , for the inflicting pains and penalties for matters of meer religion , which gave occasion to the papists to charge upon protestants the principle of persecution for matters of meer religion , as their principle . it is true , the papists were at that time sufferers , and were actually persecuted by the then government for matters of meer religion : but true charity might easily have found other reasons , unto which those persecutions might warrantably have been assigned ; and there was certainly no necessity of assigning them to any principle of the protestants . the first law which was made , relating to these matters , was 1. edw. 6. c. 1. touching the lord's supper , entituled , the penalties for speaking against the sacrament of the body and blood of christ , or against the receiving thereof in both kinds . this seems to have no other tendency than barely to keep both parties from falling together by the ears , and the protestants were more likely to fall under the punishment of this law , than the papists : none could say , that it was the effect of intemperate spirits ; for though it directed communion in both kinds , to such as defired to communicate ; yet it compelled not any person to communicate . and it had a clause of great temperance in the very close of it , in these words ; not condemning hereby the usage of any church out of the king's majesties dominions . the next law of this nature , was made in the same parliament , viz. 1. edw. 6. c. 12. it is entituled thus , viz. statutes concerning treasons , &c. repealed : and this cannot be denyed to be sharp against the papists . it makes it highly penal to affirm , that the king is not , or ought not to be supream head on earth of the church of england and ireland , or any of them immediately under god , or that the bishop of rome , or any other person or persons , other than the king of england for the time being , is , or ought to be , by the laws of god , supream head of the same churches , or any of them : but there is no necessity or reason of ascribing this neither to any protestant principle , though it is supposed to be made in affirmance of a protestant principle . another penal law was made 1. and 3. edw. 6. entituled , the penalty for not using vniformity of service and administration of sacraments . and in 3. and 4. edw. 6. c. 10. was made an act , for the abolishing and putting away of divers books and images . both which were severe against the papists in matters of meer religion ; yet do i not find any necessity , why the persecutions , which these statutes occasioned , should be imputed to any protestant principle . during the whole reign of this infant king , it is clear , that the papists in some degree suffered persecution from the hands of the protestants , for matters of meer religion : and without doubt , had it been then demanded of the papists , whether such persecutions and such laws enacting such persecutions , were lawful , and agreeable with the principles of true christianity , which they pretended to maintain ? their answer would have been in the negative : and they would then with one accord have readily agreed , that persecution for matters of meer religion , was no more consistent with the rule of christ , requiring us , to do unto others , as we would that others should do unto us , than murder and robbery . but the persecutions inflicted upon the papists , by the law made in the time of king edward the sixth , did not last long ; they ended with his life ; and by the descending of the crown to queen mary , the papists were rescued from all their sufferings . all the laws made against them in the times of hen. 8. and edw. 6. were repealed . but the case was altered with the poor protestants , whose sufferings were so great , and are so sharply and justly reflected on , even to this day , that i , who love not to aggravate any thing , especially that carries its own aggravation with it , will say no more of them , but beg of our good god , to fill us with mercy in place of revenge , and to forgive them as we would be forgiven . sure i am , had any protestant been asked his judgment in that age , touching the principle of persecuting for matters of meer religion , he would have disclaimed it , as absolutely contrary to the principles of his religion , which is the point that i am labouring to evince . and after all this , shall any one take it ill , if upon a principle of charity i shall profess , that i could never as yet see any thing offered , which in my poor apprehension did necessarily evince ; that persecution for meer religion , was even an avowed principle of either side . the bloody fury of persecution , under which the protestants suffered so miserably in q. maries time , did end with her reign , which was but short . and after that , the protestants never suffered more from the papists . but upon the death of q. mary , the crown coming to q. elizabeth ; and she thereupon declaring her self a firm , a zealous , and to all intents , religiously a protestant , the edge was turned against the papists , before any differences were discerned to be among the protestants . several of the popish clergy suffered persecution , some even unto death in several parts of the kingdom : and new laws were from time to time framed and multiplyed for those purposes . and if now we ask the opinion of the papists , as to penal laws , either sanguinary or others , and persecutions , for meer matter of religion ; they will tell you , ( and they continue in that protestation even unto this day ) that all such laws and persecutions are unlawful , and against the principles of the gospel . and though the protestants under several changes , have been in the possession of those laws , and have at times more or less executed them ; yet ( so far as i can find ) they do not own persecution for matters meerly of religion to be their principle , or so much as lawful . after the papists had some time continued the alone-persecuted party for matters of religion , several differences , in matters meerly of religion , happened to divide the protestants into distinct and separate parties , during some part of the reign of queen elizabeth ; and also during the several and successive reigns of king james , and king charles the first : and about the beginning of the reign of king james , some few desperate male-contents , professedly of the popish religion , being found guilty of a wicked plot , whereby they had designed the destruction both of that king , and of his parliament , by gun-powder ( for which they were deservedly executed ) several new and more severe laws were then , and at several times after , made against the papists in general , by which several punishments were inflicted on them for matters of meer religion ; and several penal laws were also made , by which the then governing protestant party , ( then , and still distinguished by the name of the church of england , or the episcopal party ) persecuted them. the dissenting protestants of all sorts were prosecuted under the general name of non-conformists , who cryed aloud for liberty of conscience , and declared it absolutely unlawful to punish any , for matters of meer religion : the refusal of which , bred bad blood in the kingdom , and we all know what followed . during the continuance of the war , and after king charles the first was not able to make head against the non-conformists , the non-conformists retaliated the church of england , and not a little crusht the popish party , both having engaged on t'other side , and being of other religions , esteemed themselves persecuted for matter of religion . that war being ended with the death of king charles the first , and the expelling of our late king out of his dominions , and the ruine of episcopacy , and the suppression of the papists , and the total change of the government ; the non-conformists under the several forms , took upon them and kept the government , until the late king was by the divine hand of providence restored to his crown : during all which time , the episcopal party and the papists suffered , more or less , for matters ( at least in their apprehension ) meerly of religion . but these two parties were not alone in their sufferings ; for during those bloody contests , there appeared another party , which from its very first rise in this kingdom , hath been severely persecuted , and that only for matters of religion . this party was the people called quakers . they did at their first shewing themselves in the world , go under the name of the children of light , because they assert , as their main and first principle , that christ is the true light that enlightens every man and woman with a measure of saving light ; which all ough● to obey on pain of damna●ion ; but by one bennit , an officer , in 1650. were nick named quakers . they professed themselves to adhere to the plain principles of the first christians , and particularly to hold it as their principle , that all persecution whatsoever , against any party , people or person whatsoever , for matters meerly of religion , is absolutely vnlawful , vnrighteous , and against the spirit and will of god , and doctrine of true christianity . and to give them their due , they have been true contenders for their principle , both by their frequent apologies and remonstrances on the one hand , and invincible patience in suffering on the other hand upon the restauration of the king , the episcopal party was also restored . the presbyterians , independants and anabaptists , expected a general toleration in matters of religion , according to some of the king 's gracious letters , as a reward for their helping or not opposing his restauration . the papists also expected the same thing , as a reward for their loyalty in adhering to the crown . the quakers , now a great people , grew confident of the like freedom , because of their inoffensiveness to government . but instead of this expected liberty ; all the former penal laws made in the time of q. elizabeth , k. james , and k charles the first , were revived , and ordered to be put in execution , as well against all non-conformists , who were protestants , as against the papists . and new and more severe laws were made against them all : and by these respective practices we see , what all these parties have done when they had power . i think such as understand the transactions of our country , will clear me from having made any mistake as to matters of fact , in any thing that i have here said , touching past persecutions ; though i believe there will not want some , who will either think me mistaken in the point of charity , when i profess to believe that i do not think there is any one party now in england , who holds it as a principle of their religion , that it is lawful to persecute , or to make or execute laws for the inflicting of pains or penalties for any matters of meer religion : or else they will supect , i do not in truth believe what i here profess to believe in this point , since even what i have said as to matters of fact before urged by my self ; it plainly appears , that there is not one party now in england ( the people called quakers only excepted ) who profess themselves christians , but have been notoriously guilty ( more or less ) of the very fact , or ( at least ) of a publick allowing , if not abetting of it : and every party will be apt to censure me of singularity ( at least , ) since each party thinks that they have arguments drawn from facts , sufficient to six this ugly doctrine , as a principle , upon that religion which they hate most . o that the man could prevail against the beast ! and that we would permit our passions to give way to our reason , to consider things nakedly , and as they truly are , si satis est accusasse , quis erit innocens ? if to accuse be a sufficient conviction , what party shall be able to clear it self ? and who knows not , that 't is a christians part to suffer , but never to persecute ? i very well know , that the protestants in general , who look upon the papists as their common enemies , do in their pulpits , in their writings , and in all their addresses to the people , charge them with those rivers of blood which streamed in the times of q. mary , and with the bloody intentions which those i●l men had in their hearts , who were engaged in the wicked powder-plot : that the first was done by authority , and chiefly by the popish bishops : that the other , though the fact but of private persons , was never condemned by authority ; and silence is an implyed consent and approbation . do we well consider , what the papists offer by way of extenuation in answer to these charges ? they justifie none of these facts : but as to the first , they recommend to us to be considered , the circumstances that q. mary was in , when she came to the crown . all the chief heads of the protestant party , had set up and proclaimed the lady june duly queen , in opposition to q. mary , their lawful soveraign . they had raised an army against her : she was compelled to gain her right by force : she was a conqueror : and if we will believe them , she had not given any articles , which might have obliged her to pardon any who were guilty of this usurpation , and treason : she was told , it was a confedracy of the whole party of the protestants , which gave her a ground to suspect , that the protestants held it for a principle , that it was lawful for them to take up arms against , and depose their lawful soveraign , if of a religion contrary to him . she might , by the laws then in being , ( the same which we have to this day in force amongst us ) have taken away the lives of all who were any ways guilty of endeavouring to depose her : she did not make any one new persecuting law ( which is considerable ) by which any of those were taken off who were put to death . but being put into fears by her council ; that without making great examples of justice in all parts of the kingdom , she would be in danger of having new insurrections made by the protestants against her ; she was perswaded that the only way to prevent the sheding of more blood for the future , was to punish considerable numbers of those who had then actually broken the old laws of her kingdom . her bishops ( and that is the chief and justest ground of the charge ) had their fears and revenge also , in particular : they were newly restored to their bishopricks , and religion , of which they had been dispossessed in the time of king edward the sixth ; they were afraid of being again disturbed ; and these fears and passions made them take wrong measures . they perswaded the queen , that she might as well make examples of justice , and prevent future insurrections , by punishing those for their religion , who had been guilty of treason , as if she had punished them for treason : and they urged , that by this way she should do her self the greater right : and give a proof to the world , that she was more offended with treason committed against heaven , ( for so they esteemed protestant religion ) than with treason committed against her self , which might be interpreted revenge . they had forgotten the principles of the true christian religion , which required to leave unto god to revenge whatsoever injuries are done to him , and to leave it to god to judge , what injuries were done to him ; they did not now think of doing unto others as they would that others should do unto them : they did not remember the wise advice of gamaliel , before mention'd , but giving ear only to their own fears , and preferring humane policies before gospel-rules , they misled the queen , and took away the lives of vast numbers of such , against whom nothing could be charged , but what was matter of meer religion ; thereby giving a just occasion to charge upon their own religion the principle of persecution for meer religion , which those who now profess that religion here , do pretend to disown and abominate . and as to the business of the powder-plot , they pray us to observe , that it was the treason , not of the papists of england , but of a few , particular persons of desperate fortunes and worse consciences , and not without suspition of being drawn into the snare by their enemies : that upon the most severe scrutiny which could be made into that business , it clearly appear'd , that the number of the offenders was not greater than what happens sometimes to be engag'd in a particular burglary , and not so many as make up the fourth part of a foot company of souldiers : that the villany of that design hath been as fully and generally , yea , and as publickly decry'd , condemn'd and reprobated by the whole party of english papists of that age , and of all succeeding ages , as any thing can be by a party in persecution , who have not ever had any opportunities or allowances to act in any case otherwise then each person of the party only in his private capacity might do : and they appeal to the justice of those who profess to have the greatest aversion of all others against the religion of the papists , whether they will admit it as a rule , that the villanies of some private persons , who profess themselves to be in fellowship or communion with any church or people , calling themselves christians , may in justice , and ought in reason to be charged as proceeding from the principles , doctrines , or religion of that church or people with which private persons profess to be in communion or fellowship ! they cry out , god forbid any such rule should have credit in the world. on the other side , i am not ignorant , that the papists who esteem the protestants in general as their mortal enemies , by whom they apprehend themselves to have been depriv'd of what is most dear unto them , from the time that the protestant religion first gain'd a preheminency in england , are as highly uncharitable towards the protestants , as these are severe in their censures towards them . they have almost look'd upon the protestants , as the israelites did upon the egyptians ; they charg'd upon them the guilt of all blood that hath been shed , of all the persecutions which have hap'ned for matters of meer religion , since the first act of parliament of that nature , made by king henry the viii unto this hour : insmuating , that what was so cruelly acted by q. mary's bishops , was occasion'd by the provocations given in the time of king edward the vi. and warranted ( as far as ill acts can be warranted , ) first , by the non-conformists retaliations towards the church of england , when subdu'd by them upon the death of king charles the i. and then by the retaliation made to the non-conformists by those of the church of england , since the restoration of our present soveraign . in short , as the protestants in general , to excuse and justifie themselves , labour to cast persecution for matters of meer religion upon the papists , as a principle of popery ; so the papists are as industrious to perswade the world , that it is a principle of protestancy . i might here by way of apology and extenuation refer the papists , as they do the protestants , to consider of circumstances of times and things which occasion'd their severities against them , as the unruliness which might probably be amongst the people in the time of k. edw. the vi. to see their religion alter'd as they conceiv'd , by the protector . and in q. elizabeth's time , besides the rensentment which the protestants had of the cruelties which were exercis'd against them in q. mary's time , it is certain , the papists did not look upon q. elizabeth to have any right to the crown ; she having been declar'd by the judicial sentence , and judgement of arch-bishop cranmer to be illegitimate ; and the marriage between k. henry viii . and anne of bullen her mother , being by the same sentence declar'd absolutely void ab initio , and that sentence confirm'd by act of parliament , 28 hen. 8. c. 7. so that the papists took q. mary of scotland to be the rightful heir to the crown , and rightful queen , and q. elizabeth was constrain'd by great necessity to keep them under ; but apologies are not proper to be made on the behalf of those , who have the authority towards those who are subjected . and as the protestants in general , and the papists , reproach'd each other , reciprocally charging upon each other , that persecution for matters of meer religion was a principle of each others religion ; so did the episcopal protestants , and the non-conformists : the episcopal party , who first persecuted the non-conformists under the general name of puritans , or presbyterians , affirm'd , that their first beginners in scotland , from whence they deriv'd themselves , did more than any party upon earth persecute others for matters of meer religion , and had gain'd a power by their vsurpation , oppression and persecution ; being a sort of people who wanted the very essentials ( as they said ) of religion , viz. a right ordination , without which ( as they alleadged ) there could be no true church , no true ministery , or true sacraments : and that , therefore they ought by penal laws , timely made , to be prevented from making disturbances in england . the puritans to justify themselves , denying persecution for matters of meer religion to be their principle , or to be lawful , labour'd to fix it upon the church of england as their principle , and as taken up by them from the papists . and as to the particulars charg'd upon those of scotland , they said , that whatsoever those of the reformation had done in scotland , was approv'd and abetted by queen elizabeth and the protestants of england , without whose advice nothing in scotland had been transacted , and without whose assistance things had not been so effected : they further said , as to the point of ordination , that the church of england ought not in reason , to account episcopal ordination to be such an essential of religion as they charged , for that if no ordination could be valid but by bishops , that then it would follow , that no ordination could be valid but from true and rightful bishops of the true church of christ ; and then the ordination of the church of england would be as invalid as the ordination of those of scotland ; for the church of england could make out no succession of bishops , but through the popish church , which both parties ( as well those of the church of england , as those of scotland ) had condemned and agreed to be a false church , and no true church of christ , but an harlot and anti-christian . thus the episcopal protestants and the puritans charged and recriminated each other ; the episcopal party nevertheless making good their ground , so long as they had the civil power to support them ; but when upon the death of k. charles the i , the non-conformists gain'd the civil power into their hands , the church of england party ( like all parties oppress'd ) being under persecution , together with the papists , for matters of meer religion , did absolutely condemn all such persecutions as vnlawful . and then the non-conformists ( who were at that time sub-divided , and branch'd out into several other parties ) gave occasion to charge them with the principle of persecution for meer religion , and put them to use the same arguments to clear themselves , as the episcopel party and papists had respectively before made use of , when the government was in them , to prevail with the world to believe that they abhorr'd the principle of persecution for meer religion ; and that the persecutions us'd by them , were not for any matters of meer religion , nor in truth persecutions , but purely acts of prudence , and doing right to themselves by a just care to keep the episcopal party and the papists out of all possibility of persecuting them any more for the future . but none of them could find any reason of that nature to excuse the persecutions , which they us'd towards the people called quakers , they could not charge them with ever having persecuted any party or person : yet in fact , both the non-conformists and the episcopal party did persecute them in their turns ; and therefore to prevent being charged for persecuting a quiet people for matters of meer religion , they pretended sometimes , that the quakers were all mad-men , and that they imprison'd them only to keep them out of the way , and to preserve them in peace : and those who had gotten the government , would upon that title claim the right of judging what persons were mad , as they did always of judging what was truth and what errour . at other times they pretended to punish the quakers as blasphemers , and the persecutors being the only judges of what was blasphemy under their government , they might make what they pleas'd blasphemy . when they grew asham'd of this charge , they then pretended , that the quakers were conceal'd papists , and that every one who spoke or utter'd any thing in their meetings ( whether man or woman ) was a jesuit disguis'd . it was clear , that the quakers suffer'd highly , and it was as clear , there could not with any shew of truth be any thing charg'd against them , but what was matter of meer religion . now upon the whole business , what shall such a person judge of these matters , who esteems himself in danger of being judged by god , if he shall make any rash judgment ? shall we take for a sufficient solid proof , the charge of an exasperated enemy , against an enemy who hath provoked him , and this in a matter of so great a concernment , as to render not a single person , but a whole party unworthy to live ? this were to judge against the rules of common justice and righteousness , as well as to sin against charity : and this way of judging would render each party ( the quakers only excepted ) to be guilty , and to give a just title to each party , where it hath the possession of power and government to put to death all of the other parties . for though we in england should refuse to admit the charge of the papists here to be a sufficient proof against the protestants in so great a matter ; yet let us not deceive our selves so far , as to suppose that in popish countries , the charge of papists against protestants would not be taken to be at the least as valid , as the charge of protestants will be taken to be against papists here . shall we go another way , and say , that in regard every party takes it self to be the only good and true christian , and in regard we see every party , when in power , practising this thing , and persecuting the other ( when in their power ) for matters of meer religion , that therefore every party agrees in this ? that it is lawful for those who are the true christians , to make and execute penal laws against such as are erroneous christians , and to inflict pains and penalties upon them for matters of meer religion , that is , for errors held by them as doctrines of religion : but neither will this be reasonable or convenient ; for this will also give title to those who have the actual power , and are in the possession of each respective government in the christian world , to put to death , and destroy all within their respective jurisdictions , whom they judge to be erroneous christians : and this will be also to entitle the civil magistrate in every christian country , to the absolute and uncontroulable right of judging between truth and error , so as to have no appeal from his definitive judgment ; and to entail against common sense an infallibility in the civil magistrate of every country of determining in matters of faith and religion : i say , against common sense ; for christianity teacheth us , that there can be but one true faith ; and if this power of judging should be allow'd to the civil magistrate , there would be as many faiths as there are governments amongst christians : that would be true faith in one country , and the denyal of it punishable with death ; which in another country would be an error and a false faith , and the affirming of it punishable with death . it would also be to justify not only what the papists in england , but what both the papists and protestants in all other parts cast as a charge upon our nation , that the only rule of faith in england , is the parliament of england ; that nothing is true christian doctrine in england , nor any translation or sense , or interpretation of scripture , a true translation or sense , or interpretation of scripture in england , but what is judg'd so to be by the parliament of england . whereas , though in the statute made 2 , 3 edw. 6. c. 1 entituled , an act for the vniformity of service and administration of the sacraments throughout the realm : it was affirm'd by that parliament , that the book of common-prayer enjoyn'd by that statute to be us'd , was made by the aid of the holy ghost : yet that very book was by that very parliament alter'd and amended , as appears by statute 5 edw. 6. c. 1. and it hath received several reformations and amendments since , and was in and by a parliament in q. marys days , judged to be heretical . as to my own judgment in this particular affair , it leads me to another way of reasoning and discoursing ; i do , and i think i am bound in charity to believe that every person and party who professeth christianity , do at least intend to be what they profess , and that they do all in their hearts fully give consent unto all those common doctrines of christianity , which , as standing principles of that pure religion , were never question'd or deny'd by any sort of christians , such as are those which i have before observ'd , of doing unto others , as we would have others do unto us , and of not doing evil , that good may come of it ; and those others of loving our neighbours as our selves ; yea , and of loving our very enemies , and doing good to them that who hate us and use us despightfully : all which , when soberly consider'd , without passion or humane interest , are expresly against all persecutions for matters of meer religion , and do not only tye up protestants from destroying of protestants , but even from persecuting of any sort for any matters of meer religion : as those commands , thou shalt do no murther , thou shalt not steal , thou shalt not commit adultery , and against and tye up all christians from shedding of blood unlawfully and malitiously , and against rapine and vncleanness . and such do also in their hearts believe , that whatever counsel or work is of man , will fall of it self ; and that what is of god will stand maugre all the persecutions and oppositions of man ; and that there is none of them do intend to fight against god , or would willingly be found so doing . all this being taken by me in my own thoughts , to be most certainly true , when ever i come to enquire , how then can these things be ? how can all these parties ( among which there are great numbers of good , sober , judicious and sincere persons ) offend against these common principles of the common faith of all christians , by making and executing penal laws for matters of meer religion ? immediately adjoyning to this another question , which is , and how can so many persons , professing to be christians , take revenge by blood , usurp the goods of their neighours , and commit the sin of vncleanness ! yet all these were once done by that great and good king , and prophet , who was a man after god's own heart . that which to me answers this latter question , seems clearly to solve the former ; that the beast gets the better of the man ; the passions commit a force upon reason ; and humane frailty , being too weak , brings the best of men sometimes ( though but for a time ) and careless men oftentimes to contradict their faith by their practice , until by afflictions they gain understanding , and come to repentance for the saving of their souls . this to me seems so evident a truth , that , until something more evident shall convince me of my being mistaken in this , i should think it as great a sin against charity , for me to charge it as a principle of the religion of any party ( professing to be christians ) that persecution for meer religion is lawful , because i see it practis'd by those who have power amongst that party , as to charge the same party , to hold it as a principle of their religion , that murther , theft and adultery are lawful , because great numbers of that party , are too often guilty of the practice of those sins . if this way of considering things be not found unreasonable , but upon due reflection , shall appear to be conformable to the true principles of christianity , and the holy rules and doctrines of christ , i hope those who are publick persons , will forgive me when i wish they would lay it to their hearts , and think well , whether it would not be of use to preserve this poor nation , from the further guilt of those additional injustices , and cruelties , which the contrary way of rash judging must involve , and daily do involve us in . is it not more calm judgment to say , that the disordinate passions of k. henry the viii . hurried him into those cruelties which he committed , than to impute them to the principles of any religion which he profess'd ? is it not more becoming us to say , that an over-zealous passion of fears which our first reformers had in the time of k. edw. the sixth , made them apprehend , that they could not put popery out of its possession otherwise than by force , and consequently led them unwarily into practices , which were contrary to their true faith , then to admit the charge laid on them by the then persecuted papists , that persecution for meer religion , was the first protestant principle , upon which protestancy laid its first politick foundation in england ? were it not more ingenious , to attribute the cruelties , which were inflicted in q. mary's time , to the passion of fear in that queen , and of fear and covetousness in her bishops , that nothing could secure her against new rebellions from the protestants , nor fix the bishops in their re-gain'd possessions , but examples of the utmost rigour , then to labour to fix those barbarous cruelties as a principle upon the religion of the queen ? is it not more charitable to assign all the harsh laws made and executed in the times of queen elizabeth , king james , and in the several succeeding times since by the government avowedly protestant , to the fear , ambition , revenge , or other frail passions , cover'd generally under the specious titles of reason of state , then to give the world a just ground to charge those crueltie ; upon a principle of protestancy . this we must do , or ( which is as much to our dishonour ) we must give a just ground to the most civiliz'd nations of the world , to charge those past barbarities , exercis'd so long in england , upon the people of our nation , to the cruelties of our english natures : for what other thing can forreign nations impute it unto , when they shall observe the same persecution continued for near one hundred and forty years , under all the various forms of religion which we have had , each party renouncing the cruelties to proceed from any principle of the religion own'd by that party , yet exercising in fact , what they renounce to be their faith. but my charity doth not rest here , it compels me to make yet one step further ; and since it is not to the dishonour of our nation , i hope none will be displeas'd with it . as i am verily perswaded , that all those penal laws , which have been made in this our nation for the inflicting of pains and penalties for matters of meer religion , have not had their original from any principle of any of those religions which have been profess'd by any of those powers or governments by which they were made , but ought to be imputed to the passions of those who made , and caus'd them to be put in execution : and that a false reason of state , or zeal in church-men , gave those passions leave to work even against the religion which every party persecuting , profess'd ; so do i most confidently believe , that the true principles of the common christianity , which every party own'd , and true reason of state grounded upon those true and commonly own'd principles , restrain'd all and every the respective parties , by whom those laws were made , from all intentions of having all , or any of those laws rigidly executed ; so that those who had from time to time , and who still have the executive and interpretative power of those laws vested in them , have always understood , and do still continue to understand those laws not to have been intended by the legislative power to be strictly and rigidly or constantly executed : my reason is , that had this been otherwise , all of all parties , except one , who at some time had been in power , must have been e're this totally butcher'd or destroy'd , and our poor country so far depopulated as to have become a prey to some of our potent neighbours : for even in queen mary's times , thousandes escaped that never sled ; and had private meetings , but the most eminent were cruelly used . i know some there are who have imputed the remiss execution of these unkind laws to the generous good nature which is found in the generality of our nation , which abhors cruelty , and hath always a compassion for those who are under persecution ; and which well appears to any who reflect upon the tenderness of our courts of justice , and of the generality both of our magistrates , and our juries in all the countries in england , and how they have comported themselves under the several circumstances of past times , when they have been call'd upon , and provok'd , yea threatn'd , and endeavour'd to have been forc'd into a spirit of persecuting . others there are , who have taken the great unwillingness in all sorts of persons to be active in the execution of these laws to proceed from the innate zeal that is in every english man to preserve the liberties and properties of their fellow subjects , as well as their own ; and that they have observ'd , that liberty and property were never any way so much entrench'd upon , violated and destroyed , as by these cruel laws of persecution for meer religion : so that every man considering when he sees his neighbour ( though differing in judgement from himself ) persecuted and destroyed for what ought to be call'd rather his mistake then his fault ( for no man can believe against his judgement , or take an oath against his conscience without sin ) that though this be his neighbours turn this year , it may be his own turn the next year , or next reign ; and no mans life , liberty or property can be secure in case such laws be executed ; but only such men , who have a conscience fitted for all changes of government , and for every religion that is uppermost , and who for that reason are as unfit to be trusted by their neighbours as by the government . but though i take it to be very true that this natural inclination to mercy and pity , and this real zeal which all men have for the preserving of liberty and property , may have been great helps to keep off , or mitigate the severe execution of these laws of persecution for meer religion ; yet when i well consider the great power and influences which the supreme authority always hath upon the subjects ; and particularly upon all the magistrates in general , who are always persons nominated and appointed by the supreme authority ; and must be therefore suppos'd to be such in whom the supreme authority always confides , as to the due execution of what the supreme authority intends to have executed ; i think it will naturally follow , that a forbearance of the rigid execution of these laws , ought to be chiefly imputed to the religion and true christian policy of the supreme authority ; and we ought to believe , that though a false reason of state did sometimes permit humane frailty , to make such laws as were contradictory to the true laws and principles of that very religion which those persons professed , by whom those laws were made ; yet true religion , and true reason of state always kept those persons from intending to have those laws rigidly and severely executed . i will confirm this by one single instance of the highest nature , and that not in the best of times . the last popish priest that was put to death in england for being a priest of the romish church , was put to death in the time of cromwel ; i suppose , we are not to doubt of the passionate heat which inflam'd those who were then in authority against the papists and popery ; they look'd on the papists as mortal enemies to their government , and as fast friends , and devoted servants to the crown and royal family : notwithstanding which , when the said priest came upon his tryal at the sessions-house in the old-baily in london , and upon his arraignment , pleaded that he was not guilty of treason , but acknowledg'd himself to be a priest of the roman church : it clearly appear'd , that those who were his judges , did their utmost to preserve his life , and to prevent the execution against him of those laws upon which he stood indicted : for they did for many hours suspend the recording of his confession , making it their endeavour to prevail with him to plead not gluilty to the indictment : they pressed him to this in the publick court , assuring him , that if he would so plead , his life should be safe ; and that they had no evidence which could prove him to be a priest . and when the old man ( aged about seventy two years ) would not be drawn to deny himself to be a priest ; ( taking it to be a denying of his religion ) and that the court was compell'd to give judgment against him ; the magistrate who gave the sentence , was so drown'd in tears upon that sad occasion , that it was long before he could pronounce the sentence , which the law compell'd ( as he profess'd ) to give . now i ask , can it be presum'd that in those severe times against popery , those who then sate upon the seat of justice , would , or durst have proceeded thus in a publick ( out , and made it their business so openly , so avowedly to have sav'd the life of a priest of that party , if they had not well consider'd that the makers of those laws , and even cromwel , who had then taken upon him the government of these nations , did not in truth intend a rigid and severe execution of those laws , which were for inflicting pains and penalties for matter of meer religion ? but i think , i need give no further instances for the proof of this my opinion : whosoever shall reflect upon the present genius of our whole nation , and consider in what detestation all men have the execution of persecuting laws of matters of meer religion , how publickly informers are abhorr'd and discountenanced , when they labour to persecute any upon any such law , will easily see that the whole nation in general is convinc'd , that those laws were never any of them made , with intention to have them rigidly executed . i have been told , ( and it seems to be grounded upon reason ) that it is a principle of our laws , that even an act of parliament , which is against the law of god , or against reason , is void in it self ; if this be true ( as methinks it ought to be ) i think we are very near the time , wherein all our present laws of this nature , by which any are subject to be in any measure persecuted for matters of meer religion , will be repealed by the general voice of the whole nation , and that when the particular persons , of which the great body of this nation is compos'd , shall have considered something more deliberately , than their passions have yet permitted all to do , that every law of this nature is against the liberty and property of the subjects of england ; unjust and cruel , in punishing men for not proceeding against their consciences ; expresly against the very principles and rules of the gospel of christ , and principles of that true religion which every one of us pretends to own ; destructive to the trade and well-being of our nation , by oppressing and driving away the most industrious working hands of our nation , and depopulating , and thereby impoverishing our country , which is capable of imploying three times the number of people which we now have : contradictory to the rule of justice , grounded upon common reason , as well as religion , which requires , that no man should do unto another , what he would not have done unto himself , and consequently void in it self by the rule of the laws of our country : there will not be found a magistrate , nay , a common subject in england , who will not as positively renounce the putting in execution , or being accessary to the executing of any law of this nature , as he will renounce the becoming guilty of those detestable sins of murder or theft . but until men are a little further convinc'd of these truths , you ( sir ) ought not to be angry with , but rather pity those magistrates from whose hands you have lately suffer'd for a matter meerly of religion : peradventure they did not fully consider that the matter with which you were charged , was a thing of meer religion , but took your meeting in an assembly meerly for the worship of god , to be an unlawful assembly , because prohibited by a present law , as the poor magistrates in the apostles times took their meetings in their assemblies meerly for the worship of god , to be unlawful assemblies , and breaches of the peace , because they were prohibited by their laws : or perhaps their fear that they should themselves be subject to a forfeiture , in case they should have deny'd their warrant to the informer , made them fall under that humane frailty for securing of themselves . however it was , i suppose you have no just ground to believe the thing to be any effect of malice against you or your friends ; and if it be not , then the same magistrates , now their fear is over , may yet be instrumental to do you and themselves right . it is odds but upon a strict reflection upon what the informer hath sworn , the devil may have prevailed with him to swear something which may be proved untrue ; for informers are not squeamish in swearing for their own profit , as it hath appear'd in london and middlesex , and one point of perjury proved , will invalidate all his testimony , and reverse all that is done : at which i am very confident no man ( besides the informer ) will be displeased . and this is in plain truth the great reason why your friends here desire to know all the circumstances of your case ; the certifying of which , may be an advantage to your self and your friends there , and will be particularly very welcome unto sir , your old true friend and humble servant , a. n. postscript . i have here-omitted many of those great arguments , both which others have used , and which may yet be advanced from the nature of this subject , partly because there are so many discourses extant , and partly because english mankind begins to be satisfied in the matter . yet this give me leave to add in general , that force upon conscience , and corporal penalties about matters of religion , have not only no president or example from christ or his apostles , but are expresly against both their precepts and examples . this coercion is the old disturber of states , the destroyer of property , the depopulator of kingdoms , the enemy of humane nature , of kind neighbourhood , and of conscientious religion . at best it either maketh men religious by rote , which is no religion , or conformable for fear and interest , which is ir-religion , and base hypocrisy . but besides all this , it corrupteth and distracteth the nature of all civil government , by making the measure of loyalty , nor love , honour and obedience to caesar , but conformity to the clergy and religion in fashion ; which destroys the true dependence and obligation in government , and subjects the lives , liberties and estates of the people to the frequent revolutions of religion ; which ought to stand fixed and sacred upon the common and undeniable principles of civil and just government . i hope i shall be excus'd for this conception , since of all others , this renders to caesar the things that are caesar's : and would to god , all the caesars of the world saw the truth of this notion : they would not then suffer themselves to be grown upon , not only by another power then caesar's , but by a power contrary to caesar's and which in the tendency of it leaves caesar nothing but his name . let him be felt king of all his people , by his goodness , as well as by his power . optimus went before maximus among infidels ; and shall pretenders to the best of religions ( christianity i mean ) decline it ? all creatures nourish and defend their young : we are the children of the government , and should be conforted and defended under the magistrates wing of just power and favour : he should endeavour our encrease , encourage our industry , and thereby enrich and replenish the kingdom , not impoverish and depopulate it . for the glory of a prince is in the multitude of his people : not beggars , but men of industry . but who dares to be industrious , that would not have his labours made the forfeit of his sober conscience ? vnhappy age ! come ! 't is time for humane nature to remember from whence she came , for mankind to love , for caesar to be kind to all his people ; to let his rain fall upon all , his sun-shine upon all , that he may justly render himself master of the affections of all ; and not serve factions nor interest , nor imbroile his government with the opinionary differences about religion , which doth not enlarge , but narrow his empire : and those that put him upon such measures , let their pretences be what it will , they are too narrow for his glory , and do ill offices in the great family of the kingdom . they set the father against the son , and excite him to dis-inherit his children , and those virtuous too , meerly for the sober exercise of a dissenting conscience , about matters relating to t'other world : this is practising reprobation for opinion , and sacrificing nature and morality to modes of religion : nay , this is to engross caesar by a party , and to monopolize him from the rest of his people ; a sin against the very nature and end of government . god grant us all more wisdom , more honesty , and more charity , and that we may yet live to see all industry encouraged , the poor employed , the kingdom in love with its own growths , virtue only rewarded , vice only punished , that righteousness , peace and plenty may yet vouchsafe to dwell amongst us . so be it to caesar and his people , while the sun and moon endures . the end . concerning persecution: which is, the afflicting or punishing that which is good, under the pretence of its being evil. which practice is contrary to the very nature of mankind (so far as it is drawn out of the corruption and depravation) which would be good and do good, and have good cherished, and evil suppressed, both in it self and others. ... yet this unhappy error will always be committed in nations and governments, until the proper right and just liberty of men's consciences be discerned, acknowledged and allowed. likewise, there are some answers given to that common objection, against affording conscience in its due liberty, because evil persons may pretend conscience to escape the just punishment of their evil deeds. with a brief account of that supposed stubbornes, which by man is objected against the people called quakers. ... by isaac penington the younger. penington, isaac, 1616-1679. 1661 approx. 71 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 16 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a54026 wing p1156 estc r214723 99826802 99826802 31210 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a54026) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 31210) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1769:37) concerning persecution: which is, the afflicting or punishing that which is good, under the pretence of its being evil. which practice is contrary to the very nature of mankind (so far as it is drawn out of the corruption and depravation) which would be good and do good, and have good cherished, and evil suppressed, both in it self and others. ... yet this unhappy error will always be committed in nations and governments, until the proper right and just liberty of men's consciences be discerned, acknowledged and allowed. likewise, there are some answers given to that common objection, against affording conscience in its due liberty, because evil persons may pretend conscience to escape the just punishment of their evil deeds. with a brief account of that supposed stubbornes, which by man is objected against the people called quakers. ... by isaac penington the younger. penington, isaac, 1616-1679. 31, [1] p. printed for robert wilson, in martins le grand, london : 1661. reproduction of the original in the henry e. huntington library and art gallery. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng persecution -early works to 1800. 2005-09 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-11 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-12 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-12 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion concerning persecution : which is , the afflicting or punishing that which is good , under the pretence of its being evil . which practice is contrary to the very nature of mankind ( so far as it is drawn out of the corruption and depravation ) which would be good and do good , and have good cherished , and evil suppressed , both in it self and others . it is contrary also to all equal and righteous government , which is for the suppressing of evil , and cherishing of good , and not for the afflicting and crushing of that which is good , upon pretence of its being evil. yet this unhappy error will alwayes be committed in nations and governments , until the proper right and just liberty of men's consciences be discerned , acknowledged and allowed . likewise , there are some answers given to that common objection , against affording consience its due liberty , because evil persons may pretend conscience to escape the just punishment of their evil deeds . with a brief account of that supposed stubbornes , which by many is objected against the people called quakers . given forth in love to this nation , that at length the true bottom and foundation of a lasting peace and settlement may be espied , the spirits of the governors and people fixed thereon , and that dangerous rock of persecution ( whereon both the powers and people of this nation have so often split ) carefully avoided by all . by isaac penington the younger . london , printed for robert wilson , in martins le grand , 1661. the preface . there hath been an enmity in the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman , from the time of the promise even until now . god in mercy to mankind , hath given unto him since the fall , a seed or principle of life , in the light and strength whereof he is to war against and subdue the corrupt principle , and so be freed from the curse , and become heir of the blessing . against this principle all the powers of darkness fight ( even in every particular man and woman ) until they be overcome and subjected there : and against those in whom this pure principle reigns , all the powers of darkness in the world fight also , striving to make it miserable , and to bring it into death and captivity , that they might keep up the content and happiness of the corrupt state. all the nations of the earth have alwayes warred against the principle of god and the people of his choice . in the time of the law , the jews were the object of the envy and hatred of all the world : in the times of the gospel , the jews in spirit were hated and hunted , in that day and hour , not only by heathens , but also by such as were jews according to the letter ; and ever since the apostacy by christians also , according to the letter , who are as great enemies to the spirit & power as ever the jews were . now all the misery of the world , as it at first came by departing from the principle of life ; so it hath been ever since continued by mens joyning with the principle of death and corruption , to oppose and withstand the workings of the principle of life , both in themselves and others . vvhat man is there that hath not in him a witness against that which is evil ? but where is that man , who joyns with this witness in him against the evil , and not with the evil against this witness ? oh how doth god's witness reprove for sin , making the heart ( which is not sensual and brutish , but seriously considers its latter end ) sad because of it ! this is god's way of making the creature weary thereof , of weaning him from it , delivering him out of it , and so rescuing him from the wrath and everlasting burnings , which are the portion and inheritance of the wicked . but who is it that doth not strive to stop , silence and suppress this witness in himself , that he might enjoy his lusts , ease and content in the flesh , by keeping the sight and remembrance of the evil-day far from him ? and if he can do so , then he rejoyceth and maketh merry over the testimony of the witness in himself ; and when he hath so far prevailed , then he is in a good capacity to persecute others , who hear and obey the voice and testimony thereof in themselves . that which is to redeem the world out of misery , is the power of the gospel : and precious is the peace which comes thereby , after the work of the spiritual sword ( with the trouble thereof ) is finished . o how blessed would the principle and power of life make the world , might it but have its free course therein ! o how happy is that man , who bears the condemnation because of sin , follows the guidance of the living god , and waits for the day of his salvation ! o the sweet inward peace of spirit which is enjoyed after the storm , and after the judgment of that which is to be judged and destroyed ! and that which makes one person happy , the same must make nations happy . there is no true settlement nor abiding security , but in the setled and abiding principle . god is arisen to shake the earth , and it can settle no more upon the old foundations : yea , the same god hath shriveled up the old heavens , and they can no more be stretched forth again . behold , i make all things new , saith the lord in the days of the gospel , when he stretcheth forth the arm of his power : and who is he which shall venture to establish the old heavens and the old earth , which the lord god is removing and causing to passe away , and abolish the new heavens and the new earth , which the lord god hath created and formed and is establishing ? o that men knew the place of wisdom , that they might be wise and not fight against their creator , from whom their strength comes , and against whom their strength cannot prevail . o that men could see how industrious they are to keep up misery , and to keep out happiness . the eye of man ( in the fallen and corrupt estate ) cannot see aright : and mis-seeing , how can he chuse but mis-aim and mis-act ? and mis-aiming and mis-acting , how can he attain his end ? but the lord's counsel shall stand , and he will fulfill all his pleasure in every heart and throughout the earth . happy is he who is weaned from himself , and begotten in the light of life which is incorruptible , he shall stand and be blessed , when all flesh falls before the breath of the lord and becomes miserable : and the fall of all the fleshly will , wisdom and strength hastens apace ; happy is he who is delivered from them before the day of their ruine , which is nearer than man is aware of , or can believe . i. p. concerning persecution , &c. because men , generally , in persecuting know not what they do ( neither whom it is they persecute , nor how they sin against god therein , nor what danger they are exposing themselves to , and what misery they are drawing upon themselves thereby , both in this world and for ever ) even as christ said concerning the jews , who were persecuting him even to death , father forgive them , for they know not what they do : and afterward to saul ; saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? therefore , in love to those , who are at unawares running into this great error , that they may find the good hand of god stopping them therein for their own good , are these things following concerning persecution written , wherein are manifested , first , what it is that is persecuted . 2. who it is that persecutes , or is the persecutor . 3. the nature of persecution . 4. the grounds or causes of persecution . 5. the ways and meanes of persecution . 6. the ends of persecuting , what men aim at therein , or rather what that spirit in men , which puts them upon persecuting of others , aims at thereby . 7. the colour or false pretence of the persecuting spirit . 8. the blessedness of the persecuted . 9. the misery of the persecutors . 10. the way and meanes whereby men may come to avoid this great evil of persecuting others . whereunto ( in the last place ) are added , some sad effects of persecution , to kindle in men a desire of avoiding so great an evil in its self , and so pernitious an enemy , ( to all that is good in general , and particularly to the peace and welfare of mankind ) as the persecuting spirit is . 1. what or who it is that is persecuted . the persecuted in all ages , is that which is born after god's spirit , gal. 4. 29. he that is new-created in christ jesus , who is formed in the image and by the spirit of god ( which is contrary to the image and spirit of the world ) and who followes christ in the leadings and teachings of his spirit ( which is out of and contrary to the course , fashions , ways & customs of the world ) this is the man that is persecuted in all ages . he that is of another spirit & principle than the world , & so cannot be as the world is ( being made otherwise by god ) nor walk as the world walks , nor worship as the world worships , being taught and required of god to do otherwise , this is the man who is afflicted , reproached , hated , hunted , persecuted . and so the apostle laies it down , not only as a thing to be in his age , but in after ages also , 2 tim. 3. 12. yea and all that will live godly in christ jesus , shall suffer persecution . men may talk of christ , profess christ , worship christ according to the way that is set up in nations , and avoid persecution ; but come under the new principle , come into his life , live godly in him , become really subject unto the power and direction of his spirit : then there is no longer avoiding of persecution . that which comes into the life of christ , comes presently into a proportion of suffering from that which is contrary to his life . 2. what or who it is that persecuteth , or is the persecutor . the persecutor , in all ages , is that which is after the flesh . that spirit and principle in man which is from beneath , puts the men in whom it is upon persecuting the other principle , and the persons in whom it appears : or more plainly thus ; that which is of the world , that which loves the world and present state thereof ; that which lies in the darkness , is in unity with it , loveth it , and the corrupt wayes thereof ; that hates the light , and persecuteth the children of the light , who are witnesses against and reprovers of the darkness , john 3. 20. he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was after the spirit . so it was formerly , so it is also now , saith the apostle , gal. 4. 29. now there are several sorts and ranks of these , as some in the way of open prophaness and wickedness , some more civilised , and of a more gentle , noble and considerate spirit and temper , some more religions and devout in worships ( though not rightly principled and guided , but turned aside to some inventions or other of the earthly spirit , all which are pleasing to the earthly spirit . ) but all these , though they are different one from another , and agree not well among themselves , but are full of dislikes one toward another , yet they all agree in this , to wit , in a willingness to have that persecuted and subjected , which is of a contrary spirit and nature to them all . they are all against this more or less , though not all against it in the same degree of heat and vehemency . 3. the nature of persecution , or what it is to persecute . persecution is the opposition of the flesh against the spirit . the fretting or dashing of the earthly spirit , or spirit of man corrupted , against that which is born of god. the fighting of the unregenerate and unrenewed spirit in man , against the spirit of man renewed by the regenerating power of the spirit of god. the fighting , the opposing of this spirit against the other , is persecution . what ever any man does in his own will , according to his own wisdom , and after the inclination of his own heart , against another who desires to fear the lord , ( who waits on him for the counsel and guidance of his spirit , that he might obey and worship him aright ) is persecution . the principle of god teaches to fear the lord not according to the fear which is taught by the precepts of men , but according to the fear which god puts into the heart ; it teaches likewise to worship the lord , not according as man invents and thinks good to prescribe , but as the lord instructs and requires ; it teacheth likewise not to conform to the world , but to deny it , and come out of it : now the hating , opposing , and punishing of that which is thus taught , because of these teachings and its obedience thereto , this is persecution . the rising of the heart against such , is persecution in the heart . the reproaching , scoffing at or speaking evil of such , is persecution with the tongue . ( so ishmael's mocking of isaac , gen. 21. 9 , 10. is called persecuting of him , gal. 4. 29. 30. ) the smiting , fining , imprisoning , of such , &c. in relation to any thing that they do from this principle , is persecution with the hand , or lifting up of the power either of a particular person , or of a magistrate against such . 4. the grounds of persecution , or what are the things that cause the one spirit and principle to persecute , and the other to be persecuted . the grounds and causes which expose the one to persecution , and kindle the heat of persecuting in the other , are chiefly these three ensuing . 1. the enmity of the birth of the flesh against the birth of the spirit . there is enmity in the serpent against the woman , and in the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman . that which is born of the corrupt principle cannot endure that which is born of the pure principle . that which walks and worships in the will and according to the inventions of man's wisdom , and in shadows and fleshly forms pleasing to the flesh , cannot endure that which worships in spirit and truth . 2. the contrariety of that which is born of god and drawn out of the world , to that which is of the flesh ( or of corrupt man ) and left in the world , this is that which incenseth , and draweth forth the enmity in the corrupt principle . they are not of the world , even as i am not of the world , john 17. 16. therefore the world hateth them , v. 14. they are of another spirit , of another image , of another make , of another heart , of another desire , of another manner of carriage and demeanor , of another principle , & have other ends in all they do , then the world : and their whole course and conversation ( being in the light and in the love , & in true purity of mind ) reproves the world , which lies in the darkness and in the enmity , and walks in the wickedness . and how can the world bear this , in the midst of all their height glory and greatness , to be continually reproved by a poor and contemptible generation , as gods choice in the world have for the generality of them always been , even looked upon by the world as the off-scouring thereof , as not fit to be suffered to have a being in it , but rather as deserving to be scowred off from it ? the light , whereof the children of light are born , and which they hold forth ( or rather , which god holds forth by them ) condemns the world. the evenness , sweetness , and straitness of their conversation and practices condemns the unevenness , crookednes & perversenes of the spirit of the world. the integrity , seriousness and spirituality of their worship ( with the living power and presence of god , appearing among them ) condemns the deadness , formality and hypocrisie of the worships of the world , who draw nigh to god with their lips , when it is manifest , that their hearts are far from him , being ensnared , and captivated with vanities and self-interests , and love of the world and earthly things . indeed the whole course , and manifestation of the light and power of god in them , is a continual upbraiding of the principle and ways of darkness in the men of the world . and how can the men of the world forbear making an unrighteous war , even a war of persecution against that which invades their territories and makes war with them in righteousness ? can darkness chuse but fight to save its own dominions ? it must put out the light or it cannot save its own , but will be losing ground daily . 3. because of the children of light leaving and coming out of the world . they were once of the world , as well as others ; of the same nature , of the same spirit , of the same corrupt will , of the same corrupt wisdom , walking in their way , worshipping according to their worships , approving and observing their customs , fashions and vanities . but when the spirit of christ called them out of the world , and created in them that which could hear his voice and was willing to follow him , then they left all these and stood witnesses ( in god's spirit which called , and in that life which was begotten in them , and in the fear , love and power of that god who quickned them ) against all these . and this mads the world , in that they were once of them , but left them . had they staid in the world , and been still of the world , the world would have loved them , as it doth the rest of its own : but departing from the world , travelling towards another countrey , subjecting themselves to another spirit , and testifying against that spirit which formerly led them and still leads the world , and against those ways and practices wherein formerly they walked , and wherein the world still walks ; this fills the worldly spirit with rage against them . 5. the wayes and means of persecution . the wayes and means of persecution , are very many . who can want instruments to afflict the innocent and helpless , who can neither resist the evil which is offered them , nor harm that which offers it ? i shall onely here mention three general heads , to which many particulars may be referred . 1. one great way of persecution is , by making use of laws already made , either according to their proper tendency to that end and purpose , or by bending them aside , from their proper intent , to reach those whom they have a mind to afflict and persecute . thus the jewes , when they had a mind to have christ put to death , told pilate , we have a law , and by our law he ought to die , john 19. 7. 2. another way is , by making new laws fit for their purpose , whereby they may catch , ensnare and suppress that which is contrary to their spirit and principle , and which will not bow thereto . this is a certain way to take that which is born of god , and which cannot but be true to him , and so cannot bow to the corrupt will of man , nor to any law made in the corrupt will to strengthen the corruption , and against the holy pure will and mind of god. thus daniel and the three children were caught in the snare by laws , daniel for praying to his god against the royal statute and firm decree of the king , signed in writing , according to the desire and advice of all the presidents of the kingdom , the governors , princes , counsellors , and captains , dan. 6. 7 , 8. and the three children for not worshipping the image nebuchadnezzar had set up , according to the decree of the king. ( observe this by the way and consider it well . what hath been set up all this night of the apostacy , but images of the true worship ? and what compelling hath there been thereto ? ) thus have articles been framed , and statures made here in england , ( as in king henry , 8. and in queen mary's days ) which have been great engines of persecution : and thus have there been some late laws made in new england to the same effect , though better might have justly been expected from them . and this is not only a certain way , but a very plausible way likewise , whereby the persecutor hides himself from the imputation of persecution , and appears as a just executer of the law ; and so represents him , who is upright before god and innocent in the sight of god , as an offender and breaker of the law , and so justly punishable . but this will not alwayes cover the unjust spirits persecution of the just . he that shall persecute the lord of glory ( as he that persecuteth the least member of his , how contemptible soever he appears to his eye , doth no lesse , act. 9. 4. matth. 25. 40 , 45. ) when christ shall call him to account ; therefore it will be a vain plea for him to say , there was a law for it , and he acted according to law. it is fit for all men and laws to bow before the lord , and not to disturb any in their obedience to the lord , or hurt the principle of his life in any , but cherish and nurse it up ( as much as in them lies ) in that tenderness which christ begetteth in it , and in that spiritual liberty which christ allows it . 3. a third way of persecution is by the hand of violence , without either law , or so much as pretence to law. thus the persecuting spirit , when it hath power in its hand , and is out of fear , smiteth ( with the open fist of wickedness ) that which is an enemy to , and stands a witness against its wickedness . 6. the ends of persecution , or what the persecuting spirit aims at in its persecuting , and would fain attain thereby . 1. the main end of persecution , is , to bring the children of light , ( who have left the evil , darkness and corruption of the world ) back to the world again . that which they persecute them for , is , for leaving the world both in its principle and practices , and for professing obedience and subjection to another spirit : that which they drive at in persecuting them is , to force them back from under subjection to that spirit which hath led them out of the world , into subjection to the spirit of the world again . there is a great fight between the spirit of god and the spirit of the world , in the two seeds ; the spirit of god striving to bring the spirit of the world under , and the spirit of the world striving to bring the spirit of god under . this is well known in the heart , where the new birth is witnessed . o what striving there is by the powers of darkness , with all manner of secret temptations and forcible oppositions ( so far as the lord permits ) to bring the heart ( which the lord hath begun to redeem , and in some measure set free from them ) under their power again ! and the same that stirs up the darkness in the heart against the seed and birth of light there , the same stirs up the darkness in other men against it also . the lord knows what bitter fights we have had with the enemy in our own hearts , before we could leave our principles , paths and practices of darkness , how hard it hath been to us to deny the world and come out of it : and yet when the lord hath conquered and subjected the darkness in our own hearts in any measure , then we meet with a new fight abroad in the world , the same principle and power in them fighting against us , as did at first in our selves . and as this was the aim and work of the power of darkness in our selves ( and still is , so far as any of it is left in any of us ) to bring us back under the darkness again , even from the light and leadings of the spirit , and from single obedience thereto : so it is the aim and endeavour of the same spirit in others . and if they could but bring us back from our god into the world again , they would be at peace with us as well as with other men , and love and cherish us as they do the rest of the world. 2. a second end of persecution in the spirit that persecuteth , is , to keep the children of light from gaining further ground . the kingdom of god and his truth is of a growing spreading nature . it is like leaven , like salt , like the light of the morning ; it 's nature is to leaven , to season , to overspread and gather mankind from the evil , from the darkness , from the corruption , from the death and destruction . now the spirit of the world , and that spirit which ruleth the world , is loth to lose ground ; and therefore hunts and seeks to destroy the vessels wherein the light appeareth , and from whom it shineth sorth , and to make them appear as odious as they may , that they may keep all their own territories and dominions in a perfect detestation of them , and distance from them . thus though the people of god have still been an innocent people , and simple as to the subtilty and deceit of the serpent , and weak and foolish in compare with the wise and strong ones in the worldly nature and spirit : yet they are still represented as most dangerous , most subtile and pernicious , as shrewd deceivers , witches , jesuites , &c. yea , any thing that is hateful and hated . 3. a third end of persecution , is , to afflict , grieve , vex , disturb and torment those , whose principles and practices are displeasing to them . there is enmity in the nature and spirit of the world , against the holy pure spirit and seed of god : and if it cannot overcome and get its will one way in bringing back , yet it will strive to have its will another way , even in vexing and afflicting . it is the pleasure of hatred or enmity to do any thing which may hurt that , against which its hatred is . thus the evil spirit rejoyceth in iniquity , in grieving and afflicting that which is good . as the spirit of love delights in love , and in doing good even to those which persecute : so the spirit of enmity delights in hatred and doing evil , even in vexing and oppressing those which seek their good , because they are not , nor cannot be one with them in their dark principles and evil practices . 7. the colour , or pretence which men put upon their persecutions of that which is good . persecution is so hateful ( and hath such a blackness of spirit in it ) that it cannot endure to appear in its own colour . where is the man that would appear to persecure that which is good in men , or men because of their goodness ? therefore all persecutors , though they still persecute that which is good , and those which are good ; yet they still represent and charge them as evil , that they might thereby hide the badness and unjustness of their persecutions from their own eyes , and from the eyes of others . thus the true prophets of the lord were alwayes misrepresented by their persecutors , even as false prophets , as troublers of israel , as mad men , as men not fit to be tolerated in the kingdom or commonwealth of israel : see jer. 29. 26 , 27. and those which condemned their fore-fathers , for persecuting the true prophets in former dayes , yet could also persecute the true prophets in their own dayes . christ himself , when he asked the jews , for which of his good works they stoned him ? they said , not for a good work , or as a good man ; but for his doing evil , for his blasphemy , in that he being a man , would make himself god , joh. 10 , 32 , 33. and the pharisees did not represent him as a good man , as an holy teacher from god ( as indeed he was , though his doctrine and conversation differed very much from theirs ) but as a deceiver , a seducer of the people , a mean man , the son of joseph the carpenter , one whom none of the wise scribes owned , but only such silly people as knew not the law ( joh. 7. 49. ) yea , as a very bad man , as one that was against the worship and ordinances of moses , against god's temple and priests in his doctrine and principles , and a prophaner of god's holy sabbath in his practices : yea , more than this , they represented him as a man that had a devil ; and when the mighty power of god appeared in him , they said it was the power of the devil , and that he was able to do such great things beyond them , through the help of beelzebub the prince of devils . could the jews think they did otherwise than well in desiring such a man as this to be put to death ? might they not well prefer barrabas before a man thus represented by their chief priests and teachers , who knew and could expound the law , and were best able to judge ( as they might well think ) both what was the truth , and who were deceivers ? 8. the blessednesse of the persecuted . the disciple of christ , who is persecuted for conscience sake , who suffers from men and their laws for the uprightness of his heart towards , and for his obedience unto christ , that man is precious in the eye of christ and hath his blessing with him : yea , the more men disesteem and hate him upon this account , the greater is his blessedness . blessed are ye when men shall revile you , and persecute you , and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake . rejoyce and be exceeding glad , matth. 5. 11 , 12. he is blessed in several respects . 1. that man is in that spirit and in that way which god hath chosen , and so he is in a happy state and condition at present . he is in the path of life , in the way of peace , under the leadings of god's spirit . the world loveth and cherisheth that which is its own , that which is of it and walketh with it ; but is at enmity and war with that which is of god. therefore the world's dislike , enmity and persecution is an evidence of god's choice , and of a removal from it towards god. it is an happy thing in the eye of man , to be at unity with the world , to have the love and friendship thereof , to have all men speak well of one , to be found doing that which is pleasing in the eye of the world , and to be enjoying the pleasures and profits thereof : but in the eye of god it is happy to be in unity with that which is contrary to the world , and procureth its ill-will . love not the world , neither the things that are in the world. if any man love the world , the love of the father ( which begetteth out of the world ) is not in him . but he that loseth the love of the world ( for the principle of god and his subjection thereto ) is in that which the father loveth , and feeleth the love of the father opened in him , and revealed to him : and this is truly an happy state . 2. the recompence , which god will give to them in the world to come , who cleave to him and his truth , for all the persecutions which they endure in this world for his truth 's sake , is exceeding great . great is your reward in heaven , mat. 5. 14. our light affliction , which is but for a moment ( but at most , for the time of this world ) worketh for us a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory , 2 cor. 4. 17. 3. the reward is great in this world also . there is an hundred fold recompence to be reaped in this life . the peace of god in the conscience , the presence of god , the life of god , the vertue of god , the glory of the spirit of god ( which accompanieth , resteth with , and abideth on the heart which is faithful , and waiteth upon god for patience , meekness , innocency and strength to carry through the sufferings ) may well be valued at above an hundred fold income and recompence , for all the hardships and tribusations which are undergone for his name-sake . if ye be reproached for the name of christ , happy are ye ; for the spirit of glory and of god resteth upon you , 1 pet. 4. 14. 9. the grievous misery of the persecutors . it is a miserable thing to be deceived about that which is good , to put good for evil , light for darkness , sweet for bitter , and so ( under a mistake at least ) become a persecutor of the good . all good is of god , and he that is against good is against god ; and it is a dreadful thing for the creature to set himself in battel against his creator , and to engage the power and wrath of the omnipotent one against him , though while the eye is shut , it doth not appear to men , either that they are against god , or that their danger is so great thereby , as indeed it is . the children of god are as the apple of his eye : who can touch them , and he not be deeply sensible ? yea , and they are most dear to god in that , for which the world most persecutes them . and therefore their danger and misery must needs be great , which may further appear in these three respects . 1. in respect of the weight of wrath , which their persecutions of others here will bring upon themselves in the world to come . then every hard word , with every thing they have done against any lamb of christ's , shall come upon them . there is a time of judgment for all that is sowed in this world : and then every one shall reap what he hath sowed . and if he that hath not visited the sick and imprisoned for christ's sake , shall hear that sentence , go ye our sed , &c. what will his portion be , who hath imprisoned them and caused their sickness ? now is our time of trouble ; but the lord hath prepared a day of rest for that spirit which is troubled in this world by the spirit of this world , and then shall the troublesom spirit , which troubled the peaceable spirit ( and would give it no rest in its following and obeying the lord ) be troubled by the spirit of the lord , 2 thess . 1. 6 , 7. and what shall the misery of that spirit be , whom the spirit of the lord troubleth and filleth with anguish , and torments in his fire and with his brimstone ! oh that men would awaken and consider in time , and not fell away their everlasting inheritance for a mess of vanity and transitory lusts and pleasures . 2. the hand of god doth often overtake them in this world , and the lord doth many times curse their very blessings to them , insomuch as they cannot enjoy this world with that sweetness and content they might , were it not for the rage and bitterness of their spirits against god's people , and their provoking of god against them thereby . how many of his own people did pharoah lose , and how did he break the strength and glory of his kingdom , by persecuting god's israel of old ? how did amalek cause his name to be rooted out from under heaven ? how did the nations and mighty powers of the earth fall upon this account , one after another ? and in this nation how many powers have already fallen thereby ! jerusalem is a burthensome stone ( it was so in the type , it is much more so in the substance ) which lyes in the way of every earthly spirit and power , which they know not how to build with , neither can they rear up their own building because of it , and therefore every power strives to remove it out of their way : but they know not the weight of it , nor who it is that hath squared it , nor how firm it is fixed upon the rock . the earthly spirit is never to enjoy any true or lasting peace and settlement ( which is the gift of god ) until it leave off persecuting god's israel ( which are the people whom god calleth out of the world ) and leave them free for god to enjoy , command and dispose of : and whatever holds israel in bondage , either within or without , must either subject to the lord , or be broken by that arm of power , which the lord putteth forth to redeem israel with . 3. by all their persecutions and afflictions they shall but increase and cause to grow , that which they strive to suppress . this is misery indeed , for a man to hazard his soul eternally , and his peace and prosperity in this world , to crush and suppress a people , and yet not be able to effect that neither , but even thereby occasion their growth and encrease : and yet so it is in the day that god putteth forth his hand to redeem israel . the wayes that man takes to bring them back into captivity shall be the means of perfecting their redemption . come , said pharoah , this people multiply too fast , they grow more and mightier than we ; let us deal wisely with them , and keep them down by hard labour , lest they grow over-numerous and joyn with our enemies against us , when they see their advantage : but they grew and spread the more , upon his wise plotting and contriving to diminish them . and what did he get by striving to keep them from going forth of his land and idolatrous worships , to worship the lord aright , but plagues and judgements upon himself and his people from the lord ? can the powers of the earth withstand god any more now , than they could formerly ? shall not he redeem and bring forth his people from the land of babylon ? his spiritual israel from the spiritual egypt ? shall he not break the antichristian yoak from their consciences , that they may be free in spirit to serve the lord ? can any hinder god from breathing his spirit upon people , and from begetting them in the image and likeness of his spirit unto himself ? and shall not these be the lord's ? shall not the same spirit teach them to worship the lord ? shall god call them to worship him openly , and shall they not obey him , but worship him according to man's inventions and commandments , or not at all publickly ? oh ye sons of men be wise , do not contend with the lord ; be not bewitched by the cup of fornications , from the pure spiritual worship of the living god , into man's inventions , which the lord's soul loaths ; nor do not strive to hold any back from the lord , whom the lord draws after him : but consider his power , wait to know his work in the world , and do not intrench upon his dominions , but be thankful for and content with your own ; and do not provoke him against you , who can more easily take yours from you , than ye can his from him. and consider this watch-word , in that which can open and shew the truth of it ; the lord hath put forth his arm to recover his possessions from out of the hands of antichrist : and who shall be able to force it back again , to make it return into his bosom without effecting what he stretched it forth for ? therefore , o magistrates of this nation , do not make use of the sword to suppress the plants of god , but to cut down that which manifestly is not of god. look abroad throughout this nation , behold how much evil there is to grieve and provoke the lord , and to divert good from the nation ; and to bring wrath upon it and the government thereof ; strike at that in righteous and true judgment , and with mercy to creatures souls and bodies : but that which certainly is of god , meddle not with ; and that which may be of god , for ought ye know , be circumspect in medling with , lest ye engage god against you . it were better to let many tares grow , than pluck up one ear of corn. christ hath absolutely expressed it to be his mind , that he would not have that done , which may so much as hazard the plucking up of an ear of corn , ( mat. 13. 29. ) but oh how are the laws and governments of this world to be lamented over ( and oh what need there is of their reformation ) whose common work it is to pluck up the ears of corn , and leave the tares standing ! the chief cause of this misery ( from whence it principally ariseth ) is men's medling with those things which god hath reserved for himself , and assaying to do that carnally , which god once did spiritually , and will do spiritually again in his due time , when he hath sufficiently shewn how untoward and improper mans hand is to effect it . the christians in the apostles dayes , were of one heart and one mind , which proceeded from the power and work of god upon them , and then they soon came into one way and worship : but men will have unity and uniformity in a way of religion and worship , before there is one heart and one mind . now this is contrary to the spirit of god and to the very nature of religion , and the cause of much cruelty upon mens consciences : and this hath been and will be the constant effect of it , even the crushing ( as much as lies in man ) of that which is tender , and of and for god , and the encreasing of that which is formal , dead and earthly . now if ever christ appointed or intended such a church-government , which naturally produceth this effect , let all that fear god , and are of sober spirits , judge . 10. the way and means to avoid persecution . where is the man ( in whom there is any good , who hath any love to goodness and righteousness , who hateth cruelty and oppression over mens outward liberties and estates , and much more over the consciences of people ) that could not with his heart desire to have this grand enemy removed , both from particular persons , and also from governors and governments , that peace and settlement might be known , righteousness reaped , all cruelty and hardness in one man towards another removed , and there be no more complaining in our streets , either because of oppressions from men , or fear of wrath from god upon those governments which oppress ? and who would not earnestly pray to god for the discovery of that way and those means , and be very industrious in the use of them , whereby this persecuting spirit and temper might be wasted and dryed up in him ? now the way and means whereby the persecuting spirit may be subdued , are divers , as , 1. by a true awe and fear of god in the heart . the fear of god teacheth to depart from iniquity , and to seek the crucifying and bringing under of the worldly spirit in a man's self , and to wait daily to have god's will revealed , and likewise to be made obedient thereunto . now he that is in this temper of spirit , will hardly be drawn to persecute another , but rather rejoyce to see a tenderness of spirit in him , and true subjection of heart to what he believes to be the mind and will of god ; and dares not so much as judge him for differing , either in apprehensions or practices about worship , much lesse persecute him therefore . but that man who is of a prophane spirit , or comes easily by his religion ( even by the wisdom , industry and parts of man , and not by the gift of god ) and is exercised in that fear of god which is taught by the precepts of men , but knoweth not that fear which god puts in the heart ( from whence the true religion and worship springs ) either of these may be drawn to persecute , yea indeed , it will be hard for either of them to abstain there-from . 2. by meckness of spirit . the gospel makes meek , tender , gentle , peaceable , fills with love and sweetness of spirit , teacheth to love , to forgive , to pray for and bless enemies : and how shall this man persecute ? can a lamb persecute ? can a dove persecute ? indeed a wolf in sheeps clothing may raven and devour , but a true sheep cannot . as the power of the gospel is known , the devouring and persecuting nature is destroyed : and that being taken away , persecution soon comes to an end . 3. by a sober and patient consideration of their cause whom they persecute , and what it is in themselves which moves them to persecute them . the strength of persecution lies in the darknes , in the dark thoughts , mis-judgings and misapprehensions about him , whom one persecutes or is inclined to persecute , in prejudices , and false judgements of persons and things received : which by a sober hearing and considering of things in god's fear and in meekness , might be removed ; and then the eager persecuting heat of spirit would soon abate and fall , the fewel ( which kindled it ) being taken away . the jews stopped their ears and ran upon stephen , acts. 7. 57. this is the way of persecuting spirits ; they take in prejudices against persons , their principles and practices , stop their ears against what may be said to manifest either the equity of the thing in its self , or their mistake about it , and then run headlong in their fury of persecuting and devouring . but he that is sober and considerate and weighs the cause before he engages against it , and observes what it is in him which moves so hotly against another , and which is so ready to believe ill aforehand : he shall soon see that , which is always hid from the eye of the persecutor , and find water to cast on this devouring fire of spirit in him . 4. by a righteous frame of spirit , which is willing to do by another , as he would be done to in the like case . persecution ariseth from unrighteousness and selfishness ; righteousness and true equity would soon end it . if no man would make another man's conscience bow by force who would not have his own so bowed , persecution would soon cease . but this is the great evil and unrighteousness of man ; whoever is uppermost , thinks he hath , right to bow all the rest under him , and looks upon them as guilty and offenders , if their consciences do not yield and bow under him . and he that newly complained of the load laid on his conscience by others , yet if he can get ease and power into his hand , is presently laying a load upon others . here is a wrong frame of spirit within , and how can it chuse but bring forth injury and persecution outwardly . 5. by taking heed and watching against the corrupt and carnal , principle , with the reasonings , self-ends and interests thereof , and hearkening to the principle of god , which teacheth and speaketh right reason . man , as he came from god and was by especial favour formed in his image : so it pleased god to place in him a principle of his own life to govern him . this image was defaced by the fall , and this principle forfeited , yet for christ's sake ( who is the saviour of all men , but especially of them that believe ) the lord stirreth up and visiteth all mankind more or less , by the pure eternal principle of his own light and life in christ . in hearkening to this , man's reason is rectified , purified and preserved pure ; and his steps here are safe : but consulting and contriving out of this , he meets with that which corrupts him ( captivating and mis-byassing his reason ) and then all his intents , designes and contrivances become corrupt , and tend not onely towards the prejudice of others at present , but also to his own loss and detriment in the issue . he therefore that would be safe in the enjoyment of any blessing which he hath received from god , and faithful in doing him service in his generation , must know what of himself is ready to betray him , that he may watch against it and turn from it , and what in himself is given him of god to enlighten , guide , instruct and preserve him , that he may hearken thereto and be made happy thereby . 11. and lastly , to set it yet more home upon all that are ingenuous , and would be worthy and noble , and do that which is worthy and noble , abhorting cruelty , afflicting and oppressing of others , let them consider the fruits and effects of persecution , which are very many , and of the worst kind , even sutable to the nature of the root . at present i shall onely mention these four . 1. in a great degree it hindreth the growth of the present good in every age and generation , so far as the earthly power or sword of the magistrate can well hinder . persecution of that which is good by the earthly powers , in its proper tendency is an hinderance to the growth thereof in their age and day , though the lord can overbear the malignity of it and further the growth of his seed thereby . 2. it wholly tends towards hindring the shooting up of any further seeds of good , which god hath to saw in the earth : for all the seeds of good which god hath to sow in the earth , at first they are looked upon as evil , until by god's blessing upon them , and opening of mens eyes through the much suffering of those vessels , in whom god causeth the most excellent seeds of his virtue and goodness first to appear , their innocency and beauty begins at length to shine in mens eyes and be discerned . 3. it occasioneth the growth of evil . for good withstandeth , opposeth and chaseth away evil , even as light doth darkness : and therefore the preventing of the springing up of the good , is a cherishing and strengthening of the evil . besides , the same spirit , government or power , which persecuteth and keepeth down the good under a pretence of its being evil , cannot chuse but also cherish and nurse up the evil , under a pretence of its being good . for the same eye , tongue and heart , that seeth , calleth and acknowledgeth that which is indeed good to be evil , cannot chuse but also mistake the evil and think it good . 4. it draweth down the wrath of god upon people , powers and governments , where such persecution is ; where the evil is cherished under a pretence of its being good , and the good endeavoured to be suppressed under a pretence of its being evil . if men from their hearts do acknowledge the being of god , and his disposal of things : then surely what is truly good in persons or nations is of him ; and what is of him , his eye is upon . he beholdeth the plants which he hath planted in the earth , and the plants which the envious one hath planted ; and he cannot bless that place , that people , those powers , that government , where his plants are crushed , under a pretence of their not being his , and where the evil hature and plants are cherished as if they were the good . therefore he that would not be an enemy to god , an enemy to goodness , an enemy to himself , an enemy to mankind , and a friend and promoter of evil , let him wait on the lord , for the fear of his name and power to be written on his heart , and for a meek righteous frame of spirit , &c. that he may consider his steps and the reasonings of his mind , and not mistake evil for good , and good for evil , and so persecute men for being and doing that , which ( might it have its course and progress ) would make the world happy . object . but will not this undermine magistracy , and interrupt its punishing of evil-doers , if they should be thus tender and considerate ? for what man cannot pretend conscience for what he does ? and if the magistrate should hearken to every pretence of conscience , the laws would soon be silent , government at a stand , and every one do what they list , bringing in all manner of licentiousness and disobedience to authority , under a pretence of conscience . answ . 1. conscience is of god ; and tenderness and conscienciousness towards him is necessary to the receiving of his pure fear , and towards the springing up and growth of all good in the heart . the seed of good is tender : and if it be not received into tender and well-prepared earth ( but into thorny , stony or high-way ground ) it cannot grow . and it cannot reasonably be supposed , to be the intent of god in appointing governments , that ever their laws or authority should hurt that tenderness of conscience , wherein his seeds of good are sown . 2. it is true , the corrupt nature of man , which is selfish and seeketh covers for evil , may also seek this cover to hide iniquity under , and may pretend conscience when there is no matter of conscience at all , but self-will and self-ends at bottom . 3. notwithstanding this , god would not have the true conscienciousness and tenderness in any of his crushed ; nor can it be done by any person , authority or law , without provokeing god on the one hand , or without injury to such who are so dealt with : viz. who are punished by man for the exercise of that conscientiousness which is of god , and which he requireth and is pleasing to him. 4. it were far better in it self , safer for governours , more agreeable to equity and righteous government , and more pleasing to god and good men , rather to suffer some ( by their craft and false covers ) to escape due punishment , then to punish those who by the goodness , innocency and righteousness which god hath planted in them ) are exempted from punishment . yea , it were better and much safer to spare many evil men , then to punish one good man : for mercy and sparing ( even of offenders ) is natural to that which is good , but severity and punishments are unnatural , and but for necessities sake . and as for that man , who by his subtilty and deceit thus escapes man's hand , he wil be no great gainer : for god , who is above all , will be sure to meet with him . yea that magistrate ( who spares some evil and evil-doers meerly upon this account , lest he should hurt that which is good ) the lord will help and bless ; whereas that power and government which wilfully errs herein , the lord may soon cut down : and that which errs thus through mistake ( it being a grievous mistake to cut down the good in stead of the evil ) the lord , who loveth the good and hateth the evil , may easily be provoked against . 5. as government came from god : so the righteous execution of it depends upon god. every man needs god's help daily , else he may easily erre in his course : and governments and governours need god's help much more , in the many intricacies and perplexities which they often meet with . and god is nigh to them in their difficult cases , who wait upon him for counsel and direction . if the case be knotty , yet if god give wisdom , hath the magistrate cause to complain ? and will not the lord assist that magistrate , who in his fear waits on him , and is not willing to spare the evil , and afraid to hurt the good ? if there were not so much consulting with man's wisdom and policy , ( nor such laying of designs and intents at first , as spring from man and not from god ) but a naked upright waiting on him for instruction , who can onely guide the spirit of man aright , governments would not prove so difficult , nor the success therein so dangerous . a brief account of that stiffness , resolvedness and supposed stubborness , which by many is objected against the people called quakers . object . that the people called quakers , are an innocent and industrious people , that they aim at good and might be serviceable and profitable to the nation in many respects ; this many believe concerning them , and in their hearts wish that the powers would let them alone and make a trial of them : the which they might be the more enclined to do , were it not for a certain stiffness which appears in them , they being so gined to their principles and practices that they will not bend in the least , nor so much as meet the magistrate one jot in any favour he would shew unto them . this is such a temper as no magistrate or governour can beat , and therefore there is a necessity either of banishing or suppressing them out way or other . answ . i freely confess , that ( looking upon them with man's eye ) it may easily appear so to man , who cannot see either whence that is , or what that is , which is wrought in their hearts by god. and how can i blame others for judging thus of them , when i my self should be liable so to judge , if i did so look upon them ? but yet , if i had patience to hear them , and to consider the thing in the fear of god , ( watching against that wisdom , from which the knowledge of the things of god and the state of his people is hid ) i see also , that there is some ground may appear unto man , to let him see that this is not such a stiffness and stubborness of spirit as he judgeth , but ariseth from , and necessarily accompanieth a true tenderness and conscientiousness towards god ; which to make the more manifest to such as are willing fairly to consider the thing and know the truth thereof , i shall thus demonstrate . 1. stubbornness , or such a kind of stiffness and resolvedness , ariseth from the strength and corruption of the natural will and earthly wisdom . the wisdom which is from above is gentle , easie to be entreated : and the will which is created by god is mild and flexible , and easie to be led ( by the least child ) in the line of goodness . and i can truly say this , that i never in my whole course and conversation ( who have long been a spectator and un-interested person both as relating to the civil state and the various professions of religion , till the power of truth and presence of god appearing in this people drew my heart after them ) yea i cannot but say in the singleness of my heart , i never met with a more mild , gentle , flexible-spirited people . and he that can reach the ground of the thing , cannot but see it to be thus : for he that is daily exercised in denying his will and wisdom , he on whose back the lord lays the cross and crucifies him every day , his self-will and self-wisdom ( with all the conceitedness and stiffness which ariseth therefrom ) must needs be much broken in him . 2. in the tenderness and pliableness to good , which god begets , there is and cannot but be an unbendedness to evil . consider this , o ye that are wise : in the birth which god begets in the heart , in the immortal seed of life , which god hath sown and causeth to spring up in his heritage , there is a bowing to god at every appearance of good , accompanied with a tenderness , gentleness and good will to man : but it cannot bow to that which is evil in any man upon the face of the earth . read then this riddle , with a true understanding : the tender one cannot yeild , the flexible one cannot bow , but naturally standeth upright and strait towards god , even in every thing it hath learned of him , and which he requireth of it . thus in the apostles days , the christians ( though meek , though sweet , though pliable to the spirit of god and to all good , yet ) could not bow to so much as an appearance of evil any where , but shun and avoid it every where . and if it were not for this kind of stiffness and unbendedness , the children of god could never be preserved in their departure out of the worlds spirit , wayes , worships and practices : but would soon be ensnared and drawn back again , by the enticements and subtilties of the worldly nature either in themselves or others . 3. a stiffness then i grant , an unbendedness i grant ; but not of the earthly , not of the self-wil , nor according to the earthly : but such as ariseth from truth in the heart , and from tenderness of spirit towards god ; such as is begot in his fear , preserved by his power , and is necessary towards their preservation who are born of him , and called by him out of the world. and if those who are apt and liable to mis-judge of them , did but see the sincere desire of their hearts not to offend man , but to be subject to the utmost according to the will of god , and knew what breathings there are in their hearts to god ( in relation to the magistrate , and when they appear before him ) that they may be preserved in the pure fear , and in righteousness and inoffensiveness , and how they cannot but refuse to break any of god's commands , because he is their supream lord , and they dare not disobey him to please man , or avoid their own sufferings from man : i say , if men did see this , surely they would not call it stubbornness and self-willedness , but a pure subjection and denial of the self-will in god's fear , joyned with an holy and humble boldness in his power . 4. let it be equally considered , and it will soon be acknowledged , that the least thing which god requires ( the command being from so great a king , upon whom the soul hath so great dependance , from whom it hath so great hopes , and to whom universal obedience is so due in it self and so profitable to the creature ) is exceeding weighty : and it is impossible for the fear of him and due tenderness towards his commands , to be preserved , without a strict and close giving up the will to him , and standing in his strength , strong and unbended against all temptations , provocations , allurements and affrightments to the contrary . ( and how easily may men call this stubborness and stiffness . ) but this they receive from god , as well as the law of obedience and power to obey ; and this ( which men call stubborness ) flows in upon them from him , when they are in the sweetest and meekest frame of spirit , most ready to deny themselves and to yield up their own wills , to whatsoever is good and righteous , and so of god. 5. the same thing , which is offended at this unbendedness and resolvedness , which is wrought and preserved in them by the fear of god ( calling it by way of reproach , stiffness and stubborness ) i say , the very same thing will commend that resolution and stiffness , which is taken up in man's wisdom , and held in man's will. is it not good to weigh and consider things reasonably , and then to chuse and hold fast to those principles which appear most reasonable ? what man , but will say it is ? and is it not good to obey and keep to that light which is higher than reason , which comprehends reason , rectifying and preserving it , making it profitable and serviceable to god which made it , to the vessel in which it is , and to the rest of the creation ? but wisdom is justified of her children . he that knows not the principle of the eternal light , who is not born of it ( much less by unfeigned obedience and subjection formed into it ) he cannot justifie it in his paths : but he justifies the earthly wisdom and reason of man , by it setting up appearances of good , instead of good , and would make all acknowledge and bow to them as good : whereas that which is indeed acquainted with the good , living in the principle thereof , cannot bow to the false appearance , but only to the truth it self . when man's spirit and wisdom is wearied out of all its paths , and he broken with the misery which will certainly overtake him therein , at last the path of god will be welcome to him , and that principle which ( through the operation of god ) is able to rectifie him and make him happy . there hath long been a peace and prosperity throughout the world in unrighteousness : but the season is at length come for the breaking thereof , and now there is not to be such a setled false peace in unrighteousness any longer ; but tribulation , anguish and destruction is coming upon the selfish and unjust spirit : and he that refuseth the path of righteousness , must not know peace , but be overtaken with the over-flowing scourge , and swept into and shut up in the pit , which hath long been digging for the wicked ( psal . 94. 13. ) and mark this thing following , ye that would not find your selves deceived of your souls hereafter , nor of your outward peace and prosperity here : for it deeply concerns both . the spirit of the lord once raised up a spiritual building , which the spirit of the dragon overturned ( as to its outward state : though the gates of hell could not prevail against the being and inward state of the true church ) and instead thereof set up an earthly image , agreeable to the earthly spirit in nations , but burthensom to that which is innocent , pure and spiritual . the lord god suffered this to stand all it s allotted time , and to have power to keep down the visibility of his truth and people : but the lord hath appointed a season to raise up his own building again , and to throw down this image . now this i say to all men , in the fear and dread of the almighty , stand still and mark , if all the power of man be able to keep down god's spiritual building which he is raising up , or to keep up any part of the earthly image which he is throwing down . the spirit of man ( in various wayes ) hath shewed , what it judgeth best to have down and to have up , and hath put forth its strength to accomplish its will and counsel : stand still a while and ye shall see , that the spirit of the lord will also shew what he would have down , and what he would have up , and he will also put forth his strength to accomplish his will and counsel . it is the glory and honour of the lord to carry on his work in the midst of all the oppositions of man , and against the full current of his strength and will. this will make it to appear to be of god , and cause the glory of his name to shine . o that men could fear the lord and bow before him , that he might be honoured in them , and see good to honour them in the carrying on of his work , and so might not be forced ( through their hearkening to the dark spirit , and because of their ignorance of , and disobedience to the light of his spirit ) to get himself a name by overturning their strength and councils , and causing his glory to shine over them . we have been a poor oppressed people , from the day that the power of the lord brake forth upon us , and his light sprang in us , even until now . and now we are brought lower than ever , and are in greater danger ( to the eye of man ) than ever . yet our confidence is still in our god : and this we are certain of , that our principle ( and practices there-from ) shall stand , and man shall not be able to prevail against it : for god will preserve his people in his life and power , and the heads of all that wait upon him in his fear , shall be lift up above all the swellings of the waters ; yea , a song of praise is already prepared in the hearts of god's chosen , against the day of his deliverance . we look not out , but give up our backs to the smiter , as if their stroaks were never to have an end : and yet we wait on our god and hope in him , as if deliverance were springing up every moment . and , oh that god would smite the spirit of enmity and darkness in men and powers , and then there would be love , peace , pursuing after god and righteousness , and no more persecuting and smiting of god's people for the uprightness of their hearts , and for their obedience and faithfulness to him. but be it known throughout all the earth , we are the lord's , and we must worship and serve him. he hath redeemed us ( even all of us in some measure , who have known unity with his living truth ) in soul , in body and spirit : and they must all be his in the first place , and cannot bow to man ( in the least ) against his will , or contrary to the law of his pure life , and leadings of his spirit in the heart . here is our standing , in the strength of our god , whatever become of us . and here we stand in love and good-will to mankind , yea to these present powers , however they judge of us ; and have been praying for them , and mourning over them , while they have been smiting of us . and when they have drawn the hand of the lord upon themselves ; if the lord shall please to open their eyes to see what we have been towards them ( and how fain we would have had them set footing there , where they might have stood firm and have been preserved ) they will bewail as much their dealings with us , as what will befall themselves . the lord will manifest all things in his time , and give his truth a passage in the earth , and his people a quiet habitation therein , how black soever the face of things now appear , as relating to them . o how happy will the day be when the lord shall have wrought down the selfish spirit in man , and shall have raised up his own noble and equal principle . then shall righteousness spring up and spread abroad throughout the nations : and the work of righteousness shall be peace , and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever . the end . a discourse concerning riots occasioned by some of the people called quakers, being imprisoned and indicted for a riot, for only being at a peaceable meeting to worship god / written by one of that people, thomas ellwood. ellwood, thomas, 1639-1713. 1683 approx. 53 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-07 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a39302 wing e618 estc r39419 18403508 ocm 18403508 107496 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a39302) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107496) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1632:2) a discourse concerning riots occasioned by some of the people called quakers, being imprisoned and indicted for a riot, for only being at a peaceable meeting to worship god / written by one of that people, thomas ellwood. ellwood, thomas, 1639-1713. 16 p. printed for thomas hoskins ..., london : mdclxxxiii [1683] imperfect: cropped and slightly faded. advertisement: p. 16. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -england -apologetic works. riots -england. persecution -england. great britain -religion -17th century. 2003-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-03 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-05 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2003-05 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-06 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a discourse concerning riots . occasioned by some of the people called qvakers , being imprisoned and indicted for a riot , for only being at a peaceable meeting to worship god. written by one of that people , thomas ellwood . thou shalt not wrest iudgment , deut. 16.19 . if thou seest the oppression of the poor , and violent perverting of iudgment and iustice in a province , marvel not at the matter : for he that is higher than the highest , regardeth , and there be higher than they , eccl : 5.8 . london , printed for thomas howkins , in george-yard in lombard-street , mdclxxxiii . the occasion of this discourse . the proceedings of late , in city and country , against some of the people called quakers , for riots , for only meeting peaceably together to serve and worship god , first put me upon inquiring into the nature of riots . what upon that inquiring i have found i here present to publick view , for common benefit , that none through ignorance may be occasion of bringing an unjust suffering upon an innocent people , and thereby guilt upon themselves . i do not pretend much skill in law ( a study and profession i was never bred to ) but having spent some hours on this occasion , in searching what the law-books say in this case , i hope i may ( without incurring the censure of presumption ) communicate my gleanings to such of my well-meaning country-men , as have not leisure or opportunity to inform themselves otherwise . i solemnly declare i have no other end or aim in this work , than to do good and prevent evil : which consideration , with men of candour and ingenuity , will be , i hope , a sufficient apology for any seeming boldness in this vndertaking . a discourse concerning riots , &c. that the nature of a riot may be the better understood , i intend to observe this method . 1. to set down the strict and proper signification of the word . 2. to inquire what the statute law says concerning it . 3. to observe what the common acceptation of the word [ riot ] is in common law. 4. to shew the contrarieties between riots and peaceable religious meetings . 1. then , to begin with the signification of the word . cowell , a doctor of the civil law , and the king's professor thereof in the university of cambridge , says , the word riot ( in latin , riotum ) cometh of the french , rioter , that is , rixari ( which signifies to chide , scold , brawl , strive , or quarrel . ) cowell 's interpreter , verbo riot . lambard says , riot i think to be derived from the french word rioter , signifying to scold ( or brawl ) because such manner of acts be commonly accompanied with words of brawl . eirenarcha l. 2. cap. 5. blunt says , riot ( in french riote ) is a brawling scolding contention . glossograph . verbo riot . judge coke says , riotum ( a riot ) cometh of the french word riotter , that is , rixari ; which ( as i noted before ) signifies to scold , brawl , quarrel , &c. inst. 3. part cap. 79. tit. riots . keeble says , riot is of the french riotter , to scold or brawl , because such manner of acts be commonly accompanied with words of brawl . assistance to justices of the peace . p. 645. this is enough to shew how unapplicable the word riot , in its proper and true signification , is to a peaceable , quiet , religious meeting , which admits not of any scolding , brawling , quarrelling , or the like . 2. as to statute-law , although divers statutes were antienly made for the suppressing of riots , routs and unlawful assemblies , as 13 h. 4.7 . — 2 h. 5.8 . and 19 h. 7.13 . yet none of them define or describe what a riot is . so that i find nothing in the statute-law will add light to this inquiry ; and therefore we must have recourse to the common-law , and observe , 3. what the common acceptation of the word [ riot ] is in the common law. cowell says , it signifies in our common law , the forcible doing of an unlawful act by three or more persons assembled together for that purpose . cowell's interpreter , verbo riot . the same says lambard in his eirenarcha l. 2. c. 5. the same says west , part 2. symbol . tit. indictments . the same says r. blunt in his glossograph . verbo riot . the same says tho. blunt in his law-dictionary , verbo riot , the same ( in effect ) says the book called les termes de le ley , tit. riot , p. 244. and to the same purpose speaks keeble , in his assistance to justices of the peace . p. 645. thus in short the define a riot : but in the further opening of it , there are seven things i observe the law-books make essential to a riot ; which i will set down severally . 1. the first is the number of persons engaged in it ; which may be any number above two. 2. the second is , that there be some fact actually done . for if three persons or more should assemble together , and with intent to do such an act as would amount to a riot : yet if they do it not , but depart again without doing any thing , their so assembling is no riot . a riot , says lambard , is thought to be , where three or more persons be disorderly assembled to commit with force any such unlawful act , and do accordingly execute the same . eirenar●ha l. 2. c. 5. judge coke says , riot in the common law signifieth when three or more do any unlawful act , as to beat a man , &c. instit. 3. part. c. 79. tit. riots . a riot , says pulion , is where three persons or above do assemble themselves together to beat or maim a man , &c. and they do it . pult. de pace regis , fol. 25. dalton says , where three persons or more shall come or assemble themselves together , to the intent to do any unlawful act , with force or violence , against the peace , or to the manifest terror of the people , — if they do execute any such thing indeed , then it is a riot . country iustice , c. 85. tit. riots . the same says meriton in his guide for constables p. 93. a riot , says keeble , is thought to be , where three or more porsons be disorderly assembled to commit with force any unlawful act , and do accordingly execute the same . assist. to just. p. 645. she herd having shewed what number of persons , and what kind of unlawful act can make a riot , says , a riot is , where they do not only begin , and go on , but finish their work , or with unlawful weapons do such an unlawful act , grand abridgment part 3. p. 259. from all which it is evident , that for any number of persons barely to assemble themselves together ( thougb it were with a riotous intention ) is no riot , unless the same persons being so assembled , do commit some such unlawful act as in construction of law will amount to a riot ( and of what kind that must be , shall be our next inquiry . ) so that , if in a peaceable manner to preach or pray could legally be interpreted a riotous act : yet those meetings which are wholly silent , wherein there is nothing said , nothing done ; or wherein ( which is much alike ) no proof can be made of anything said or done ( and such , it seems was that meeting , which gave occasion to this discourse ) such meetings to be sure cannot be riots , 3. a third thing is , that the act or deed done must be not only unlawful , but injurious to another . this appears by the examples given by the most eminent lawyers that have written of this subject . judge coke says , " a riot in the common law signifieth , when three or more do any unlawful act : then to explain what he means here by an unlawful act , he immediately adds , as to beat any man , or to hunt in his park , chase or warren , or to enter or take possession of another man's land , or to cut or destroy his corn ; grass or other profit . instit. 3. p. c. 79. tit. riots . shepherd , having shewed what number of persons must be present to make a riot , adds , a second thing that must be in the case to make up any degree in these offences , must be , that the assembly they go with , or their intent and design must be evil , to do some hurt to men or that which is theirs : then instances thus , as breach of inclosures , or bancks , or conducts , parks , pounds , houses , barns , the burning of stacks of corn , or the like ; or to enter into lands , to beat others , or to carry away their wives , or the like . grand abridg. 3. part p. 259. tit. riots . fitz-herbert explains the unlawful act which makes a riot , by these examples , viz. to beat or to maim another , fitz-h . office of just. of peace , p. 53. lambard uses these examples viz. to beat a man , or to enter upon a possession forcibly . eirnarcha , lib. 2. c. 5. the same are in the book called les terms de la ley . tit. riot . p. 244. pulton says , a riot is where three persons or more do assemble themselves together to the intent to beat or maim a man , to pull down a house , wall , pale , hedge , or ditch ; wrongfully to claim or take common or way in a ground , to destroy any park , warren , dove-house , pond , pool , barn , mill , or stack of corn ; or to do any other unlawful act , with force and violence , and against the peace , and they do it . pult. de pace regis , fol. 25. meriton says , where three persons or more shall come and assemble themselves together , to the intent to do any unlawful act , with force or violence , against the person of another , his possessions or goods ( then he instances particulars ) as to kill , beat , or otherwise to hurt , or to imprison a man ; to pull down a house , wall , pale , hedge , or ditch ; wrongfully to enter upon or into another man's possession , house or lands , &c. or to cut , or take away corn , grass , wood , or other goods wrongfully ; or to hunt unlawfully in any park or warren , or to do any other unlawful act ( with force or violence ) against the peace , or to the manifest terror of the people , — if they do any such thing in deed , then it is a riot . guide for constables , p. 92.93 . for this he cites divers authors , particularly dalton , who gives the self-same examples of an unlawful riotous act , and out of whom he seems to have transcribed this verbatim . so that i need not repeat what dalton there says ; but shall only observe out of him , that one of the reasons he gives , why , if divers do assemble and gather together to play at certain unlawful games and sports ( which he mentions ) it is no riot , is , because these meetings ( says he ) usally are not with any intent to offer or do violence or hurt to the person , possessions or goods of any other . dalt . country just. c. 85. tit. riots . by all these instances it is evident , that those unlawful acts which the common law takes notice of as riots , are such as are some way or other injurious and hurtful to the persons or possessions of others ; but quiet and peaceable meetings , for the worship of god only , are no ways injurious or hurtful to the persons or possessions of any . so that it is not every unlawful meeting , or assembly of people forbidden by the law , that will amount unto a riot . 't is true indeed , every riot is an unlawful assembly ; but ( the terms are not convertible ) every unlawful assembly is not a riot . dalton says , the manner of doing an unlawful act by an assembly of people , may be such ( and so handled ) as that it shall not be punished as a riot . country just. c. 86. p. 221. and both lambard and keeble , from marrow , assure us , that an unlawful thing maybe so done , as that it cannot be made a riot . eirenarcha , l. 2. c. 5. assistannce to just. p. 645. and so says shepherd also , grand abridgment 3. part . p. 260. and to manifest yet further , that by an unlawful act in a riotous sense , the law books intend such an act as is injurious or hurtful to the person or possessions of another they tell us that unlawful act which makes a riot , must be malum in se evil in it self and of its own nature . this dalt . implies , when he says that to play at foot-ball , bucklers , bear-baitings , dancings , bowls , cards or dice , or such like games or desports ( which he confesses are unlawful ) is no riot , because they are not evil in themselves . country just. c. 85. but in the last edition of dalton ; ( printed last year , with many considerable additions by another hand ) it is said expresly , an unlawful assembly , riot or rout , is where three or more shall gather together , come or meet in one place , to do some unlawful act with violence , and that unlawful act must be malum in se , that is , evil in it self ) and not malum prohibitum ( not evil forbidden , only . ) see the new edition of dalton's country justice , c. 136. now if ( according to these ) that unlawful act which makes a riot must be evil in it self ; or injurious , then surely it cannot possibly be a riot for people to assemble peaceably and quietly together to worship god : for certainly no man can harbour a thought , that it is evil in it self for men and women to worship god , or to assemble together , in a peaceable manner , for that end . and it is manifest that the statute of the 22. car. 2. ( commonly called the conventicle act ) which prohibits those meetings to greater numbers , doth not take those meetings to be evil in themselves , because it permits them to lesser numbers . 4. a fourth thing essential to a riot is force or violence . so all agree . cowell says , it signifies in our common law , the forcible doing of an unlawful act , &c. cowell's interpreter , verbo riot . west says , a riot is the forcible doing of an unlawful act , &c. symbol . 2 par tit. indictments . r. blunt says , riot signifies in our common law , the forcible doing of an unlawful act , &c. glossograph . verbo riot . tho. blunt says , riot signifies the forcible doing an unlawful act , &c. law-dictionary , verbo riot . keeble says , a riot is thought to be where three or more persons be disorderly assembled to commit with force any such unlawful act , &c. assist. to just. p. 645. lambard not only defines a riot to be , where three or more persons be disorderly assembled to commit with force , any such unlawful act ; but at his entrance upon the discourse of riots , having premised that many contentions may be without any apparent shew of assembly against the peace ; i will leave them , says he , and resort to those other that the commission saith to be done vi armata ; and thereupon he proceeds to describe riots , routs , &c. so that it is plain he lookt upon that act which could make a riot , to be an act done vi armata , with armed force , or , as the phrase is , with force and arms. and therefore , treating of what one justice may do in the case of a riot , he says , he alone ( or with his servant ) may go to the place , and such as he findeth riotously assembled and armed , he may arrest — and may take their weapons from them . eirenarcha , l. 2. c. 5. tit. riots . which implies that they must be armed , they must have weapons , that commit a riot . but shepherd speaks full and plain : for describing an unlawful assemby , rout and riot , he says , rout is , where being thus met they move , being weaponed , from the place of their meeting towards the place where they prepose to do this act , in a turbulent way to effect it , &c. but a rior , he says , is where they not only begin and go on , but with vnlawful weapons finish or do such an unlawful act. grand abridgment 3. part . p. 259 : dalton says expresly , it seemeth it can be no riot , except there be an intent precedent to do some unlawful act , and with violence or force , count , just. ch . 85. thus all concur , that that act which makes , or can be made a riot , must be a forcible act , or an act done with force . so that no force , no riot . and therefore , seeing our peaceable , quiet , religious meetings are wholly free from force and violence , it follows that they are also free from riot . now that none may err through misapprehension that the words [ vi armata , or with force and arms ] are words of form only , and not material and essential to a riot ; let me add what lambard saith thereupon . even as the civilians do handle two sorts of force : of which they call the one vim , and vim simplicem , privatam ; five quotidianam ; and the other vim armatam , atrocem & publicam , because the first is void of any fearful outrage , and the latter seemeth to kindle the coals of sedition it self : so likewise says he , our law taketh knowledge of two manner of force , whereof the one is rather intellectual than actual , and may therfore be termed , a force in the consideration of law , which accounteh all that to be vis , which is contrary to ius . but the other is apparent by the act it self , which alwaies carrieth some fearful shew , and matter of terror ( or trouble ) with it . eirenar . l. 2. c. 4. p. 140. and therefore ( l. 2. c. 5. p. 174. ) he explains [ vis armata ] to be that , which doth bring manifest terror unto the subject . and as he makes that which he calls an intellectual force , or a force in the consideration of law , to relate to suits and actions at law for trespasses , &c. so ( in his first book , c. 2. p. 7. ) he declares , it is no part of the justices office to forbid lawful suits and controversies , but to suppress injurious force and violence moved against the person , his goods or possessions and in p. 10. he saies , i conclude that this furious gesture and beastly force of body or hands ( and not every contention , suit and disagreement of minds ) is the proper subject and matter about which the office of the iustices of the peace is to be exercised . now since a riot is the proper subject and matter about which the office of justices of the peace is to be exercised , it follows that that vis armata , that force and arms , which is of necessity to the making of a riot , must needs be this furious gesture this beastly force of body and hands ( as lambard calls it ) which brings terror to the people , and which our meetings are free from ▪ dalton also , undertaking to shew what the law accounteth to be force , and what weapons be offensive in these and the like cases , saies , to have harness , guns , bows and arrows , cross-bows , halberts , javelins , bills , clubs , pikes , pitchforks , or swords not usually born by the parties , shall be said to be vis armata . and so to use casting of stones , hot coals , scalding water or lead , or , be said to be vis armata ; country iust. c. 77. p. 203. 5 a fifth thing is the previous intent of the persons assembled . both lambard and keeble tell us , the intention and purpose of those that be assembled is worthy the weighing . and they instance some cases of persons that being met at an ale-house , a christmas-dinner , or a church-ale , fell together by the ears and fought , yet this was no riot ( but a sudden affray only ) because they did not come thither with intention to fight ; eiren. l. 2. c. 5. assist. to just. tit. riots . shepherd says , if many come together unarmed , they know not why themselves ; this is no offence punishable , unless it can be known , that they came to some evil intent , or that they do miscarry themselves in some evil act. now , since we come together unarmed , not to any evil intent , but to a very good intent , namely , to serve and worship the true god , in a peaceable manner , and do not miscarry our selves in any evil act in our meeting : surely ( if shepherd might be judge ) our meetings are not riots . dalton speaks home ; it seemeth , says he , it can be no riot , except there be an intent precedent to do some unlawful act , and with violence and force ; count. just. ch . 85. now the intent of our meetings being only to serve and worship god , and that not with violence or force , but in peace and quietness , it seemeth such meetings cannot be riots . 6. a sixth thing essential to a riot is , breach of the peace . the peace must be broken , or it is no riot . in this all agree . and least any doubt should arise what is intended by , or what will amount to a breach of the peace in this case , the law-books will explain it . lambard saies , two special things there are , that be common and must concur , both in the unlawful assembly , rout and riot ; the one that three persons ( at the least ) be gathered together : — the other , that they being together , do breed some apparent disturbance of the peace , either by signification of speech , shew of armour , turbulent gesture , or actual and express violence ; so that either the peaceable sort of men be unquieted and feared by the fact , or the lighter sort and busie-bodies be imboldened by the example ; eiren. l. 2. ch . 5. cowell , following him saies , two things are common both to riot , rout and unlawful assembly ; the one , that three persons at the least be gathered together : the other that they being together do breed disturbance of the peace ; ( how ? ) either by signification of speech , shew of armour , turbulent gesture , or actual and express violence ; cowel's interp. verbo riot . shepherd saies , these two things are common both to the riot , and the rout , and unlawful assembly . there must be three persons at the least gathered together in it : the other , that being together , they do breed disturbance of the peace , either by signification of speech , shew of armour , turbulent gesture , or actual and express violence , &c. grand abridgment , p. 3. p. 259. dalton saies , as there must necessarily be three persons at the least , assembled together , to make a riot , &c. so there being together , and their demeanour must be such , as shall or may breed some apparent disturbance of the peace ; either by threatning speeches , turbulent gesture , shew of armour , or actual force or violence ( to the terrour and fearing of the peaceable sort of people , or to the emboldening and stirring up of such as are busy-headed , and of evil disposition , by such fact ) or else it can be no riot , &c. country iust. c. 87. tho. blunt saies , two things are common both to rout , riot and unlawful assembly ; the one , that three persons at least be gathered together : the other , that they being together do disturb the peace , either by words , shew of arms , turbulent gesture , or actual violence ; law-diction . verbo rout. keeble saies , two special things there are that be common , and must concur both in the unlawful assembly , rout and riot . 1. that three persons at the least be gathered together ; — 2. that there being together , do breed some apparent disturbance of the peace , either by signification of speech , shew of armour , turbulent gesture , or actual and express violence . so that either the peaceable sort of men be unquieted and feared by the fact , or the lighter sort and busie-bodies be imboldened by the example ; assist. to iust. p. 645 . and saies he , p. 646. ( and so saies lambard also , eiren. l. 2. c. 5. ) if many do meet to play at bowls , tables , or cards ( which yet are unlawful games forbidden by the statute of 33 h. 8.9 . ) and do use no misbehaviour against the peace , they are not punishable in this degree . how much less then are they punishable in this degree , ( viz. of riot ) who meet together for a good and godly end only , to worship god , and use no misbehaviour against the peace ! by all these testimonies it appears , both that to the making of a riot there must of necessity be a breach of the peace ; and also wherein that breach of the peace consists , namely , in threatning speeches , shew of armour , turbulent gesture , or actual violence . and that this is indeed the true and proper meaning of the words [ breach of the peace ] might be further confirmed by other evidences out of lambard's eiren. l. 1. c. 2. and l. 2. c. 3. but most plainly out of dalton , who having defined peace ( in a legal sense ) to be an abstinence from actual and injurious force and offer of violence , saies , the breach of this peace seemeth to be any injurious force or violence moved against the person of another , his goods , lands , or other possessions , whether it be by threatning words , or by furious gesture , or force of the body , or any other force used in terrorem ; count. iust. c. 3. but well known it is to all , that know our meetings , that no injurious force or violence is moved by us in our meetings against the person , goods , lands , or possessions of any : so that the peace is not broken by us in our meetings , and consequently our meetings are not riots . 7. the seventh and last thing essential to a riot is , terrour to the people ; that is , that the thing done be either of it self , and in its own nature so dreadful , or performed in such a formidable and affrighting manner , that the people are thereby struck with terrour . lambard , proceeding to speak particularly of riots , routs , &c. saies , i will leave those contentions which may be without any apparent shew of assembly against the peace , and resort to those other that the commission saith to be done vi armata , and that do bring manifest terrour unto the subject . and a little after , he mentious the use of har●●ss on midsummer-night in london , or on may-day in the country , ` which ( being for sport only ) is , saies he , no such offence ( that is , no riot ) seeing no terrour followeth of it : and , saies he , the words in terrorem populi seem to be material in an indictment of this kind ; eiren. l. 2. c. 5. dalton saies , an assembly of an hundred persons or more ( yea though they be in armour ) yet if it be not in terrorem populi , and were assembled without any intent to break the peace , it is not prohibited by any of these statues ( viz. which were made against riots , &c. ) nor unlawful . and he gives the same instance lambard gave of the assembly of people , and their use of harness upon midsummer-night in london , which ( saies he ) being only for disport , is lawful ; and though it be with a great assembly of people , and in armour , yet it being neither in terrorem populi , nor to do any act with force and violence against the peace , it is lawful , saith dalton , coun. just. c. 85. and he shews further ( ch . 87. ) that if divers in a company shall go , on a lawful occasion , armed and in harness , to the terrour of the people , though they have no intent to fight , or to commit a riot , yet this is a rout by the manner of their going . but on the other hand , if they had gone in privy coats of plate , shirts of mail , or the like , to the intent to defend themselves from some adversary , this ( saies he ) seems not punishable within these statutes ; and the reason he gives is , for that there is nothing openly done in terrorem populi , to the terrour of the people keeble ( treating of riots , and reciting the words of lambard though he cites crompton for the author ) saies , to use horns on midsummer-night in london , or on may-day in the country , for sport only , is no such offence ( that is , is no riot ) seeing no terrour followeth it ; and the words [ in terrorem populi ] seem , saies he to be material in an indictment of this kind . assist. to just. p. 646. with keeble's judgment i chuse to close this point , both as he is the last ( so far as i know ) that hath written on this subject , and for that his book hath the approbation of all the twelve judges many other authors i could have quoted on this subject , & some too of great name , as marrow , kitchin , brook , crompton , &c. whom i find cited by others to this purpose ; but not having read these authors my self , i forbear using them , that i might not rely on any authority taken up at second hand . thus having gone through the several parts of a riot , according to the distribution premised , i take a riot , in short to be this . when three persons , or more , are assembled together in arms , with a fore-intent and purpose to do such an unlawful act , as is both evil in it self , and hurtful to another , either in person , or estate ; and do it in a forcible manner , to the apparent breach or disturbance of the peace , either by threatning words , shew of armour , turbulent gesture , or open violence , and to the manifest terrour of the people . 4. now because ( according to the rule , contra●ia juxta se posita magis elucescunt , i e. ) when contraries are set one by another , their contrarieties do the more manifestly appear , i will briefly set forth the contrarieties between riots and peaceable religious meetings , by opposing our meetings to riots , through the several particulars before mentioned . and first as to number of persons . in a riot ( if the fact be such as the law accounts riotous ) any number of persons above two is sufficient to commit a riot . but in those meetings for the exercise of religion which are forbidden by the conventicle-act , it is not unlawful even by that act for four persons besides the family ( how numerous so ever that be ) to assemble together . so that even in point of numbers there is a material difference between riots and religious meetings : which shews , the parliament that gave liberty to four persons besides the family to meet , did not understand those meetings to be riots . th-conventicle-act doth not permit riots : but the conventicle-act doth permie religious meetings to such numbers as ( as if those meetings were of a riotous nature ) are sufficient to mak a riot ; therefore such meetings are not riots . 2. in a riot there must of necessity be some overt act , some deed done , some fact committed by the persons assembled ( which may come under the cognizance of outward evidence ) more than their bare assembling together , else it cannot be a riot . but ( as in none of our meetings there is any riotous act , ( so ) in such of our meetings as are wholly silent , there is no overt act at all , no deed done , no fact committed by any of the persons assembled ( which may come under the cognizance of outward evidence ) more than their bare assembling : therefore such meetings cannot be riots . 3. in riots , the fact done must be not only unlawful , but injurious or hurtful to another , either in person or estate . but our meetings ( if at all unlawful ) are no way injurious or hurtful to any , either in person or estate : therefore our meetings are no riots . 4. that act which makes a riot must be done vi armata , with force and arms , or in a forcible manner . but our meetings are not held , nor is there any thing done by us in them , vi armata , with force and arms , or in a forcible manner : therefore our meetings are not riots . 5. to make a riot , there must be a previous intent in the persons assembled , to do some such unlawful act as is evil in it self and hurtful to others , and that with force . but in our meetings , we have no previous intent to do any such unlawful act , as is evil in it self and hurtful to others ; nor have we any other intent at all , than sincerely and really to serve and worship god , and that without force or violence : therefore our meetings are not riots . 6. it is not a riot , unless the peace be broken or disturbed by the persons assembled , either by threatning speeches , shew of armour , turbulent gesture , or open violence . but in our meetings , the peace is never broken nor disturbed by us , we give no threatning speeches ; we shew no armour ( nor have any to shew ) we use no turbulent gestures ; nor do we offer violence to any : therefore our meetings are not riots . 7. it is not a riot , except it be done with terrour to the people . but our meetings are not held with terrour to the people : therefore our meetings are not riots . how truly i have stated the case , on the one hand , with respect to riots , the many quotations in the fore-going discourse will shew . how true an account , on the other hand , i have given of our meetings , the whole nation ( and all nations wherein we have meetings ) may judg . upon the whole , my request is , that all , both justices and jurors , who are or shall be concerned in this or the like case , will seriously weigh the matter , and not strain the law beyond its due extent . to oppress any by colour of law , is the greatest abuse of law. i intreat grand-juries therefore to regard iustice , to regard their oath . they are sworn expresly to examine diligently , and true presentment mabe , &c. they are sworn expresly , to present the truth , the whole truth , and nothing but the truth , to the best of their knowledge . now that they may not break their oath , but that they may true presentment make , that they may present nothing but the truth , that they may not present a falshood for truth , i intreat them again and again to examine diligently both what riots are , and what our meetings are . and if upon such diligent examination they find any of those material and essential differences between our meetings and riots ( which i have before observed ) that then they will , like just men and christians , keep themselves clear from making false presentments instead of true , from writing billa vera ( a true bill ) upon that bill ( and delivering it in as such upon their oaths ) which perhaps in three parts of four is utterly and apparently false : the like request i make to petit juries in the like case , who are sworn well and truly to try , and true deliverance make , &c. according to their evidence . which evidence ought to be of good fame : for it 's a maxim , iustitia non potest cum scelerato commercium habere ; justice can have no commerce with a wicked graceless person : and turpes a tribunalibus arcentur . vile persons ought to be rejected by courts of judicature . and therefore witnesses are required to be not only legales , lawful men , but probi , virtuous and good men , men of approved honesty , from such witnesses the jury may expect ( and ought to have before they find any man guilty ) a plain , full and clear evidence of every material part of the charge laid against him ; and let me add , of all such circumstances also , as may any way aggravate the offence : for nothing that may endamage the accused party should be taken upon presumption or supposition , nor without plain and clear proof . the witnesses deposition is therefore called evidence , because it makes the truth and falsehood of the charge evident and plain : and saies coke , probationes debent esse evidentes & perspicuae , proofs ought to be evident and clear . o that all men concerned in these and such like cases , would so conscienciously and considerately discharge the duty of their offices , that with comfort they might give account thereof to the great judge at the last day ! for why should any draw upon their own heads the guilt of perjury , and the vindictive cry of oppressed innocents ; but if there be any that are eager and desirous in their minds to have our meetings punished as riots ; let me intreat them also to consider , how dishonourable a reflection it would be both to the government , and to the religion established thereby , if peaceable , quiet , religious meetings , conscienciously holden , only and alone for the worship and service of god ( wherein no evil is either acted or intended , no violence or force used , no breach of the peace made , no terrour given : but an innocent , meek , passive , and truly christian behaviour and deportment shewn ) should be judicially declared riots , and punished as such : when at the same time our law-books assures us , that not only playing at bowls , dice , cards , &c. but even the numerous assemblies that frequent those more clamorous , rude , impetuous and boisterous sports of dancings , foot-ball-playing , bear-baitings , bucklers or fencings , and such like , are not riots , routs , nor unlawful assemblies , shall such vain and russianly sports wherein so much rudeness , disorder and prophaneness is committed ( and which seem to be so near of complexion to riots ) be declared to be no riots : and shall peaceable and religious meetings , wherein only god is worshipped ( and which have no shew nor appearance of riots in them ) be condemned for riots ! god forbid . if any should think our meetings may be riots , because we sometimes meet in the open streets or in the high-way ; let such consider , that we do not meet in the streets or high-waies by choice , but by constraint . we come not with intent to meet in the streets or high-waies , but in our meeting-houses . but where we are shut out and kept out of our meeting-houses , we are necessitated to meet abroad . and yet there also we demean out selves peaceably and quietly , not offering violence or injury to any , nor coming with any intent so to do . and if any should apprehend , that our not departing immediately upon a constable's making proclamation , doth make our meetings riots , it may not be amiss for such to enquire , whether there be any statute in force , that doth impower constables , and other inferiour officers , to make such proclamation , and requires the persons assembled forthwith to depart thereupon . the act made in the first year of q. mary , c. 12 ( which appointed the making of proclamation in some cases of another nature , though not by a constable , so far as i observe ) being but a temporary act continued by q. eliz. ( in the first year of her reign , c. 16. ) to the end of the next parliament after her death is long since expired , or discontinued , as pulton , dalton and keeble declares . however if it were in force , it would not reach us or our meetings , which are not guilty of any of those offences , against which that act was made . lastly , i desire the reader to observe , that the difference between a riot , rout and unlawful assembly , is only in the execution or non-execution of that act , which , being done , makes a riot . in all things else they are alike , there must be the same number of persons to make an unlawful assembly , as to make a riot . there must be the same previous intent in the one as in the other ; the fact intended to be done in an unlawful assembly , must be of the same nature with that which is done in a riot , that is , it must be evil in it self and injurious to another , as well in the one as in the other . there must be vis armata , force and arms to the making of an unlawful assembly , as well as to the making of a riot . there must be breach of the peace to make an unlawful assembly , as well as to make a riot . there must be terrour to the people to make an unlawful assembly , as well as to make a riot . all the odds is , that if the persons so assembled , in such forcible manner , to the breach of the peace and terrour of the people , do not actually perform that unlawful act , which is evil in it self and injurious to the person , or possessions of another , but depart again without proceeding to do it , then it is only an unlawful assembly ; whereas if they indeed do it , then it is a riot . and a rout is a degree between both , when after the persons are so assembled , there is some progress made , they ride , go , or move forward , towards the execution of such unlawful and injurious act , and yet do not actually execute it . postscript . since i have undertaken to discourse of the nature of riots , and there is some mention in holy scripture of rioting , &c. it will not be amiss to shew what rioting is in scripture-sence also . the prodigal son ( in the parable , luke 15.13 , ) is said to have wasted his substance with riotous living [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] living profusely and dissolutely , as pasor explains it . the same word ( in the substantive ) is used , ephes. 5.18 . and rendred , excess ; which baeza expounds to be , omnis profusio , eaque summa cum turpitudine conjuncta ; all manner of profuseness , and that joyned with the greatest filthiness . it is used again , tit. 1.6 . where it is required that the children of such as were to be ordained elders , should be [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] not accused of riot , that is , of leading a dissolute and profuse life . the same word is used again , 1 pet. 4.4 . and very well explained by the verse foregoing . for the apostle having said ( verse 3. ) the time past of our lives may suffice us to have wrought the will of the gentiles , when we walked in lasciviousness , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , banquetings and abominable idolatries ; adds verse 4. ) wherein they ( the gentiles , who yet walked in such things ) think it strange , that you ran not with them to the same excess of riot , viz. to walk in lasciviousness , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , banquetings , &c. so that it is clear , that by riot here ( ver . 4. ) he means the lasciviousness , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , banquetings and abominable idolatries ( which he had newly mentioned verse 3. ) and which the christians , it seems , before conversion , having walked with the gentiles in , were now after their conversion to christianity , thought strangely of , and blasphemed but the gentiles , for not running on still in the same . these are of the places ( so far as i observe ) wherein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is read in the new testament ; it signifies , saies leigh , two things : 1. excess in expences , opposite to frugality . 2. excess in delights ( whether it be in meats or drinks , or the like ) opposite unto temperance : and it signifieth these vices in an extremity . or ( as he gives it from another ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is , prodigality , is taken in a twofold sence : either properly , and then it signifies that vice , whereby any one keeps not his estate , wealth , or money ; bu● squanders it away lightly and uprofitably upon any thing , without any apparent advantage to himself or others . or improperly , and then it signifies luxury , by which we lavishly waste our estates upon our pleasures and lusts , upon playes . feasts , excess of apparel , &c. carmel . a lapide saies , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies , 1. surfeiting by too much eating and drinking , excess , lasciviousness . 2. luxury and lust. zanchy saies , it signifies riotous excess and profuseness joyn'd with the greatest villany . this , and more of this kind , see in leigh's crit. sacra . which sufficiently shews what kind of thing riot was in the apostles daies . mention also we have of rioting , in rom. 13.13 . let us ( saies the apostle ) walk honestly ( or decently , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) as in the day ; not in rioting and drunkenness , not in chambering and 〈◊〉 , not in strife and envying . rioting here may well be understood by its companions it is associated with , viz. drunkenness , chambering , wantonness , strife . the word here used for rioting is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which in gal. 5 , 21. and 1 pet. 4.3 . is rendred revelling . nor is it elsewhere used in the new testament , that i remember . in latin it is turned commessatio , which ( saies leigh ) signifies excess of belly-chear in riotous feasting . and , he saies , st. ambrose expounds it , luxurious feasting and banqueting , wherein ( saies he ) men take liberty to all lascivious and riotous 〈◊〉 ; crit. sacra . there is one place more in the new testament , where we read the word riot , and that is in 2 pet. 2.13 . where the apostle speaks of some , who counted it pleasure to riot in the day time . the greek word there used is [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] which signifies excess of pleasures and effeminating delicacies . it is used in the same sense , luke 7.25 . and iames 5.5 . in which last place it is joyned with a word that signifies to live wantonly . ( ye have lived in pleasure on the earth , and been wanton [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] ye have nourished your hearts , as in a day of slaughter ; ye have condemned and killed the iust , saith the apostle iames ) a word not elsewhere used in the new testament , save in 1 tim. 5.6 . where we read , she that liveth in pleasure [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] is dead while she liveth . these are the pleasures the apostle peter called riot . and this is all i remember to have read of riot and rioting in the new testament . in the old testament , i meet with it but twice , prov. 23.20 . be not among wine-bibbers ; amongst riotous eaters of flesh. chap. 28.7 . he that is a companion of riotous persons , shameth his father . in the margin , he that feedeth gluttons , &c. there is also a marginal reference to chap. 29.3 . where it is said , he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance . in latin these texts are turned by hierom , pagnine , montanus , tremellius and iunius , by the words commessatio , commessator , and comedo ( an old obsolete word ) all signifying gluttonous gourmandizing , or inordinate eating and drinking , whereby men do riotously waste and consume their estates . let this suffice , without particular application , to shew what rioting and rioters are in scripture-sense . the end . books , printed and sold by thomas howkins , in george-yard in lombard-street , bookseller . no cross no crown , by william pen. 8 o price 2 s. midnight thoughts , being excellent meditations , and divine experiences , of an eminent person . 12 o price 1 s. 6 d. narrow path of divine truth described , or the sayings of matthew weyer . 12 o price 1 s. 6. d. caba●istical dialogues , in answer to the opinion of a learned doctor in philosophy and theology ; that the world was made of nothing . 4 o price 4 d. doctor everard's works . 8 o price 6 s. george fox's tythes , offerings and first-fruits . 4 o 1 d. — cause why adam and eve , were driven out of paradise ; and the iews out of their own land of canaan . 4 o 1 d. — trying of spirits in our age now , as in the apostles daies , by the spirit of christ anointing within . 4 o 2 d. — a word of admonition , to all such as wander . 4 o 1 d. ½ iohn t●soe's answer to iohn ayns●e . 4 o 1 d. thomas ellwood's caution to constables . 4 o 1 d. ½ — a seasonable diswasive from persecution mathers manuel , with addition , in the press school-books of all sorts , bibles of all sorts , stationary wares . viz. paper , paper-books , iournals and ledgers , wax , wafers , blank bonds of various sorts . the fiery darts of the divel quenched; or, something in answer to a book called, a second beacon fired, presented to the lord protector, and the parliament, and subscribed by luke fawne, john rothwel, samuel gellibrand, thomas underhill, joshua kirton, nathaniel web. wherin, their lies and slanders are made manifest against the innocent, and those books which have been published by them they call quakers, owned and vindicated, and all the rest which is in that book disowned, and their deceite laid open; how they have perverted the truth and our words in those books which they cry out of as blasphemy, that the truth may not suffer under the reproach of the heathen. / by one who is a witnesse for the truth against gog and magog, called after the flesh, francis howgil. also something in answer to a booke called a voice from the word of the lord, by one john griffith, against us, whom the world calls quakers, wherein his false accusations is denied, and he proved to be a slanderer, and the truth cleared from his scandals. by one who is a witnesse against the deceits of the world, called edward burrough. howgill, francis, 1618-1669. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a86649 of text r207383 in the english short title catalog (thomason e817_16). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 67 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 18 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a86649 wing h3159 thomason e817_16 estc r207383 99866438 99866438 167992 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a86649) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 167992) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 124:e817[16]) the fiery darts of the divel quenched; or, something in answer to a book called, a second beacon fired, presented to the lord protector, and the parliament, and subscribed by luke fawne, john rothwel, samuel gellibrand, thomas underhill, joshua kirton, nathaniel web. wherin, their lies and slanders are made manifest against the innocent, and those books which have been published by them they call quakers, owned and vindicated, and all the rest which is in that book disowned, and their deceite laid open; how they have perverted the truth and our words in those books which they cry out of as blasphemy, that the truth may not suffer under the reproach of the heathen. / by one who is a witnesse for the truth against gog and magog, called after the flesh, francis howgil. also something in answer to a booke called a voice from the word of the lord, by one john griffith, against us, whom the world calls quakers, wherein his false accusations is denied, and he proved to be a slanderer, and the truth cleared from his scandals. by one who is a witnesse against the deceits of the world, called edward burrough. howgill, francis, 1618-1669. burrough, edward, 1634-1662. [2], 33, [1] p. printed for giles calvert, at the black-spread eagle at the west end of pauls., london, : 1654. annotation on thomason copy: "nou: 24". reproduction of the original in the british library. eng griffith, john, 1622?-1700. -voice from the word of the lord. second beacon fired. quakers -england -early works to 1800. persecution -early works to 1800. freedom of religion -early works to 1800. a86649 r207383 (thomason e817_16). civilwar no the fiery darts of the divel quenched; or, something in answer to a book called, a second beacon fired,: presented to the lord protector, a howgill, francis 1654 13163 34 0 0 0 0 0 26 c the rate of 26 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-05 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-06 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-04 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2008-04 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the fiery darts of the divel quenched ; or , something in answer to a book called , a second beacon fired , presented to the lord protector , and the parliament , and subscribed by luke fawne , john rothwel , samuel gellibrand , thomas vnderhill , joshua kirton , nathaniel web . wherin , their lies and slanders are made manifest against the innocent , and those books which have been published by them they call quakers , owned and vindicated , and all the rest which is in that book disowned , and their deceite laid open ; how they have perverted the truth and our words in those books which they cry out of as blasphemy , that the truth may not suffer under the reproach of the heathen . by one who is a witnesse for the truth against gog and magog , called after the flesh , francis howgil . also something in answer to a booke called a voice from the word of the lord , by one john griffith , against us , whom the world calls quakers , wherein his false accusations is denied , and he proved to be a slanderer , and the truth cleared from his scandals . by one who is a witnesse against the deceits of the world , called edward burrough . london , printed for giles calvert , at the black-spread eagle at the west end of pauls . 1654. first of all you go about and flatter the powers and the magistrates , and tells them they ought to have a care of their peoples souls in keeping them from infection of idolatry and blasphemy , and you say you are to informe them of the dangerousnesse of great meeting in london of quakers , whose opinions are blasphemous , paganish , antiscriptural and anti-christian , even as the former . and further , the greatest thing that troubles you , is printing and publishing books many thousands , you say , concerning blasphemous and heretical , and antimagistratical opinions tending to unchristian people , and disorder the people of the nations , and to bring in paganisme , and libertinisme , and this you say you present unto them to provoke their zeale against them . oh you blood thirsty minded men , all the care that you would have the magistrates to take of the people is to destroy them , and to have them shut up in holes and caves , and dens , and prisons , and the truth ever suffered by your generation , and your generation hath ever pressed the magistrates that they might abuse their power , and if they will but hearken to you , instead of healing the people , they will be destroyers ▪ and in stead of making up breaches , they will make desolate , and so you would drive them on hastily to satisfie your corrupt wil , and to uphold your diana , and your craft , that you may make merchandize of that which hath been long enough sold and printed by you ; and what hath it done ? who is turned from darknesse to light ? and you that makes a trade of others writings and words , to maintain you in your lusts , and deceive , this you would have them to uphold ; but as for the care of peoples soules , it s far enough from you , and all along your filthy lying slanderous booke , you are made manifest to bee of those that would have fire to come down from heaven in your wils to destroy all those that withstand you and your imaginations . and therfore let all magistrates in whom the fear of the lord is , take heed how they take things from the hands and mouthes of them who hath alwaies persecuted the power of truth , and called truth errour , and light darknesse , and darknesse light ; and in a blind zeale for god , destroy them whom the power of the lord is manifest in ; for so paul persecuted christ , and the saints , and so the jewes crucified christ , and all the saints have suffered . and you are offended at our meeting in london , while wee have beene here in the city wee have not been in a corner , and wee challenge you and all the city in the name of the lord , who is dreadfull to all liers , and slanderers , to show what are those blasphemies that you speake of , you backbiters shall have your portion with the rest of hypocrites : opinions we deny , for the light of jesus christ which is spirituall which appears and declares against all sects , and opinions , and blasphemies , and all you who hates it , are in contention , and in opinions , and blaspheme the truth ; and here i charge it upon you in the presence of the living god , that you are blasphemers who calls the light naturall and paganisme ; and the lord wil plead with you , you filthy corrupt minds , who calls the light of christ . antichristian , for here in the presence of the lord of hosts ▪ i speake it , no other light doe wee owne to walk by , but that which is spiritual and eternal , the light of christ , which he hath enlightned every one that comes into the world withal ; and this is not anti-scriptural as thou cals it ; for the scriptures witness the same , and christ bears witness of it , and no other light do we own but the same that ever was , which was in the beginning , and which convinceth the world of sin , and the same that led up the saints to know the father and the son : and you that cal this paganisme and heretical , and blasphemous , and antichristian , let all who have any light in them judg , and let shame cover your faces , and fear take hold upon you , for your words stinke , and come out of the mouth of the dragon ; ye filthy unclean frogs , which hath poison under your tongues ▪ and as for the bookes which wee have printed , wee owne them , and are ready to lay downe our lives for the testimonie of jesus , and the truth of them , and seale them with our blood , and what are written in them , through the eternal power of god , which is made manifest , and that wee have published any thing against any just magistracie , let all our writings , and all who reade them judge ; and if bearing witnesse to jesus christ unchristians people , let all judge ; for no other do wee owne , but the same christ to day and yesterday , and for ever ; and here all your petitioning is made manifest , from whence it did arise and proceed , and your shame and nakednesse , and envie appears . and the sacraments which you say you use , which is appointed in the scripture , and farnworth in answer to a petition did deny them . answer , his answer we owne ; and i challenge you to bee perverters of the scripture ; where read you of sacraments in the scripture ? here i charge you to be liers and slanderers , and deniers of the scripture , and adders to it , and the plagues shall be added to you ; and as for that which you use among you is traditional and imitatory . yet the bread which wee break is the communion of the body of christ , and the cup wee drink is the communion of the blood of christ , and this is that which paul received from him : and baptisme by one spirit into one body we owne ; the baptisme is but one , and this wee owne , and here you liers and slanderers are seen and denied . another thing you call heresie and blasphemy , is , that wee say that christ hath enlightned all men ; but i shal lay downe your own words , and prove you liers out of that booke called the general good to all people : and you say the light of god that is in all men , that is to wit , natural conscience , that it is sufficient , if wee give heed unto it , to discover sinne , and and turne our minds towards god , and that this light within , is the grace of god , and that it is christ in us . answer , let all that reades that booke , see if you bee not liers and slanderers , and perverters , and are in the generation of those false witnesses which bore witnesse against christ ; and here i charge you to be liers . where in all the bookdoth he say that the light of a natural conscience is sufficient to guide to god , if it be taken heed to ? or where doth it say it discovers sin ? there is another lie : and where doth hee say that natural conscience is the grace of god ? there is a third lie ; and where doth hee say that natural conscience is christ in us ? there is a fourth lie ; bee ashamed that ever you should goe and present so many filthy lies to authority that there is no truth in at all . oh ▪ yee darke mindes , would you be judging and prescribing what is heresie and blasphemie , and cals the light of christ paganisme and heresie ? but i am bold in the name of the lord , to declare unto you , and unto all the world , that christ is the true light that hath enlightned every one that comes into the world , and that this light is spiritual , and not natural , and it convinceth of all sinne ; hee shal convince the world of sinne , and whoso obey this light which shines into the conscience , it leads up to christ , and out of sinne , and it turns the mind towards god , and it shines in darknesse ; but you dark sottish children know it not ; yea , you that hate it , have it , and it shal condemne you , and when the book of conscience shall be opened , you shall be judged for all your hard speeches against the truth . another thing you present to be blasphemie and heresie , is that the worship that is performed in england with those ministers that sing davids psalms , baptize infants , weare double cuffes , boot hose tops , take tithes , say men shal never be perfect in this world , and that say the letter is the light , and the letter is the word ; and that salvation is in the scripture , and that cals matthew , mark , luke & john , the gospel , are seducers , and no ministers of the word , but shew forth the spirit of error . answer . all those ministers in england which abide not in the doctrine of christ ▪ all those worshippers and worships which is contrary to the scripture are heathenish , and they worship they know not what ; and all such worship is an abomination to the true god ; and i charge you and all those that would be counted ministers in england , to prove from the scripture where the saints sung davids conditions , and psalms in rimes and meter ; and where is there any scripture for baptizing of infants ▪ and whether any of the ministers of christ lived in pride and lusts of the flesh , and where any ministers of christ took tithes , which belonged to the first priesthod and the first covenant ; and so they that uphold the first , denie the second , and the one everlasting offering which perfects for ever them that are sanctified ; and where doth the scripture say that the letter is the word and the light ? but it witnesses against you and saith , god is the word , and christ is the light , and christ is the gospel , yea the everlasting gospel ; and mathew , marke , luke and john declared of him : and heare be you a witnesse against your self , ye dark minded men : and i charge you that you deny the scripture ; and all those who upholds those things are in the heathenish nature , without god in the world , in the earth where the divil dwels who is an accuser of the bretheren : and doth not the scripture and they declare it who were ministers of christ , that there were that ran after the errour of balaam , and their hearts was exercised with covetous practises ? and were there not such that was raylers , and false accusers , and blind watchmen , and greedy dumb dogs , and such as sought for their gaine from their quarter , and such as lead into wichcraft , and antichrists , deceivers ? you might as wel have called christ , and paul and peter and jude blasphemers and hereticks ; but you are made manifest just to be them and in the same nature that called christ a blasphemer , and paul a pestilent fellow , and a setter forth of strange gods , and the ministers of christ seditious ; and thou might as wel say christ despised a governor when he called herod a fox ; and now blessed be the lord the houre of his judgments is come : and we freely declare against all deceit both in magistrates , priests and people as they did that wrote forth the scripture , and beare witnesse to his name as they did , in our measure , and we have suffered and do suffer dayly by slanderous tongues , such as you have ; and imprisonments , and cruel mockings , and stripes , and bonds , and can truly say to the praise of his name , we beare in our bodies the markes of the lord jesus ; but we must passe through good report and evil report , and it is our crown and rejoycing to suffer for his name ; and now gog and magog and all the powers of the earth bends themselves and are angry , even the nations that professe christ in words , and say the scripture is their rule , but walke not according to it ; and against all such hypocrisie are we witnesses , to the fulfilling our testimony , and the laying down of our lives , that he alone may be honored who sits upon the throne of david , and of whose government there is no end , to whom be praise for ever , who shall breake all your combinations and plots , and you shall be ground to powder who set your selves against him , and be dashed to pieces as a potters vessel . and now to that which you call antimagistratical errors , that the magistrates are not to have titles of worshipful or right worshipful , and that the subjects of a common wealth which is not israels common wealth are to be disturbed , and that no civil government is to be acknowledged but the government of the law within us . answer . where reads thou or any , that any magistrate was called worshipful or right worshipful , or ever any of the saints of god did so ? he that is righteousnesse and truth , unto whom all honor and worship belongs , god blessed for ever , we owne and worship , he is no respecter of persons . and you filty flaterers who are in the curse , respect mens persons , and so you are rased out for ever from the faith of christ , and from the faith which all the holy men of god lived in , that you know it not : but you false accusers , magistrates we know , and they are for the punishment of evil doers and for the lawlesse , for liers and slanderers , such as you are , and for the praise of them that do wel , and we honor such in our hearts , and obeys their just commands ; and are not like him that said he would goe and went not , but are subject for conscience sake to the powers that are of ●od , and are subject to every ordinance of man for the lords sake ; but we cannot flatter nor respect mens persons and deny the faith of christ , but are brought from under the power of unrighteousnesse by the mighty power of god , and are subject to all just lawes which stand not , nor were made in mans wil , but obeys them for consciences sake , and if any law which is not just nor equal be required upon us that wee cannot do ; wee suffer for conscience sake , and resist not at all , as many of our enemies will witnesse for us ; and therefore you false accusers be silent ; they that are subject to israels commonwealth are righteous , and walkes in righteousnesse , in that which is just , good and holy ; and wee witnesse against all the canaanites who walk in unrighteousnesse , and all who are enemies to the commonwealth of israel must be broken to pieces , and them that strive and contend against the faith which was once delivered to the saints , and is now witnessed , praysed be the lord , all such must be disturbed and broken to peices by the just , even all the unjust shal be broken ; and as for that which thou sayest wee say , we ought not to be subject to any civil government but that which is within us , oh thou lyer , when wilt thou cease thy lying ? where is that ? i charge thee to prove where that is spoken : yet this i say unto all , moses received the law from the mouth of the lord , and it was revealed to him , and in him , and then he wrote it without and was subject to it , and all who makes laws now and doe not receive them from god , they make them in their own wils , and such as doe act contrary to the law of god ; but that law which is righteous , which is according to that in the conscience , which is holy and good and civil , we are subject both within and without to it : and all you your subjection which is not from a principle within , is not in truth not singlenesse of heart , but with flattery , and your eye service and your bowing downe in hypocrisie and saying you are subject when there is no truth in the heart , and so you are not subject for conscience sake . and further , you say in farnworth general good to all people , let every soule be subject to the higher powers , by powers is meant god , the father of jesus christ , and by king the lord of hosts , and that is another blasphemy . woe unto filthy lyers ; i challenge you that you have perverted his words , and would give meanings upon them as you do upon the scriptures , and your owne dark sottish mindes cannot comprehend , and therefore you give your own imaginations , and then calles it blasphemy ; and let all that read that booke , see if you have not belyed the truth , and perverted his words another thing you set downe for blasphemy , that none are ministers of god and called by him who are sent forth by authority of man , and that he that is not infallible in his judgement , is no minister of christ . answer . you might have said pauls words were blasphemy ; he was made a minister , not by mens wil , and all the holy men of god , and apostles were not ministers by the will of man , but contrary to the wil of man , and all who are made ministers of man , and by man , we deny , and the scripture denies them , for what they preached , they neither received it of man nor from man , but by the revelation of jesus christ ; and all who have and are made ministers by heare say , and what they have formed up in their imaginations from the scripture , with their points , and their doctrins , which they raise in their carnall mindes , all such we declare against ; and all such who abide not in the doctrine of christ , and all who were made ministers of christ , were spiritual and infallible ; that which is not infallible , is carnall : and all who are guided by the spirit of christ is infallible , and they that are not guided by it are none of his , nor the sons of god , nor ministers of christ : and therefore , all that such can judge of , is nothing but imaginary ; and all you who have subscribed this booke , and all such ministers i deny . yee shamelesse men , would you be trying and perscribing , and set dowe what is heresie , and blasphemy ; and cryes out of that for heresie , and blasphemy ; which you should try with all ? your shame is laid open to all , and now your shame i hope will appeare to the parliament , whom you petition . what cry you out against books , and printing , and blasphemy , that cannot distinguish a lamb from a dog ? would you judg truth by darknesse ? and you are offended that there are so many quakers met in the north parts lately , two thousand ; yea blessed bee the lord , there are many thousands that sees you , and never will bow to baal , nor worship in the house of rimmon more ; and m●ny shal not only come from the north , but also from the south , yea in london , that now sees all your deceit , and they shal enter , and you shal be shut out . and what truth is this that cannot defend it selfe ; and what religion is that which cannot defend it selfe , but you must have all bend to your image that you would set up ? and now unto you who are petitioned unto ; i say , unto you , take heed and beware how you call or suppresse any thing as error , or how you meddle in the prescribing god a way to walke in , for he cannot , he will not be limited : and i say unto you , it were better a milstone were hanged about your necks , then to hinder or stop , or make any law to hinder the passage of the truth which is arising : and consider the lord hath thrown out all powers before this because they would needs limit the holy one of israel , and prescribe him a way , and a government how he should be worshipped , and many have suffered , and what hath all come to ? all the rules that men hath laid down , hath they not beene as the untimely fruit of a woman and as corne upon the house top , and for that all hath beene throwne downe , and broken ? and the jealousie of the lord is broken forth as fire , and and woe to them that withstands him in his way : and now i say unto you , if you now prescribe god a way , and if that in the conscience have not liberty , but you wil goe about to set bounds to him , and his people in the worship of god , you shall be broken as a potters vessel , for the government is upon his shoulders , and he wil not give his glory to any other ; the lord hath spoken it . and for the rest of the bookes in the beacon fired , wee disowne them ; but i believe you have belied them , as you have done ours . a certaine book being come forth into the world , ful of lies and slanders against the innocent , called a voice from the word of the lord , to those grand impostors called quakers ; to the author of which book ( who calls himselfe j●hn griffith , a servant of christ ) and to all to whomsoever it may come , i am moved to write something in answer , that his lies and slanders , and false r●proaches may be made manifest , and that he may proceed no further ; for as jannes and jambres withstood moses , so doth he resist the truth , being a man of a corrupt mind , and reprobate concerning faith , and is not a servant of christ , nor a witnesse for his name , but a child of disobedience , in whom the prince of the aire rules . and first to the title of thy book , i answer , the word of the lord is powerful , and wil cut thee down , thou sensual minded man ; yet thou knowest not , but takes the words of others declared from the word vvhich vvas in them , and thou useth thy tongue , and saith the lord saith it ; but i say unto thee , the lord hath not spoken unto thee , neither commanded thee to speak of his name : and i charge it upon thee in the presence of the lord god of life , that thou art of that generation which jeremiah was sent to cry against , jer. 23. 31. for thou speakes thy imaginations upon their words which dwelt in the life of god ▪ but the life thou knowest not , and thy whole book is no more but an empty sound and voice , & is as the untimely fruit of the womb which wil wither and perish away : and one of them i am whom thou calls quakers , to whom thou saist , thou directs thy speech ; but that wee are grand impostors , i do denie , for we are gathered up into the life which the holy men of god lived , and are fallen from the world , and from its wayes and nature : and i charge thee here to be a slanderer , and from the mouth of the lord i do declare unto thee that thou must have a slanderers reward . and vvheras thou saist thou hast discovered their fleshly and filthy mindednesse , together vvith the judgments of god attending them . i answer . fleshly and filthy mindednesse , we have denied by the power of the sonne of god made manifest in us ; thou hast laid it to our charge , but thou hast not proved it nor discovered it , and here againe thou art a false accuser ; fleshly and filthy mindedness shal stand for thy ovvne condition ; for there thou art in the flesh and filth , living to thy vvil in the lust of uncleanesse , for you may remember thou came out of the bowling allie to our meeting , though pharisee like thy out side is painted and made clean , but thy heart is ful of enmity and lies , and slanders and false reproaches , to that in thy conscience i do speake which shal for ever vvitnesse me , and as for the judgments of the lord upon thy own head wil they fal , and with what measure thou metes it shal be measured to thee again ; we are passed from judgment , and from the condemnation , and who art thou , thon enemy of righteousnesse , that shal lay any thing to the charge of gods elect ? and whereas thou saiest thou art one that bears witnesse against those wandring starres . i answer , this shal stand for thy owne condition , a wandring star thou art , and hath no habitation in the heaven , but speaks swelling words of vanity , thou thy self being a servant of corruption , we have an abinding place , and an habitation in the lord , and are not wandring ; and here againe i charge thee to be a false accuser , and a false witnesse , who bears witnesse of thy selfe ; for the father bears no witnesse of thee , but against thee . whereas thou saist the most high god that made the heavens and the earth , hath moved thee and stirred thee up to bear witnesse to the truth , and to witnesse against the abmoinable fleshly mindednesse , and yet spiritual pride of those grand impostors called quakers , by whose sorceries many are bewitched and drawn from the simplicity of the gospell , to another gospel , which is not another gospel , but the vanity of their owne minds , and their owne fleshly and corrupt thoughts which they cry up as oracles of god . i answer ▪ the most high god judge between thee and us ; whose wrath is kindled against thee ▪ thou enemie of righteousnesse , and child of wrath ; thou hast belied the lord of heaven and earth , for to this he moved thee not , for he moves none to utter lies and slanders as thou hast done , but the spirit of enmity and of the divil hath moved thee , and to the truth thou beares no witnesse , but against the truth , and against the innocent ; and charges us with fleshly mindednesse and spirituall pride . o thou lier and false accuser , the lord who takes our part against thee will plead with thee , and render upon thy head according to thy deedes ; prove what thou speaks that we are fleshly minded and spiritually proud , or else let thy mouth be stopped and shame cover thee for ever ; sorceries and witchcraft and drawing from the simplicity of the gospel wee doe deny ; but the plaine single truth wee doe declare , by which the eye of the blind is opened in many to see your deceits who call your selves churches and preachers of the gospel ; which is not the gospel that the apostles preached but an adding your own imaginations upon their words , who witnessed the gospel , and it shal stand for thy own condition , thou art in the sorcery and witchraft ; who draws people to observe an outward visible thing , from the light of christ within them ; which leades to the simplicity of the gospel , which is inward and not outward ; and thou art in thy fleshly and corrupt thoughts , crying up the ordinances and oracles , of god , which are but carnal and beggerly rudiments of the world , which passeth away ; and here thou art seen and made manifest in the light of christ , to be a hypocrite , who false accuses others of that which thou art guilty of thy selfe ; the same gospel as ever was , doe we declare ; and not another , which wee received not from man , neither was taught it by man : and as the oracles of god it shall stand for ever for a witnesse against thee , and all the world who doth not believe , for even the father beares witnesse of us , and therefore our witnesse is true ; and the righteous god will plead with thee thou lyar and false accuser , and here be a witnesse against thy selfe that the lord moved thee not , but the divil , acting in thy owne imaginations , and in the vanity of thy one minde , and in thy one fleshly and corrupt thoughts ; and whereas thou sayest to us thou directs thy speech from the lord , thus saith the lord to thee o quaker , thou art fleshly minded . i answer , it is not the voyce of the lord to us that speaks in thee , but the voyce of the divil , and the serpent which speaks from thee : fleshly minded we are not , but are redeemed out of it , and our mindes are changed and are spiritual and 't is the spirit of the living god seales unto us and witnesses in us , and here thou art of thy father the old dragon , an accuser of the bretheren , but it is god that justifies , and who art thou that condemns ? and this thy speech is seene and comprehended , which thou hast directed to us , and it is judged by the spirit of true judgment to be a false accusation and a lie , and not the word of the lord , and into the lake amongst the false prophets thou art to be turned , who useth thy tongue when the lord never spake to thee ; and thou saiest we looke upon the institution of christs supper with a fleshly and carnal eye , because wee say that the bread and wine which christ commanded his disciples to eate and to drinke , is carnall . i answer . the bread , and wine , is visible and carnal , and fleshly , and not spiritual , nor eternal , and in the eternall light by the spiritual eye of god opened in us , we see them and do owne that it was a command of christ , to stand for its time , and no more , but a carnal figure of a spiritual thing , and the spiritual thing being the substance bearing witnesse , the figure is denyed and declared against , and thou and thy generation who art acting in those things by tradition tying and limiting god to a visible thing ( that without it no salvation ) art in the sorcerie and witchraft , and an enemie to the substance ; for christ never since he was sacrifised brake of the bread or dranke of the cup with his disciples , but new in his fathers kingdome ; and thou who art in the carnal figure acting those things without the injoyment of christ art sensual and by the light of christ is to be condemned and juged , with the world , who art without god and without the injoyment of christ , in the beggerly rudiments of the world , thou saist o fleshly minded men whom the god of this world hath blinded because you believe not : and thou sayst , thus saith the lord and speaks the prophet mal. words : to which i answer ; this again i do deny ; the god of the world is cast out , and the eye is opened through judgment , and our fleshly minds are judged , and in the name of jesus we do believe , and our belief in him hath purified our hearts ; to the praise of the living god , who hath wrought all our works in us , and for us , do i speake without boasting ; and here againe i charge it upon thee , that thou art a slanderer and a false accuser ; and let shame cover thee who professes thy selfe to be a teacher of others , who thy selfe is not taught of the lord ; but steals malachies words , and speaks them to us in thine own imaginations , and calls it the word of the lord ; the lord is against thee thou false prophet , who prophesies lies in his name ; and that which thou speaks to us is thy owne condition , and that which shall come upon thine own head , for a child of disobedience thou art , and thy eye is blinded by the god of this world ; and whereas thou saiest wee are spiritually proud , that give forth our selves to bee some great ones ; and wee say wee are apostles , and are not , but are found liers , proud pharisees , hypocrites , that say wee are just , holy , humble ; and the poor sinful publicans are more justified then wee ; i answer ; proud wee are not , our god shall judge between thee and us in this thing , for wee have nothing but what wee have freely received from him : and that we give forth our selves to be great ones ; here thou art a lier , and a false accuser again ; this we have said , and do yet again declare that we were moved of the lord of heaven and earth to come to declare his mind and his truth in this city ; but this is no boasting , and by that same spirit which was in the apostles , were wee moved , and are guided , and by no other , but who hath found us liers since wee came , i challenge you , and all thy sect to prove one lie that wee have uttered ; or else let shame cover thee , and let thy mouth be stopped ; and let thy owne heart condemne thee to be found the lier thy selfe ; and this we testifie against thee , and all the world , that by jesus , and in him are wee made holy , just , and humble , he is made these things in us , and for us ; and the publican state is witnessed by us who have passed through the figure and parable into the life and substance ; and whereas thou saist wee that boast of our light within , and faith , thus saith the lord and brings christs words . i answer , this is another lie , wee doe not boast of our light within , but vvee vvitnesse it to bee within us , and to have enlightned every one that comes into the vvorld ; vvhich thou and thy generation denies ▪ and so vvould make christ a lier , and the scripture a lie ; but against you all with all the vvorld vve beare testimony , and the father beares vvitnesse with us , that every man that comes into the world is lightned by the light of christ ; which teaches all that love it into righteousnesse , but condemns them that hate it , wherof thou art one who utters forth thy lies and slanders , and false accusations against the innocent ; and that scripture john 9. we owne , and do witnesse to be fulfilled in us by the coming of christ ; hee which did see , is blind , and hee which was blind now sees ; and while wee did see our sin remained , but being blind wee have no sinne ; but this to thee and to thy spirit is a mystery sealed , and never to be known in that nature and wisdome ; and here againe thou hast used thy tongue false prophet like , and must receive a false prophets reward . and whereas thou saist if christ had not spoke to us in his word , we had had no sin , but now wee have no cloak for our sinne . i answer . christs words we owne , but here thou art made manifest to all to be an adder to the scripture ( in his word ) this thou hast added false prophet-like , and therefore the lord will adde his plagues unto thee as the scripture saith ; bee ashamed and blush , thy folly and wickednesse is made manifest , who is not ashamed ( to carry on thy designe ) to adde to christs words . and whereas thou saiest , wee do not only neglect the weightier matters of the law , but the law it selfe , teaching men so to doe ; for wee said that the scripture is not the rule of faith and conversation , as one of us taught sept. 27. in thy hearing , and many others that will witnesse it . i answer , here i challenge thee to prove that thou hast spoken , and all thy witnesses which thou speakes of ; oh thou lier be ashamed to forge such lies , and declare them in writing for truth , we neglect not the weightier matters of the law , nor the law , nor teach any so to do ; all that ever heard us wil bear witnesse against thee , and they ( though our enemies ) shal witnesse for us , and against thee in this thing , for we declare the everlasting gospel , which is the fulfilling of the law , and this we declare , that the law must have its operation through , before the gospel be witnessed ; and one of thy owne society said to us , wee had preached the law , and brought men to understand it from grace ; now let all take notice of the confusion you live in , and let your owne hearts condemne you , and the light in your owne consciences convince you , that you are in babylon and in confusion , and are no true church of christ , where all are of one heart , and one mind ▪ and this againe i affi●me as before i did in thy hearing , that the scripture is not the saints rule , but the spirit which gave forth the scripture , as the scripture it self witnesses , rom. 8. faith was before the scripture was , and therfore the scripture is not the ground of it , but a declaration of it , and no other faith we owne but the faith which abel had , and which moses had , which was when no scripture was written , and that we own to be the rule of our conversation , which they walked by , the immediate spirit of god which was before the scripture was written ; and all you who professe the scripture to be your rule , your own rule shal testifie against you when the eternal god judges you , and they vvho vvitness that to bee their rule which gave forth the scripture , walkes up in the life of the scripture more then you all ; and you are proved to be but the jew outward , who bosts of the ordinances from the letter , but persecutes them by slanders and false reproaches , who witnesse the substance ; and your praise is only of men , and not of god ; and the same woe which thou pronounces upon us wil fall upon thy owne head for this thy grievous slander , that we neglect the law , and teach men so to do ; and whereas thou brings many scriptures , and saith thus saith the lord , i answer , the scriptures we owne , and by that spirit which speaks them forth , wee witnesse them to be true , and they are ours ; and though you say they are the savour of death to us that perish , yet thou art found a lier , for wee are saved out of the perishing state , and death is destroyed through death , and thou hast diminished ( through faith ) from that scripture 2 tim. 3. 15. false prophet like againe , and so art both an adder and a diminisher , and thou maist read thy portion in rev. 22. 18 , 19. and whereas thou saiest , know this thou perverter of the right way of god , thou shalt bee judged by the word of christ spoke . i answer , here thou sets the scripture in the roome of christ , and art the perverter of the right way of god thy selfe , for the scripture saith , all judgement is commited to the sonn , and the scripture is not the sonne ; and thou didst say and now againe writes , that the scripture shall judge the vvorld ; and so i charge it upon thee that thou art a blasphemer , vvho exalts the scripture above the sonne , of god , and shalt be judged by the sonne into utter drrknesse , and into the pit , from vvhence thou art come ; yet this i testifie , he that receives the sonne rejecteth not those vvords vvhich vvas spoken by him ; though thou and thy generation pharisee like may make a profession of the vvords vvhich christ spoke and yet reject the sonne , and all to vvhom christ speaks , vvhich receives him not , shall be judged by the vvord vvhich he speaks , for he speaks eternally which shal stand eternally ; but when did he speake to thee ? for this i doe declare , thou maist have those words which he spoke , and yet never have heard his word nor voice ; as the pharisees had those words , which god spake by the prophets , but never had heard his word , nor seen his shape . john . 5. and thou saist quake and tremble at this ; that word which you reject and dispise shall judge you at the last day ; and saith , thus saith the lord , and brings christs words , and the apostles words ; i answer . the lord rebuke thee thou scorner , here thou hast made the filthynesse of thy heart knowne , for out of the abundance thereof thy mouth speaks : here thou art seen to be a scorner ; quaking and trembling we own , it is that which the holy men of god witnessed , but here be a witnesse against thy self , that thou art a scorner of their conditions : what hast thou to doe to talk of the scrip●ure , who art scorning that which it declares of ? here thou art made manifest to be one that hath the form but denies the power , and scornes at it ▪ god scornes thee , thou scornful one ; and let all that feare the lord depart from thee , and see thy filthinesse and search the scripture whether it testifies not of that , which thou scornes at , and makes a mock upon . and that we reject and despise the scripture and the words which christ spake , which thou accusest us of ; this is another lie , and a false slander , for the scriptures vve ovvne in their place , and by the spirit of god sets to seale that they are true , but that they shall judge the vvorld vvee doe deny ; and herein thy ignorance doth appear , and that thou art blinded by the god of this vorld , which thou vvould cast upon us : and christs vvords , and the vvords of the apostles shall fall upon thy own head , for vengeance in flames of fire will the lord render upon thee , thou lier and slanderer and false accuser , who art in disobedience to the gospel of god . and whereas thou saist the lord hath spoken it , and it shall surely come to passe , and bringst many scriptures , i ansvver . the scriptures vve ovvn and vvhat is spoken in them shall be fulfiled ; but thou lier when did god speake this to thee ? the judgements pronounced in them shall fall upon thy ovvn head , because thou art guilty of the same iniquities , as they vvere of , against vvhom these scriptures vvas declared ; and wheras thou saist we are those that the lord before hath spoken of in his vvord , ( and therefore no marvel vve vvould not have men to reade it ) and cites the 2. of peter . 2. chap. i ansvver . i doe in the presence of the living god deny thee & thy false assertion , but it shal stand for thy owne condition ; thou art one in the generation which christ spake of , and that vvas in the apostles dayes , which hath the forme , but denies the power as they had ; and i charge thee againe with a lie in thy mouth who saith , we would not have men to read the scriptures ; they who have heard us shall witnesse against , thee , that wee do direct to search the scripture , whether our doctrine be not true , and by the scripture shal our doctrine be tried ; how long wilt thou utter thy lies in the name of the lord ? the lord will plead with thee thou unclean lying spirit , and that which thou pronounces against us , shal come upon thy selfe ; and thou saiest we through covetousnesse make merchandize of some ; wee challenge thee and all the city of london to prove this , thou lying serpent , god shall plead with thee , wee are free and cleare in the sight of god , of thy false accusations , and have desired nor sought after no mans mony , nor gold , nor apparel , god is our witnesse , and many in this city knowes the same , though thou slanderingly an enemie of god doth accuse us ; but i challenge thee in thy reply to this , make it appear what thou assertest , or lay thy hand upon thy mouth , and let shame strike thee in the face for ever ; i charge thee that thou canst make appeare plainly in particular , and do not darkly accuse us , what those damnable heresies are , which we bring in , and wherein we deny the lord , and what our pernicious waies are which thou falsly and slanderously accuses us of , and wherein wee are fleshly and despise government , and are presumptuous , and wherein or how wee speake evil of dignities , and wherin we are as natural bruit beasts , and what these things are , wee speake evil of which wee know not , and what our swelling words of vanity are , and whom we do allure through the lusts of the flesh , and through much wantonness . in the presence of the lord i challenge thee to prove the particulars of thy accusations , and not to slander in the darke , though such as these there were in the apostles daies , who were turned out from the light , and the apostles which dwelt in the light saw them , and such a generation there is now , they are seene and known where they are , by them who abides in the light ; but of these thy false slanders ▪ upon us , we are cleare in the presence of the lord god , and that portion which thou wouldest give unto us must thou have thy self , for with what measure thou hast meted , it shal be measured to thee againe ; even the blaknesse of darknesse for ever , and the day of the vengeance of god is at hand against thee . and wheras thou saist , we pretend to tremble , it is true , we pretend the example of moses , and thou saist o abominable hypocrysie and dissimulation , will that justifie your shaking your hands like idiots , and your raving like mad men ? moses was a man in whom the fear and dread of the lord was , who kept his word , but you dispise it ; who loved the law , but you reject it . i answer . we doe not only pretend to tremble , but oft doe we , and have we witnessed it , by the mighty power and dread of the lord upon us , and we walke not by the example of the servants of the lord without us , but the same power we witnesse which was in them by which they were made to tremble ; vvhich thou scornes and derides at , and calles it madnesse : the holy men of god vvere counted by such as thou art , mad men ; and vvere cast out of their assemblies vvhich trembled at the vvord of the lord : but that vve despise the vvord and lavv of god , here thou art a lier againe ; and the plagues of god hang over thy head ▪ for thy lies and slanders against the innocent ; the same seare of god vvhich vvas in moses vve vvitness , and no other , and thou vvho art vvithout it art a heathen , and moses , and jeremiah , and habbakuk , which thou speaks of , were our example , who walked by the same spirit ; and served the lord by the same spirit , but that wee served our fleshly lusts ▪ which here again thou accusest us of ; i do challenge thee to prove it ; but i know thou canst not , and therefore art in the nature of the divel accusing the brethren ; and to walk by tradition , wee deny , which you also would lay to our charge ; but the same spirit by which they were acted , acts us the same way according to its measure ; and the same light which they walked in is our light , and this light is the light of christ within us and not without us : and whereas thou saiest its true , if wee served the lord , and kept his word , it would make us to tremble , as it doth those that fear him , but wee have rejected the law of the lord , and the word which hee hath spoken ; and the lord when he comes to shake terribly the earth , shal give us our portion in the lake that burnes . i answer . let all the world here take notice of thy confusion and ignorance which utters forth it selfe through thee ; thou before was scorning trembling , and now thou art approving of it ; and if it be they that tremble which serve the lord , here be a witnesse against thy selfe , thou serves him not , who art not yet come to tremble , but art in thy high nature above the fear of the lord ; and here againe thou art found a false accuser , for wee reject not the law of the lord , nor the word which hee hath spoken , but live in it , and rejoyces in it daily , for in it is our hearts delight ; and here againe , as thou hast measured to us , it shall be measured unto thee when the lord god arises to recompence his enemies ▪ thy portion will bee the same , as thou hast said in the lake which burnes with fire and brimstone . and now a few words in answer to that which thou calls a caution to all that are called saints in the nation , which may concerne all people . i answer . they who are saints who dwell in the light , and walkes in the light , doth discerne thee to be no saint , neither wil receive any caution from thee , but will testifie against thee , for thy lies and slanders and false accusations which thy booke is filled withall , and herein it may concerne all people that thy lies and slanders be reproved and laid open , lest they receive lies for thy truth , and be deceived by thy subtil speeches , who brings the prophets words , and the apostles words , wresting them and f●lsely applying them , to make thy lies to be received ; but all people who love the light wherewith christ hath enlightened them , will see thee and deny thee , and turne away from thee , as having the forme of godlinesse without the power . and whereas thou saiest ye may rejoyce that you live to see not only the mystery of godlynesse , but also the working of the mystery of iniquity in the fleshly corrupt and sensual minded men , called quakers . i answer . that name quakers was cast upon us by the heathen , through their scorne and derision , as the name christians was upon the disciples , though quaking wee own , for all the holy men of god witnessed it , and the holy scriptures declares of it ; and here againe thou enviously and maliciously hast cast a slander upon us , fleshly , corrupt ▪ and sensual mindednesse , and the working of the mystery of iniquity is destroyed in us by the mighty power of god made manifest in jesus christ , which takes away sin ; to the praise of the living god i speak , in clearing the innocent from thy false slanders , and it shall stand for thy owne condition , fleshly corrupt and sensuall minded , and the working of the mysterie of iniquity . and herein i prove thee to be so by thy fruits , thy lies , and false reproaches , and envious false acusation which is the fruites of the flesh and of corrupt sensuall mindednesse , which fruits doth appeare in this thy writing , and as for the mysterie of godlinesse , it is hidden from thee , and in that mind and nature you shall never know it , for thou lives in the sight of thy owne pollutions , and of thy carnal ordinances , and not in the injoyment of the mysterie of christ , which is godlinesse ; and whereas thou saiest , yee may rejoyce , and in nothing be terrified , because the scriptures did foretel of such , and is fulfilled in these men , and thou brings many scriptures where christ and the apostles prophesied of the coming in of false prophets and teachers : i answer , though yee do now rejoyce , yet your joy shall be turned into howling and sorrow , and the lord hath said it , and the day of terrour will overtake you , wherein your hearts shal faile you for feare , and your foundation shall be removed ; and it is true , that the scripture doth foretell of us , and is witnessed in us , that all the lords children should be taught of the lord , and that the lord would gather his flock out of the mouths of all dum be shepherds ▪ &c. and according to our growth up in the life of the scriptures , they are fulfilled in us ; but false prophets wee do deny , though all those scriptures which thou hast set downe we owne to be prophesies of false prophets , those false prophets which christ prophesied of , came in the apostles dayes , they saw them coming in then , 1. joh. 2. 18. and as all these scriptures testifies which thou hast cited ; and since the apostles daies , hath beene a great apostacie and not a true church of christ could be found , and ever since hath the same generation of false prophets stood under several forms and appearances , deceiving the nations : but now the pure light of christ shines , discovering to them who walke in the light who they are ; and daily more and more clearly shall they be seene , and thou wilt be found in their number , who art a cursed child , in whom the son of perdition is exalted , which utters forth thy lies and slanders sensually , and make it manifest to all , that thou hast not the spirit of god , but art separated from it , in self separation which is abomination unto god , and must be scattered by him : and whereas thou saiest , seeing it is so , let you be filled with boldnesse , and let you contend against those ungodly ones which are now risen ; i answer , ungodlinesse wee deny , and your boldnesse shall the lord turne in weaknesse , and faintnesse , and your contendings against us shall not prosper , for this is our heritage ; every tongue that riseth up in judgement shal be condemned ; you shall all be scattered and driven away as chaffe before the wind , who sets your selves to contend against the truth , for that which is now risen shall confound you all . and whereas thou brings many scriptures , which were exhortations of the apostle to the saints , with exhorting thy brethren . i answer . the scriptures i do owne , and that spirit which spake them forth i witnesse , but thou art an enemie to the power of them , though thou have the forme of truth ; thy lying and false accusing hath made thee appear to be an enemie to the life which the holy men of god lived in , and so hath cleared thy selfe from those scriptures which were written to the saints , and must owne those which was written to the world , the lier must be cast into the lake , the wicked must bee turned in hell , and such as these must thou owne to belong unto thee , and these are thy scriptures which thou hast right unto . and whereas thou saiest , wee talke of high enjoyments , and great revelations without , above , and beyond the scripture , and that wee talke of a light which is besides the scripture , but it is deepe , and thick darknesse ; and what hath such lights led men unto ? even contempt of god and of all righteousnesse . i answer . here again thou art found a lier , and an accuser of the brethren , for what wee do declare , the scripture witnesses to the same , and wee speake of nothing but what is declared of in the scripture by the holy men of god , and neither without it , nor above or beyond it do wee speake . i challenge thee to prove what thou hast asserted , and all the city of london ; that we speak or declares any thing but what the scriptures bears witnesse to the same , and the light which wee declare of , is the light of christ , which the scripture saith lightneth every one that comes into the world ; and it is not besides the scripture , so as contrary to it , but the scripture bears witnesse of the light ; and ●ere i charge thee with blasphemie , who calles the pure light of christ thick darknesse , and that the light of christ ( which is the light which wee declare of ) hath led men , or leads any to contemne god , or his ordinances , or righteousnesse , let shame strike thee in the face thou impudent one , who blasphemously say , that the light of christ is thick darkness , and leads into contempt of god ; let the light in thy owne conscience condemne thee , thou enemie of god ; for thy lies and slanders , and blasphemie which in this thy booke thou hast uttered : and wheras thou exhortest to labour to see an excellency in christ , in the word of christ , and in the church and ordinances of christ . i answer . for the simple ones sake , that they may not be deceived , none ever shall see any excellencie in those things , but who ownes and walkes in the light of christ , which lets every one see themselves first ; and your talking of the same , and report of christ , and of his word and ordinances , is not to know the excellencie of those things , for death in you talkes of the same , but the thing in subst●nce you are ignorant of ; and you who stumbles at the light wherewith christ lightneth every one , are above the doore which is the entrance unto the life of these things ; and so i exhort all to mind the light of christ , and to walk in it , and it will lead unto christ from whence the light comes , and it wil lead to the fulfilling of christs words and to the one bread ▪ and to the one baptisme , and the light is the door and entrance unto the life of those things : but you who hate the light and denies it to be in every one , hath but the huske and outward declaration of those things , and are without the life ▪ and wheras thou saist , they that are of god wil hear john , peter , and paul , and the rest that were the servants of christ , not the fleshly conceits of those or any other men & christs sheep hear his voice , and a strangerthey will not hear . i answer . they that are of god , do owne the writings of all the servants of christ ; but many may professe their words , as the pharisees did the prophets words , and as thou dost ▪ now , and yet not bee of god , but children to the divel ▪ but that our conceits are fleshly , i do deny thee , for all conceits of the flesh wee deny , and beares witnesse against , and it shall stand for thy owne condition , and thy voice is the voice of a stranger , and they that are of god will not follow it : though thou bring the saints words in thy mouth , as the divel did unto christ ; yet in the light of christ thou art seene ▪ and comprehended , and from the light of christ answered , and by it judged to be without the life of those scriptures which thou speaks of , and they are from thee but as an empty sound . and whereas thou cites many more scriptures , which are exhortations of the apostles to the church , and exhorts thy bretheren with them , to vvhich i ansvver as before . the scriptures i doe ovvne , but to thee thou envious man , they doe not belong , for as in this thy vvriting thou art proved a lier , and a scorner , and a slanderer , and a false accuser , and a blasphemer ; out of thy ovvne mouth , be a vvitnesse against thy selfe , and let all thy vvhole assembly beare vvitnesse against thee , that the scriptures vvhich vvere spoken to the saints vvho vvalked in the light and had denyed ungodliness , doth not belong unto thee vvho art an hater of the light and lives in the pollutions of the vvorld ; but the scriptures vvhich vvill surely be fulfilled upon thee , the wicked shal be turned into hel , and the lier shal have his portion in the lake , and he that works abomination is to be troden in the winepresse of the wrath of god without the city , and such like . and now somthing in answer to something in the epistle to the reader ; whereas thou and the rest of you there say , although the light hath appeared , yet there is a generation of men in the world , that doe hate the light , and endeavour to put it out , crying against the scriptures of truth ; it s a dead letter , and against the forme of doctrine therein contained ▪ to which i answer . it is true , the light hath appeared ; christ who is the light , lightneth every one that comes into the world ; which light hath appeared in every mans conscience ; and there is a generation which hates the light , and you are of that generation which say , every man hath not the light , and calls the light of christ thick darknesse , and endeavors to put it out ; and here you have read your owne condition though you make a large profession of the scriptures ( which is not the light , but words declared from the light ) as the jewes did professe the prophets words , but persecuted christ , and spoke against him , who was the light and substance of the prophets ▪ words : and if you know any who cries against the scripture , and against the doctrine therin contained with you , we cry and declare against such , for the scripture we owne in its place to be a true declaration of god , of christ , and of the saints conditions , but they are not the light , but christ is the light , as themselves bear witness , nor are they the saints guide , but he spirit that gave them forth , as they themselves bear testimony , neither was the scriptures given forth to give your own imaginations and suppositions upon , but they themselves are doctrine , and are as they speak , he that hath the same spirit which speaks them forth , reads them and understands them , and none else ; and whereas thou saist lest that simple , plaine meaning men should be kept in babels darkness , or the enlightned fall into the errour of the wicked , for that reason your book came to publick view ; i answer . truly you are deceived , who think to gaine into your form , the simple , plain meaning men by lies , and false slanders and false accusation ; who are simple and plain unto god , wil discern your deceits , and how falsly you have accused the innocent , and wil see you your selves to be in babels darkness , and who walks in the light wherwith they are lightned wil see you to be in the errour of the wicked and out of the truth ; and it is well for the truths sake , that your book came forth , that thereby your filthiness and deceitfulness , and enviousness might be laid open to the simple . and truly i say unto you , you have , and wil miss of your end in putting forth this book of yours ; and whereas you say you shall be willing at any time to vindicate every conclusion therein contained against any that shall oppose . i answer , i challenge you all in this particular to prove those accusations which you have laid to our charge whom you call quakers , in many particulars which before i have demanded ; what they are is before spoken of ; and whereas you say , you account that light within ( not witnessed by the scripture without ) which some so much talke of , to be deep darkness . i answer , if you know any who speake of any light which the scripture doth not witnesse of , we with you freely declares against such , and such a light is darkness , but the light of christ which we speak of , which hath lightned every one that cometh into the world , i hope you are not so impudent , but you wil acknowledge that the scriptures speaks of this light ; and dare not deny , but that the scripture witnesses that christ is the light of the world ; for as i said , we freely give way , and desires that all might search the scripture , whether these things be not so as we declare . and whereas you say , and exhort to let the scripture be the rule of faith and practice . i answ . here you would alwaies keep people in darkeness , under your teaching , and would make void the new covenant which is the law written in the heart , and the spirit of the lord put in the inward parts , to be the rule and guide of the saints , for who walkes by the rule without them , and teaches men so to do , would make void the covenant of life and peace , where the teacher is not removed into a corner , which teacher all that have faith and an holy conversation do witnesse , which teaches not contrary to what the scripture speaks , but is a teaching fulfilling of the scripture , and an establishing of it , though thou and many may professe the teaching of the scripture and may in your own wills , conform unto it in the outward appearance , as the pharisees did , and yet be but hypocrites and deceived as they were ; and i say againe , that faith was before the scripture was written , which faith is declared of in the scripture , which faith comes as is manifested by hearing of the word preached , which word is even in the mouth and in the heart ; if you have an ear you may hear ; & now i advise you all in the name of the lord to cease striving and contending against the truth , for verily the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands , will dash your image of many mixtures to peices , and it falling upon you , wil grinde you to powder , and your conforming the outward man , to an outward thing and teaching men so to doe , and limiting and tying the holy one to a visible thing , wil not cover you in the day of the lord : nay verily , though concerning the scripture without , you may walk blamelesse , yet one thing will be found lacking even the crosse of jesus christ , by which all sin is crucified in them who walks in it ; and i say unto you , that your covering is too narrow , and it will not hide your secret parts : for in the eternall light of christ you are seen and comprehended , your beginning , your time , and your end , for though you have the scriptures , and jewish like , walkes up in the outward appearance of them , crying the ordinances and churches are ye , yet your praise is of men , and not of god , for you are enemies to the life of the scriptures as is made appear by your many lies and slanders against us , which you have uttered ; and i say returen your minds every one within to that in your own consciences which reproves you in secret for your secret iniquities , it wil let you see where your hearts are , and how far they are mortified to the world , and the love of it , and this light wherewith every one of you is lightned is the light of christ , and it is the lords true witnesse and shall witnesse for him eternally against all whose deeds are evil , who walk in disobedience of it , and all who love it and walk in it , it leads unto christ , and into all purity and holinesse and uprightness of heart towards god and man ; and this light leads unto justification , all them who are taught by it ; and here is your teacher , loving it ; and your condemnation eternally , continuing to hate it . and thus i have answered your booke , and the truth is witnessed , and many false lies and false accusations denied and testified against , and thus i rest , waiting for an answer to clear your self ( if you be able ) of those things which i have denied from you , which you have charged upon us , for god is my witnesse , this i do desire , that truth may be made manifest and imbraced , and deceit and errour discovered and denied . the tragicall life and death of muley abdala melek the late king of barbarie with a proposition, or petition to all christian princes, annexed therevnto: vvritten by a gentleman imployed into those parts. harrison, john, fl. 1610-1638. 1633 approx. 50 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 16 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-11 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a02730 stc 12860 estc s116606 99851822 99851822 17114 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a02730) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 17114) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 1104:19) the tragicall life and death of muley abdala melek the late king of barbarie with a proposition, or petition to all christian princes, annexed therevnto: vvritten by a gentleman imployed into those parts. harrison, john, fl. 1610-1638. [6], 24 p. [by j.p. waelpots?], printed at delph : anno 1633. dedication signed: iohn harrison. printer's name conjectured by stc. in this copy a3,4 are cancelled and replaced by one leaf signed a3. reproduction of the original in the folger shakespeare library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title 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processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng [àbd al-malik ibn muḥammad, -sultan of morocco, d. 1578] -early works to 1800. persecution -morocco -early works to 1800. 2004-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-02 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-07 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-07 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the tragicall life and death of mvley abdala melek the late king of barbarie . with a proposition , or petition to all christian princes , annexed therevnto : vvritten by a gentleman imployed into those parts . printed at delph , anno 1633. to the most illvstriovs , and hopefvll young prince charles prince elector palatine of the rhyne , &c. most illvstriovs prince , the great respect i receiued from your highnes at leyden two severall times after my comming out of barbarie , and the great desire your highnes expressed ( as becometh princes ) to vnderstand , and be informed in foraigne afaires , and the state of other countries , hath encouraged me ( hauing novv againe been imployed into that countrie ) to present to your highnes , for a nevv-years-gift , this short relation , of the life , & death of the late king muley abdala melek , as vvas related to me by vvaie of discourse onlie , at seuerall times , by those vvho for the most part vvere eye-vvitnesses : oculati testes . vvhich also may serue your highnes for matter of discourse , and further information likewise , to discerne betwixt a blessed christian gouernment , vvhereunto god hath ordained you , and a cruell tyrannous mahometan gouernment ( as is the turkish , ) vnder vvhich those miserable mis-belieuers : yea and manie christians likevvise there in most miserable slauerie , groane : the lord deliuer them from it . and giue vs grace to make vse of it : both prince . people , and acknovvledge our owne happines . prince , vvho commaund ouer christian , obedient , and dutifull subiects : and subiects vvho liue vnder so peaceable , and christian a gouernement , bona si sua norit agricola , free from tyrannie , rebuel : as , and tumults , vvhereunto that countrie of barbaric hath this long time been subiect . such is the miserable state , and condition of tyrannie , and of tyrants , euen of kings : as your highnes may perceiue , by the sodaine , fearefull , and miserable end of this king : qualis vita sinis ita : his life vvas bloodie , and so it ended in blood , in his owne blood . and thereafter may your highnes , and all other yong princes , vvho haue so good tuitors , and ouerseërs to informe them learne : ( as that famous buchanan tuitor to your grand father king iames of blessed memorie , in his epistle dedicatorie before his tragaedie called baptistes , admonisheth , vvorthie to be read ouer , and ouer , and remembred of all yong princes , his vvords , as i remember , are these ) maturé odisse quod tibi semper est fugiendum . vvhich i pray god both your highnes , and all other princes may remember , and make vse of . hoping your highnes vvill accept of this small present out of a barbarous countrie , for vvant of a better . vvhither i should haue returned , for the releasse of the remainder of my poore countrymen , in captiuitie vnder the new king muley elvvalid , vpon a new treatie . hauing alreadie been a means to releasse aboue two hundreth and threescore from sallie : and threescore mee as yet remaining vnder this king at morocco , and sallie , by them taken againe vpon a late breach : besides vvhat are dispersed vp and dovvne the countrie : all promised by that king to be releassed vpon his treatie . vvhither ( i say ) i should haue returned long before this time , longed , and long looked for by those poore captiues . for the captiue hasteneth to be loosed &c. as it is in the prophet . but vvhether i shall returne at all : or those poore captiues be loosed , or releassed at all , is in gods hands : vvho can make their verie enemies , and all those that haue caried them avvaie captiues , to pitie them : othervvise no hope at all . and so i leaue them to gods mercie : and both them , & all others in like distresse , both there , and elsvvhere , to your highnes , and all other christian princes to commiscrate , according to a proposition , or petition , i haue hereunto annexed , highlie concerning them in honour to consider of : vvhich is also in gods hands : for the hearts of kings ( as salomon saith ) are in gods hands , he turneth thē vvhich vvaiesoeuer he pleaseth . in the meane time ( as my dutie is , hauing been imployed in these affaires ) i can but sollicit , and petition , though vvithout effect , in hope contrarie to hope : hauing hitherto receiued so small encouragement : but discouragements : and so goe on mourning still , and like to doe : finis vnius mali gradus futuri . one crosse after an other still readie to receiue me , vvhich i must beare patientlie , so commaunded , so resolued : to take vp the crosse of christ , and follovv him vvhither soeuer he commaundeth , from one conntrie to an other , from one part of the vvorld to an other , and to the vvorlds end . quem statues finem rex magne laborum ? and so goe on mourning still , as i haue don these manie years . hoc continuis agimus annis : a countinuall mourner euer since the death of prince henry my maister , novv renewed by the death of your royall father , & that renovvmed king of svveden , vvho died that verie day of the month prince henry died , the 6. of nouember : the date after the povvder plot , ominous . for both vvhich the vvhole church of christ hath cause to mourne , and that continuallie , not onlie outvvardlie , but invvardlie euerie familie a part : as vvas that great mourning of hadadrimmon in the valley of megiddon . for that good king iosiah , continuallie , continuis annis euen to posteritie : to be continued ( i say ) as vvas that , for these two so good kings , so sodainlie , & so vntimelie taken avvate . to mourne ( i say ) continuallie , and invvardlie for our sins , vvhich are the cause of these disasters : verus luctus est occultus : that is the true mourning : so to condole , and mourne . and so let vs continue our mourning , and goe on mourning still : euerie familie a part , euerie true christian a part , to beare a part , in this so great a mourning , vvith our deare mother the church : that comfortles rachel , vvho vveepeth for her children , and vvill not be comforted because they are not . yea , let the vvhole church of christ renevve her vveeping , and mourning againe , till it echo againe , not onlie the last vvords , vltima verba ( as it is in seneca ) sed totos reddat troiae gemitus ) for her children first , and last taken from her , one after an other , because they are not . queene elizabeth of famous memorie , is not . king iames , is not . prince henry ; is not and the other hopefull young prince henry your brother , is not . your royall father , the king of bohemia , is not . the king of svveden , is not . hovv is the valiant man fallen that deliuered israel ? besides other vvorthies : the old prince of orange , and others , they are not . yea manie other poore christian soules , of late slaine , massacred , perished , and lost , both vnder the antichristian & mahometan tyrannie , they are not . for vvhom the vvhole church of christ hath cause to mourne : neuer more cause , neuer more seasonable . vvherunto now i betake myself , euen to praiers and teares the vveapons of gods church : vvhich shall be the second part . and my account hereafter mentioned , the third , and last : if god permit , and other obstacles hinder not . and so rest your highnes humble seruant , iohn harrison . the life and death of mvley abdala melek , the late king of barbarie . if plutarch ( vvho did vvrite , and paralel the lives , and acts of the most famous men of those times ) vvere novv living , to vvrite and paralel on the contrarie the lives and acts of the most infamous men of the vvorld , i think he vvould haue much adoe to finde out a fit match , either auncient or moderne , vvherevnto to paralel the late king of barbarie muley abdala melek : yea rather i thinke he vvould leave him vnparalel'd . and so must i , only setting dovvne so much as in that short time i staid at morocco ( vvhich vvas but tvvo monthes ) hath been related to me by vvay of discourse , by such both of our ovvne nation and others as vvere for the most part eye-vvitnesses , vvhich is scarce the hundreth part of his cruel acts , and mad-pranks he plaid in that short time of his raigne : vvhich vvas scarce foure yeares , mad-pranks i may call them , for so is he commonlie called the mad king. he vvas son to mulay sidan by a negra , so by complexion a molato : the mores in that respect vvhether of vviues or concubines making no difference of succession , but commonlie the eldest , though by a concubine , carieth the crovvne : and sometimes the yonger getteth the blessing from the elder : quo iure &c. capiat qui capere potest . he vvas extraordinarilie giuen to drinke vvine and strong drinke , vvhich added to his naturall disposition : ( vvhich needed not ) inclyned to crueltie euen from his infancie . of a manlie stature : and of a most couragious disposition . a good horseman , vvith his launce & target ; vvould euer be the first man in the face of his enemies : vvho indeed durst neuer look him in the face , but presently faces about : his svvord making vvaie for him vvhich waie soeuer he vvent . such vvas his resolusion , viam inveniam aut faciam . so that it may be doubted vvhether his courage , or crueltie vvere greater : and in these tvvo respects , i vvil be bold to saie ( as before ) not to be paraleld by any . as by these fevv passages , gessing at hercules by his foote , may easelie appeare . and euen before he vvas king began to play his prize like , hercules furens , his arme and svvord still in action , cutting and killing at his pleasure vpon euery slight occasion . at one time he killed one of his ovvne blood ( the blood royall ) onlie for tasting a litle of his svveet meates by stealth . sweet meates must haue sowre sauce . an other ( the chieffest of the cast of the shebanites allied vnto him by mariage of his praedecessours into that cast ) hauing vvronged one of his servants , he taketh some fevv of his servants , not aboue ten at the most vvith him , goeth desperatlie among all the shebanites to the ●ent of this man , being the valiantest amongst them all , challenged him of the vvrong : vvho slighted him ( being then not king ) mounted on horsebacke , discharged his pistoll at him but missed , whō presently this yong prince drawing his sword slue hand to hād maugre al the shebanits , & came of cleare an other time a levantado or rebell ( one of their saints ) comming against his father muley sidan vvith 3000. horse , like to surprize him on a sodaine , he vvith his drums , musik and ensignes , and not aboue fortie horse , vvent out against him , chardged so furiously , as put them , al to flight : pursued the victory , & ( as they say ) vvith his ovvne hand vvounded the levantado that he dyed , his head after brought in , to muley sidan , hanged vp in the alcasaua , and quarters likevvise on the vvals of morocco , on the gates of the citie . hauing be ore challenged his father of neglect , and too much securitie : of vvhom not only his enemies , but euen his father ( as they say ) stood in feare , yet his father calling him father . such is the praeposterous maner of the moores , to call their eldest son father , out of a reuerence ( as they say ) they giue to him being the first born , & to be ( as it seemeth ) pater familias , father of the familie for the time to come , other reason i can not giue of their praeposterous inversion of that relation , ( or rather confusion ) for the father , to call his son father . our heauenly father i am sure did not so , the king of kings : thou art my son , &c. as it is in the psalmes . nor dauid the king in that his patheticall expression of his fatherly affection , far beyond theirs , yea beyond all expression : absalon my son , my son. after his comming to be king some of the frends of the leuantado hauing by stealth taken dovvne his quarters to bury them , he commanded a great number of the neighbours heads who dvvelt neere there aboutes to be cut of , executing many vvith his ovvne hands as he met them in the streets . and not long after immediatlie vpon the death of his father , being nevvlie proclaimed king , his brother muley flvvallid ( this king ) comming against him vvith a great force , better affected of the comminaltie than the other , in respect of his crueltie : ( vvhich they greatlie feared , and not vvithout cause , as aftervvards they found ) muley abdala melek giuing order first for his ordnance , to be dischardged , immediatlie after himself , being the first , man ( hauing but a fevv horse ) chardged so furiouslie , and so throughlie , as he rovvted them all ▪ vvhervpon his brother fled tovvards sallie , but not long after vvas betrayed & brought back againe by alkaid hamuda dvvelling neare azamore , vvhose horma or sanctuarie he tooke , invited and encouraged by him to some further attempt : but indeed betrayed , vvho after vsed him in a verie base & vnseemlie manner , stripping him , beating him , and carying him , chained vpon a horse to the king. vvherevpon the king ( they say ) vvhen he savv him relented , yea vvept , not vsing any extremitie , but rather out of his lion-like magnanimitie , contemning vvhat either he , or any other had don , or could doe against him . yet did his brother liue in continuall feare , diuers times threatned by the king in his mad humor , sending to him to prepare himself , and to knovve vvhat kinde of death he vvould dye : but by mediation of his sisters and others still put of . at one time ( the king being at saffia ) in his drunken humor , the sentence pronounced , and an alkaid presentlie sent tovvards morocco , vvhere his brother was then prisonner to execute it : but the next morning the king comme to himself , and by mediation ( as before ) reversed , and a messenger dispatched to countermaund the other , vvhom he ouertooke but at tansift a riuer vvithin foure myles of morocco , commanded vpon his life to ouertake him : the other making no great hast , othervvise it had been executed . one time at saffia his almahalla or campe ( vvherein his brother muley semyn vvas then ) comming to pitch neare thereaboutes , he in steed of a vvarning piece to remoue further of , shot a bullet amongst them . an other time ( as i heard ) in iest among the market folke : yet did no hurt but killed an asse . an other time in his almahalla ( hauing been all the daie abroad drinking as he vsed ) and coming riding in late at night vpon the spur , as he passed by the ordnance , vvhereof the english had the chardge , he commaunded on the sodaine svvearing a great english oath , giue fire : vvhich they presentlie did , they durst doe no othervvise : so shot avvaie his ovvne vncle being in companie vvith him all to peeces , his yongest brother , yea and his ovvne yong sonne , sometimes vvould he hang vp by the legs , and beate them vvith his ovvne hands . no merveile then if he vvere cruell to others , being so vnnaturall to his owne flesh and blood . euerie daie must see blood ( blood shed ) vvere it but of a hen , els not satisfied . possessed ( as some of the moores haue told me manie are , & that he vvas ) vvith a she deuill , frequent amongst them as ( it seemeth ) amongst the heathen in times past , vvhereof a heathen philosopher writeth a set treatise of incubus and succubus . and the partie vvho told me this said , that one daie going a hawking hauing other moores vvith him , one follovving a good distance in the high vvaie , on a sodaine stood still , and not long after they savv a smoake arise in the same place , vvhereat they vvondered , & vvent back , finding the man much amazed . asking the reason , he said a vvoman met him there verie faire & in good attyre , vvho offered herself to be his wife , he ansvvered , he had one alreadie , she replyed he might take an other ( for so the moores may by their lavv ) being verie importunate vvith him : at length looking dovvnevvards perceiued her clubbed feet , & vvhat she vvas , wherevpon he vvent back , and absolutly refused , and therevpon she vanished in that maner in a great snuffe . the man presently therevpon falling sick , and so continued a good vvhile . hovv true this is i can not say , but vvas reported to me verie seriously , and for a certaintie . but of this i am sure that the deuill can transforme himself into an angel of light : much more take vpon him the shape of a man , or a vvoman , as god permitteth to delude those that obey not the truth . and this likevvise i knovve to be true and certaine , that he is both a lyer ( the father of lyes ) and a murderer from the beginning : euer a thirst , and neuer satisfied vvith blood . and therefore no merveile if this tyrant vvere so possessed as before , that euerie daie he must see blood els not satisfied . and if euery day , hovv much blood may be thought he shed in that time of his life & raigne . sometimes he vvould cut of mens heads vvith his ovvne hands , and vvith his ovvne sharp svvord , saying , those vvhom he commaunded did not cut them of vvell , and at once : vvhich don vvould aske one of the englishmen if it vvere not vvell done , he must say yea muley . yea six or seauen mens heads in one day . once by euermuch drinking distempered in his bodie , hauing his armes and hands benummed , his doctor persvvaded him to enter into a bath . after his bathing meeting vvith one of his concubines , drevv out his svvord and cut of her head , to trie the strength of his arme if it vvere sound againe . also an other for going out of her bite or chamber to the next doore to one of her fellovves , for the moores are iealous euen of their vvomen , and vvill not suffer them to companie together . made one man stand still vvhile he threvv stones at his face , threatning if he offered to stir or moue he vvould cut of his head . so likevvise abroad in the fields , ofttimes vvould cause some one of his seruants to lie dovvne grovelling , & sit vpon him in steed of a stoole a vvhole night together drinking : and the man durst not for his life stir . and some to stand by him vvhole daies and nights vvithout moouing hand or foote , othervvise vvould haue cut of their heads . vvould cause men to be drubbed , or beaten almost to death in his presence , vvhich vvas but a common & gentle correction , fiue or six hundreth blovves at once , and after they must kisse the ground , & giue him thanks . to whom in this particular , & others likevvise , i may paralel a great lord in this part of the vvorld : vvho ( hauing slaine an other in a privat duell , and , vpon iust occasion offered , taxed by one to vvhom he had don vvrong , disgracing , & disabling him , and that in an open assemblie , & displacing him too : and therefore had the partie reason there also to right himself , and reply , par pari referre , and disable him likevvise for shedding of blood , vvhich by the lavv of god is murder ) caused the partie to be committed to prison ( closse prisoner at the first ) and there kept , and fed vvith the bread of affliction , till in the end he vvas forced : ( his imprisonment , and punishment both of bodie and purse , besides the disgrace , no sufficient satisfaction ) to kisse the ground , that is , make an humble submission , and subscribe that he had offended , and abused his lordship vvith opprobrious , and vnciuill language &c. that is to say , that the lavv of god is an opprobrious & vnciuill language , vvhich saith : he that smiteth an other vvith an instrument of yron , that he dy is a murderer &c. vvhich submission he novv vtterly disclaimeth , as most blasphaemous against god & his lavv , & don of infirmity , and by dares of imprisonment , hauing no meanes at all to maintaine himself any longer in prison , but there to starve : praying god to forgiue him , and them likevvise vvho imposed it . to vvhom ( euen to that great god ) that great lord ought rather to make submission , for violating his holie lavv , as david did , ( a king and vvas not ashamed . ) i haue sinned &c. yea and after fell to the ground , and kissed the ground vvith manie teares . therefore is he a saint in heauen : and muley abdala melek , and all such bloodie tyrants , & murderers ( vvithout repentance ) deuills in hell . for topheth is praepared of old euen for kings , and lords too if they repent not : for vvith god there is no respect of persons . nor vvas vvith this king muley abdala melek , in the cruell course of his tyrannie : vvherevnto all , both great and small , vvere subject . yea he vvould , cause some to be beaten on the soles of their feet , and after make them run vp , and dovvne among the stones , and thornes . and so also vsed some that vvere lame , & hurt , pulling of there shooes , & making them run barefooted in such places : or els vvould cut of their heads . did cause one of his alkaids ( his chieffe falconer ) to be drubbed and beaten , manie hundreth blovves on the buttocks ( as himself told me ) and after forced him to ride in that painfull maner after him a havvking . also the same alkaid told me , that the girth of his sadle being broken , and he allighted : an other alkaid comming to help him , and holding his stirrop , the king called that alkaid to him , and caused him to be drubbed for holding his stirrop , and not long after the like occasion falling out againe , caused the same alkaid to be drubbed againe , for not holding his stirrop . he run a mans thigh thorovv vvith his launce to the saddle , and after because he vvas not able to ride after him a pace , giue him tvvo or three hundreth blovves . vvould vvith his sword cut and flash men for his pleasure , and after himself giue them plaisters to cure them . vvould cast men to the lions to be devoured , an other of his torments . to one among the rest he promised that if he vvould fight vvith them , and could escape he should be perdoned : vvhich he did manfullie ( as i vvas told ) beating them from him either vvith stones or som such meanes clearing himself , yet af●er vvas put to death some he caused to be rastrar'd , or dragged by the feete at the horse heeles , their back and head against the stones : as he did the hacam of morocco ( the chieffe officer of that citie ) round about his almahalla or camp till he died . others iointed , their fingers , and toes first cut of by euerie jointe , armes and legs , & so head and all . an other hanged vp by the priuie members , one caused to sit vpon him to vveigh him dovvne : and vet the man liuing . another ( a hole digged in the ground ) set in the earth vp to the head , as schollers in some places use to shoote at the cock at shrouetyde : so did he cause the captiues vvith their peeces to shoote at this poore mans head . they all missing , he himself came neere vvith his ovvne peece and shot him , calling him a deuill because they all missed him . he cut of a moores head ( a church man , or sexton ) for crying on the church tovver or steeple , and cursing all that did drinke vvine , forbidden by their lavve . an other also for crying and singing more then vsuall . for the moores haue noe bels , but in steed thereof , these cryers to call them to their devotions : in the name of god , one god , the great god , and his prophet mahomet , the messenger of god. some say this mad king did once threaten that he vvould haue one of the friars , french or spanish , to sing masse before him : vvhich i thinke vvould haue pleased him little better . he caused a french captiue to turne moore , and be cut , that is made an eunuch , onlie for extolling the king of france to be one of the greatest monarches of the vvorld . an other , vvho kept his horse , neuer vvithout slashes and vvounds . an other frenchmans doublet vvith a paire of sizers did he cut all ouer in slashes vvith his ovvne hands , saying , he vvas novv a right french cavallero , like to the rest . if in his drunken humor abroad in the fields ( as he vvas seldome sober ) he did fall from his horse , all his alkaid● and seruants must doe the like , and lie dovvne , and doe as he did . much like the catching of the dotterill : and not offer to rise or get on horseback till he did , nor to hold his stirrop , or come neare him all the vvhile , if they did he vvould giue them blovves . one of his alkaids , for some such like offence , caused he to sit 24. houres on he top of his tent in the almahalla ( as it vvere on the pillorie ) for all men to gaze vpon . and novv and then vvould he giue them a pill called shishai ( the effect vvhereof is to make men merie drunke ) to make himself sport . but indeed his onlie sport vvas in cutting of mens heads , and ( as before ) in shedding , and seeing of blood . no one day escaped but one or other sacrificed in most bloodie manner to this vnsatiable deuill : and she deuill together , if that opinion of the moores be true , as before . on a time the christian captiues , at saffia the port town , had laid a plot to breake the prison , and escape by sea in a boate , but in the acting thereof vvere discouered , all taken and beaten in most pitifull maner to make them confesse the authors , most of them spaniards , and french : the chieffe plotter a spaniard ( as it seemeth ) of some account , called don pedro , vvho vvas sent for to the king ( then in his almahalla ) vvho therevpon called all the english , and others to kneele before him , setting the spaniard also right before him . then said to the english , youe see this mis beliuer that vvould haue run avvaie , if any of youe be like minded , run sure , and cleare avvaie : othervvise , if youe be taken see here your doome . then caused he first the spaniards eares to be cut of one after an other : then his nose : then his lippes one after an other : then his mouth , on both sides slit vp to the eares : then his fingers disiointed one from an other : vvhich don the king fell a laughing , ha , ha , ha . then said the spaniard to him ( hauing all this while looked him in the face & indured it verie manfullie ) novv tyrant doe thy vvorst . vvherevpon presentlie he cut of his head . so dyed this valiant champion , euen in death triumphing ouer his tyrannicall tormentors . an other time a moore being brought before him for some misdemeanor fearing death , said vnto him : muley , i haue liued all the daies of my life hitherto a christian , if thou vvilt novv pardon me , i vvill turne true moore againe . his meaning vvas that he had liued a vvicked , and levvd life , as many christians haue don , and doe , both in that and other countries , i speake it to their shame , vvhereby the name of christ , & his religion is scandalized , and blasphaemed : but yet , notvvithstanding that his confession , that he had liued a christian , and profession to turne moore againe , ( that is to say , ) to lead a godly life , vvas executed . for vvith this king there vvas no respect of persons , or religions , or occasions great or small . sins veniall , or mortall all one , that is to say mortall , occasions ? nay oft times vvithout any occasion at all but onlie as he met vvith any by accident , in his drunken and deuilish humor , vvould try ( as before vpon his ovvne vvomen ) the strength of his arme , and goodnes of his svvord and chiefflie vpon his ovvne nation vvithout respect of persons : he had no minions , or favorits at all : one good propertie in him . vvhat shall i say . but ( as an alkaid telling me of these and other his mad and tragicall acts exclaimed ) a deuill , a deuill . his alcasava , or court the verie picture of hell : vvhich made the greater and better forte to flee away into the mountaines , or stand vpon their guard a far of : like those vvylie foxes in aesop seeing all foote steps going forvvard into the lions den , but fevv or none retrorsum , back againe . and those that did , hovvling , and crying , vveeping , and vvayling sighing , and vvringing their hands , either for themselues , or their friends . this vvas the dailie , and dolefull musick both vvithin and vvithout : the verie gates of hell . friends ? nay rather fiends , daylie tormenting one an other . for so vvould he commaund his alkaids , and servants to drub one an other at his pleasure , & cut of one an others heads too . he vvould commonlie say in a iesting maner , that it seemed to him whensoeuer he executed any of the moores , that they had tvvo or three heads : meaning to cut of but one , he left none : vvishing ( as it seemeth ) like that romane tyrant , that all the romanes had but one neck , he vvould cut them all of at once : so muley abdala melek , the moores , of vvhom he vvas flagellum , the onlie vvhip that euer vvas . and ( as some thinke ) the best king for the moores that euer vvas : requiring not a blocke , but aesops storke to keepe them in subiection , they othervvise prone to rebellion , affecting alteration , and innovation : as their refran or proverb is : everie day a new cus-cus , euerie day a nevv vvife , and euerie day a nevv king. and though he vvas thus cruell and tyrannous to the moores , and others , yet did he favour much and respect the english , to vvit the captiues , both before and after he vvas king. making one of them once to ride behinde him , but vvithall bidding him not sit too closse to him for filling him full of lyce . threatning sometimes , but yet neuer giuing any of them so much as a blovve . vvho in his fathers time were kept in chaines both by the neck and legs , but he comming to be king releassed them , and made them , his gunners , giuing them free leaue to goe vp and dovvne vvhere they vvould at their pleasure , and doe almost vvhat they vvould : and not a moore that durst controll them , but rather stood in avve of them . though their allovvance but short , yet , hauing that libertie , they made the better shift . and somtimes the king himself in a good humor vvould giue them money : yea , and sometimes in his mad humor . yet did he cause some english boyes perforce to turne moores , cutting them , and making them capadoes , or eunuches : but aftervvards ( as they say ) repented , saying : he vvould neuer more force englishmen to turne moores , for he found them better seruants to him being christians , then moores : for that being christians they vvould stand by him , and stay vvith him : but being moores run avvaie from him , hauing more libertie and opportunitie . and as he vvas ( as i may say contrarie to his nature ) thus favourable to the captiues , so vvas he likevvise to the merchants , or others that came as hoare . he being at saffia one time standing vpon the vvals , an english boate comming as hoare , he called to one of the men to come to him : vvho , not knovving him to be the king , al the while stood talking vnto him vvith his hatt on his head in spanish , after the king going into the castle , called one of the english captiues to him , asking him if his countriemen had no better maners ? bidding him gofetch the partie to him , vvho being come , the king vvould say nothing to him , but only made him to attend there a good time , and caused the english captiue vvhom he loued vvell , to be committed to prison in the others steed , and chaines to be put on him . but the next day sent for him , causing his svvord to be restored to him , and so , in a mad humor , made him , both vvith his svvord about his side , and chaines about his legs , to vvalke after him round about the vvals , talking , and iesting vvith him familiarlie as he vvas vvont : and then after this chaines also vvere taken from him . this onlie he did in iest , to teach englishmen good maners against an other time . but to the moores his iests vvere in good earnest , a vvord and a blovve . at the same place at saffia , he vvould take the vvomen , a vvashing at the sea side vpon the sands , set them vpon their heads , & cause vvater to be powred ( vvith reverence be it spoken ) into their vnseemly parts , to see if it vvould come out at the mouth againe . he mustered all the faire vvomen in morocco : ( vvhereof it seemeth he had a catalogue ) causing them all at once , & on a sodaine to come forth into his great garden , called monsarat : ( being a mile in length , planted vvith orange , and lemmon trees , and all kinde of fruits ) and there pitch their tents for 14. daies together : praetending a pilgrimage vvith his vvomen to gometta , tovvards the hils of atlas , no man to come neare them ( no not their husbands ) but only their negras , & seruing maids : himself onlie vvalking the round , all these vvomen dailie and nightlie sitting , and attending in their tent doores as he passed by to vievv them : modestie m●y not repeat the rest . at gometta there is the monument of siddie blabbas one of their great saints , and there a great stonne , vpon vvhich the moores vse to rub their bellies , saying it cureth the chollicke and diuers other diseases . som christians say this siddie blabbas vvas saint augustine , and that vpon this ston he preached : both vvhich savour of superstition . but muley abdala melck had no such devotion , for he vvent not there at all , nor those vvomen neither , almost famished and starved vvith hunger , and cold : for no man durst come neare them all that time to bring them any provision . this vvas one of his tragicomicall parts . one of the englishmen vvhom he loued aboue the rest , vvho had the chardge of one of his chieffe horses , vvhich vvas verie vnrulie , & vvould bite any man that came neare him , therfore alvvaies fast tyed vp : the king comming into his rovva , or stable , & spying some thing amisse about the horse , vvould not strike the englishman , but commanded the horse to be let loose , & the englishman to stand fast by him , suffering the horse to bite him at his pleasure , euē the flesh frō his armes : durst not stir till the king called to him . an other time , the same englishman complayning to him , that he had nothing to eate saue barlie , the king caused the horse his sabadera or bag in vvhich they vse to giue them provander , to be hanged about the english mans necke full of barlie : ( as they doe vpon their horses heads ) and so made him eate the barlie like a horse . an other time the king , hauing taken offence at some thing , threatned to kill the englishman , and that vvithout delay : an alkaid , vvilling to saue his life , offered the king i knovve not how manie hundreth duccats for him , to buy him of the king. vvhy thou foole ( said the king ) doest thou thinke i meane to kill him ? no , i vvould not for so manie thousand duccats : but to the moores ( as i said before ) his iests , and threats vvere in good earnest . one of his negros vvhom he loued , and called brother , hauing offended him , being in his obadia , that statelie pallace , vvalking in his garden , a little paradise , in the middest vvhereof are diuers pleasant tankes or ponds , he caused him to be cast into one of them , forbidding any to come neare him to help him out againe : at length , hauing vvalked a turne or tvvo , bade one goe pull him out : vvho brought him vvord he vvas drovvned . vvhat my brother drovvned , said he ? goe pull him out , and burie him : there vvas all the mourning . an other he caused to eate his ovvne excrement : asking hovv it relished . yea he himself cut a peece of the brawne of a mans arme vvhom he had killed , broyled it on the coales , and did eate it . the king of gagoes son , not ouer a day or tvvo before the kings death ( some say the same day ) drinking together , because he vvas not able to pledge him so much as he drunk , being all aqua vitae ( for so must euerie one doe as he did , and drinke as he did ) caused the vvhole bole full of aqua vitae to be giuen him backvvard like a glister , till it reversed in their faces againe that gaue it . hauing not long before made him to stand tvvo daies , and tvvo nights in the vvater . and before throvvne dovvne an other of the sons from the vvals of saffia , and broke his thigh . vnder a colour of going a hawking , vvould lie vvhole daies , and nights abroad in the fields a drinking : and before his death manie daies , & nights together . god hauing bereaued him of his vnderstāding as he did nebuchadnezer , and driuen him from men to dwell vvith the beasts of the field . yea he himself not long before , hauing driuen avvaie from him all his most trustie servants , ( saue one or tvvo ) committed to prison : and vvithall a vvatchfull dog vvhich he loued , & fed vvith his ovvne hand , for some small offence he tooke , likevvise committed to prison vvith them : commaunding he should but haue so much bread , and vvater a daie . all these his vvatchmen at once sequestred from him , and the other so ouer toyled , & vvearied vvith vvatching day & night : ( perhaps also vvearie of him as vvere others : ) all seemed to conspire his death . plotted ( as it seemeth ) before by some of the elchies , or renegadoes , vvhom the king had threatned the next time he came to his house in morocco to cut , and make eunuches , to the number of two hundreth : vvhereof they vvere sore affraid . and therefore one among the rest ( a frenchman as is reported ) vvatched his opportunitie vvhen the king came back to his tent at night ( hauing been all the day abroad a drinking ) and vvith a peece chardged vvith tvvo chained bullets , shot him in by the fundament , and privie members into the bodie , as he vvas lying along in his tent . a iust iudgement of god , in respect of that glister of aqua vitae he gaue to the king of gagoes son : & threatning likevvise the elchies as before . as also in respect of that abhominable impudent and filthie act he did at saffia to those poore vvomen . but chiefly ( vvhich god in the end vvill punish vpon those mahometans , both turks and moores ) in causing poore christians ( boyes and others ) to be circumcised perforce , yea cut , and made eunuches . a iust iudgement of god ( i say ) of all those tyrants , both turkes , moores , and others , to be trembled at : and so i leaue him . immediatly after his death his younger brother muley elvvallid vvas saluted king : being at that time a prisoner in the alcasaua , the kings house in morocco , expecting dailie nothing els but death . vvherevpon some of his frends ( as at such a time , and in such a case all are frends , & happie he that can be the first ; and svviftest messenger ) running in all hast to the prison doore , and crying out aloud to him to come forth : he thinking it had been to execution , to be put to death : lingering , & excusing himself , that he vvould but take leaue of his vvife , and make himself readie ( vvhich he did only to die ) they calling , and crying more and more , at length he came forth , and so vvas pregoned , and proclaimed king of a prisoner ( i say ) on a sodaine become a king. of a far more soft nature , & disposition than his brother : yet cruell and tyrannous to poore christians , and to the english , vvhom of late he hath most barbarously entreated some of them . eight at once taken , and circumcised perforce : beaten , vvounded , and one mans head almost cut of , to make them turne moores , and forsake their faith . the rest fearefull , dailie expecting the like measure : as by letters latelie vvritten from the merchants there may appeare : vvhich i reserue , vvith other passages , to a further account , leauing them to his mercie , vvhich indeed is crueltie : for the mercies of the vvicked are cruelties : and him and them to god to iudge betwixt them , which in time might haue been preuented , by a seasonable dispatch long since expected : the losse of so manie poore christian soules , as necessarie i dare say as some other dispatches : if the bodies , and soules of christians be esteemed of any value novv a daies : as they are in gods sight right precious : precious in the sight of the lord is the death of his saints . and novv vvill i addresse my selfe ( vvith this proposition : and petition herevnto annexed ) to christian princes , to condole , and commiserate the distressed , or rather desperate estate of these most miserable , or rather more than miserable , creatures , if more may be : not only the english , but all other nations , vvho this long time haue indured a most miserable , and intollerable slauerie vnder these infidels , both turks , and moores , and are like to doe more and more if not prevented : vvhich i pray god at length they may take into their christian consideration . amen . a proposition , and petition to all christian princes , and states , professours , and defenders of the true christian faith , against all antichristian povvers and principallities : as vvell the pope , and his adherents , as the turk , & his vassals , the mahometans : both the one , & the other , novv in these last daies , to be vtterly destroyed : and the kingdome of iesus christ to be erected neuer to be destroyed : but to indure , and triumph euen to the end of the vvorld , according to daniels prophecie 2. 44. and our sauiours likevvise : mat. 24. 14. this gospel of the kingdome shall be preached in all the vvorld , for a vvitnes vnto all nations , and then shall the end come . most high and mightie princes , hauing been heretofore diuers times imployed into barbarie , for the redeeming of poore christians out of slauerie , and other affaires : and hauing been an eye-vvitnes of those great miseries , or rather indignities , don to those poore christians in those countries by that barbarous people : indignities ( i say ) not to be vttered , not to be expressed , but rather vailed ouer : as did that painter the sorovvfull , and mournefull , or rather more than mournefull countenance of that heathen prince for his daughter , adiudged to be sacrificed to that heathen goddesse , or rather idoll : by no painters pensill to be expressed . more than mournefull ( i say ) maiora lachrymis : so manie poore christians dailie taken by those infidels , turks and moores , and caried captiues into those cruell lions dens , as sheepe appointed for the slaughter : bought and sold in the merket , as beasts , and not men : and devoured by those blooddie monsters : vvhose soules lie vnder the altar , daily sacrificed to those heathen deuills , crying : hovv long , o lord holie and true , doest thou not iudge , and auenge our blood on them that dvvell on the earth ? yea beaten , and tormented euen to death , to make them forsake their faith : as not only men , but children also haue been forced , ( and are daily ) taken perforce ( i say ) and circumcised , yea made eunuches , and so disabled at once , both from being men , and christian men , & othervvise most shamefullie abused by those filthy sodomites , not to be vttered . quis italia fando &c. temperet a lachrymis ? indignities ( i say ) maiora lachrymis , don , not onlie to those poore christians , but euen to christ iesus himself , and his vvhole church , and so to be apprehended , vvithout any nationall difference : vvhose members vve all are , and ought to haue a fellovv-feeling of one an others miseries , or els vve are no christians at all , nor vvorthy that name . i say , hauing been an eye-vvitnes of those great miseries , and indignities don to the poore members of iesus christ , ( and consequently to himselfe : ) as a poore member of his bodie , i could not but be sensible thereof . and present the bodies , and soules of those poore members of christ ( like that leuite in the booke of iudges ) dismembred , cut in peeces , and quartered , to the eyes likevvise of all the tribes of israel : that is to say , the vvhole church of christ , both prince and people , of vvhat nation soeuer , all members of that his mysticall bodie , & all alyke interest therein : obliged , like the israelites , to ioyne together as one man , to right , and revenge , euen vvith the hazard of their liues , & estates , these so great injuries , and indignities : consider of it , take aduice , and speake your mindes . open thy mouth for the dumme in the cause of all those that are appointed to destruction . those poore sheepe appointed for the slaughter : the slaughter both of bodie , & soule bought vvith so deare a price , vvhose blood els vvill be required : required ( i say ) at the hands of all those , to vvhom god hath giuen power , & meanes , ( for to vvhom much is giuen of him much shall be required ) but vvant hearts , and mindes to right , and redresse it : speak your mindes . consider of it ( noble princes and states ) by your embassadors one vvith an other , both for the present hovv to relieue all those poore soules that are in miserie , both vnder the turks and moores : and hovv to prevent the miseries of others for the time to come , like to be taken by their ships at sea more and more , and made slaues , that is to say more than miserable : if not preuented . vvhich a fevv good ships , ( had christian princes considered of it all this time , and been so minded ( that is to say of one minde hinc illae lachrymae ) might haue prevented : and may yet for the time to come . to youe i speak ( most noble princes and states ) that are of one minde : consider of it take aduice , & speak your minds . and in youe to the whole church of christ : let it be a freevvill offering , both of prince and people to christ iesus , tovvards this so christian , honourable , and charitable a vvorke . a seacond redemption of his poore distressed members , out of the hands of those infidels , verie easie to be tamed , and subdued : & vvith no great chardges to any , out of a voluntarie contribution of manie . and ( if i vvere vvorthie to advise , and this my proposition , and petition to take effect ) this free vvill offering , or contribution , to be deposited in the hands of the lords the states generall of the vnited prouinces , and the prince of orange : vvho haue so great store of ships , and can most convenientlie manage such affaires by sea : and are so noble , and so honourable , as no doubt they vvould advance it to the vtmost . that so this sacred seruice , being managed by one vndertaking state , consisting of so manie vvise states-men , and prudent senators , may by gods blessing receiue better successe , than those expeditions in former times , frustrated by the dissention of diuers princes vndertakers : as in the turkish history may appeare . the greatnes of vvhich monarchie novv dravveth to a period : ( as that of rome , ) magnitudine laboranssua : both the one , and the other , ( as i said before ) novv in these last daies to be finallie destroyed : and the kingdome of iesus christ to be erected , neuer to be d●stroyed , &c. i speak not these things of my self , neither doe i now come from my self , but haue the holy prophets , apostles , and disciples of my lord and sauiour christ iesus for my vvarant . and in his name onlie , and no other , euen from the king of kings doe i novv come : ( i magnifie my imployment ) more than an embassadour , and yet vvithall a petitioner , to treat , and entreat in the behalfe of his poore afflicted members , vvho are not able , buth vvith prayers , and teares , to treat , or entreat for themselues . open thy mouth for the dumme in the cause of all those that are appointed to destruction . there is my commission : there is my vvarrant . and i must in dutie , and vvill , stand vpon it , it standing so highlie vpon the king my maisters honour , the king of kings : expecting novv hovv i shall be receiued : the successe vvhereof i refer to him . and so conclude vvith prayers , & teares the vveapons of gods church : quid enim nisi vota supersunt . praying god to put into the hearts of christian princes , vvith one mind to fulfill his vvil : for the finall destruction , both of that antichristian , & this mahometan tyrannie : and the finall establishment of his aeternall monarchie neuer to be destroyed . amen , amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a02730-e70 isa. 51. 14 p● 46 the 6. stilo 〈◊〉 in the 1● stilo novo . zec. 12 12. ●2 . 18. isa. 51. notes for div a02730-e840 a cast is a tribe or kinred . cus-cus a dish of meat in great request with them . gago frō whence al their gold cometh conquered by his praedecessors . a general summons from the authority of truth, unto all ecclesiastical courts and officers wherein they may see what truth objecteth against their practice and proceedings in cases of conscience / by william smith. smith, william, d. 1673. 1668 approx. 60 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 14 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a60632 wing s4304 estc r38258 17244800 ocm 17244800 106289 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is 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(eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a60632) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 106289) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1101:8) a general summons from the authority of truth, unto all ecclesiastical courts and officers wherein they may see what truth objecteth against their practice and proceedings in cases of conscience / by william smith. smith, william, d. 1673. 27 p. [s.n.], london printed : 1668. reproduction of original in the cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng society of friends -england -apologetic works. ecclesiastical courts -england -controversial literature. persecution -england. 2005-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-10 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-05 taryn hakala sampled and proofread 2006-05 taryn hakala text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a general summons from the authority of truth , unto all ecclesiastical courts and officers . wherein they may see what truth objecteth against their practice and proceedings in cases of conscience . by william smith . and i will punish the world for their evil , and the wicked for their iniquity : and i will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease , and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible , isa. 13.11 . london , printed in the year , 1668. the epistle to the reader . reader , where knowledge is heaped up concerning truth , and the truth not obeyed and practised , it makes the world like a wilderness , or the height of babel : for all people are out of order that do not obey and practise truth : and by how much their knowledge is large , even so much the more confusion aboundeth ; because that knowledge pusseth up the fleshly mind with false notions and conclusions , and whatsoever worship is set up from such a knowledge it only receiveth life from the power of temporal laws , and all such worships either live or dye as the law favours them or is against them ; and such things are gotten up among the apostatized christians , who are gone from the spirit and power of god : and so bishops , pastors , vicars , curates and people do erre and go astray from his wayes like lost sheep , as they confess . and what is to be expected in such a worship , where the spirit and power of god is wanting ? and what is to be expected from such bishops , pastors , vicars and curats , as erre and go astray from his wayes like lost sheep ? do not such erre and go astray as walk in their wayes , who walk not in the way of god ? and notwithstanding there is a confession of erring and going astray , yet people are driven forward in such wayes by the force of temporal laws , and so people must either erre and go astray , or come under the punishment of such laws . now let the wise and moderate reader consider , whither such are going , as erre and go astray from the way of god ? are they not going to the chambers of death and destruction ? and is there any cause why people should be forced , by temporal laws , to walk in that way ? oh that it might be seriously layd to heart ! for such as erre and go astray like lost sheep , have more need to forsake their wayes , that to compel others to walk with them ; for christ hath sheep that hear his voice , and follow him ; and those sheep do not erre and go astray from his wayes , but feed in his pasture , and rest under his shadow , and he saves them from the wolf and beasts of prey . and all such as confess they erre and go astray from his wayes , they must turn unto him and follow him who is the light of the world , and way to the father ; and then they will not erre and go astray like loss sheep , but be gathered into the fold , and into the pasture ; and there is neither bishop , pastor , vicar or curate that can come into this state , but as they come to the light with which christ jesus enlightens them ; for who be from the light , are in darkness , and that is the cause why they erre and go astray like lost sheep . and can any be true worshippers of god , whilest they erre and go astray from his wayes ? and is not god worshiped in his own way ? and yet such as confess they erre from his wayes , would force others so worship with them , but such are seen in the light , and their end is manifest , and many are delivered out of such wayes , and gathered into the way of god , and so he is known to be a spirit , and worshipped in the spirit and in the truth , which is his own way ; for his spirit doth not lead astray from his wayes , and they that have received his spirit and live in it , they live in the truth ; and they that be in the spirit , life and power , the outward law can neither give life , nor bring death upon their worship , because it standeth in the substance which endures for ever . so reader , be thou mindful to obey the light with which christ jesus enlightens thee , and that will keep thee from going astray like a lost sheep ; for that which goeth astray is a wanderer from the light , which is the guide in the way of god , and they that erre and go astray are following and worshipping the beast and false prophet , whose habitation is full of persecution , by which the saints and houshold of faith are afflicted . but now the lamb sits in judgment , and the beast , and the ●hore , and the false prophet are judged , and their house will fall over their heads , and those that sit with them , and they will feel the ●urden of their house upon them ; and there will be none to take the burden of : therefore whoever thou art that readest , mind that which giveth understanding , that thou mayest be a follower and worshipper of the lamb , and not of the beast , and the whore , and false prophet ; for of 〈◊〉 truth , the lamb and the saints must have the victory . w.s. a general summons from the authority of truth , unto all ecclesiastical courts and officers , &c. friends , you have taken upon you a work of great concernment , but how you are qualified and fitted for it , is the thing to be considered ; for there are several objections may arise against you , and this is not the least ; whether you be in such a spiritual capacity , as to judge of spiritual matters , or fully to determine cases of conscience , from a spiritual discerning and understanding ? for many are unsatisfied concerning the proceedings in such cases , and it is not without some ground , when your practice and proceedings in such cases are truly examin'd and rightly compared , with the practice and proceedings of christ and his apostles , who had power and authority , in the true spirit , to try and judge of all things pertaining to the conscience ; and though you pretend the same thing , and have given your selves the title of spiritual men , and your courts spiritual courts , and so sit to try and judge of things pertaining to the conscience , yet you are not found upon the true judgment seat , neither do your proceedings in such cases , run in a true line of spiritual men before you . so that the precept of the spirit , nor the president of christ and his apostles , are not your rule ; for where did they set up courts to try and judge in such cases ? and who did they summon to appear before them ? and who did they excommunicate for not hearing their service , or for not appearing to their summons , or for not baptizing their children , or for not receiving the holy communion , or for not repairing steeple-houses , which you call churches , or for not paying tythes ? and who did they imprison or cause to be cast into prison , when they had excommunicated them ? compare your practice and proceedings with theirs , and then see if there be not good cause to object against your practice and proceedings in such cases : for you have set up courts , and proceedings which are not to be found in the scriptures . and your first work is to enquire of the town-officers ( who are your intelligencers ) if there be any people within their parishes , that do not go to their parish-church , and hear divine service ; and if there be any such , then they must present their names and dwellings into the court ; and then your next work is , to send a paritor with a summons from the authority of your court , unto such parties so presented , and to require them to appear before you ; and when many have simply appeared according to your summons , you commonly ask them , if they go to their parish-church , and hear divine service ? or something to that purpose . and though they give you an answer according to the scriptures of truth , you will not be satisfied with it , but excect they will conform to what you would have them , you proceed to excommunication , and so return it to the temporal power , to cast them into prison : and if they do not appear to your summons , you also proceed in like manner , and so you make the magistrates your servants , and the sheriffs your bailiffs : for upon the return of your excommunication to the magistrates , they direct their writ to the sheriffs , and the sheriffs arrest the partie or parties by their warrant , and so cast them into prison , and keep them in prison upon your account ; and here you are the cause of laying heavy burdens upon some mens shoulders , for you address your selves to the magistrates , and procure their writ , and they issuing forth their writ to the sheriffs , in answer to your minds , the sheriffs are thereby forced unto execution , though they well know , that such upon whom the writ is to be executed , do not at all deserve such corporal punishment as imprisonment ; for as to people in corporations , they well know one another , as being neighbours together ; and for sheriffs of corporations to be forced to execute a writ upon their neighbours , which unto them are well known to be honest and well-disposed men , and such as are of good report , and also serviceable in their places and callings , doth not this bring a burden upon their consciences in so doing ? and yet being compelled and forced to it , they do not see how to avoid it , as wanting strength to gainsay it , and by that means , there are many of them brought to do such things , in such cases , as are against their own consciences , and thereby draw burdens and trouble upon their consciences ; and is not this a heavy state which you plunge people into by your proceedings , as to cause them to do that which is against their conscience , and so bring them into trouble of conscience ? and there may be a question whether any law in force do bind the sheriffs to execute a writ of that nature in such a manner , but that is left to their own examination and finding out . and now are these things either like spiritual men or judicious temporal men ? and is this your church censure to cast out honest people , and cause them to be imprisoned because they cannot for conscience sake conform unto you ? do you not believe your selves , that there is good cause to object against your proceedings in such cases , by which honest people are so exposed to sufferings ; for you do not only excommunicate them , and cause them to be cast into prison , but you also judge them unworthy of common dealings and society amongst men : and if any have to do with them by way of dealing , or come in their company by way of society , then they must become lyable unto the same judgment and cesure of your court : and so your proceedings tend to destroy common dealings and society among neighbours , which the law of the nation taketh care to preserve ; for the law hath great regard unto common dealing and trading , and would not have any man to be discouraged in it , because it is a principal upholder of the nation , by supplying all outward wants from one hand to another . and you judge and censure this , which the law of the nation encourageth , and so your proceedings are found to be against the law of the nation , and consequently destructive to the nation . and are not such proceedings worse than the jews against the young man , whose eyes christ opened ? for they did but cast him out , and all they had against him for so doing , was only because he would not deny him by whom his sight was restored , to own their sayings . and what have you more against those people called quakers , save only that they dare not deny christ jesus to own your practice , and yet you proceed further against them , than did the jews against the young man ; for you cause them to be cast into prison , and we do not read that the jews did so by him ; so you are found in a worse spirit than were the jews , who only cast the young man out , and no more ; but that will not satisfie you except the body be cast into prison . and was it not the jews that crucified the lord of life ? now if your church was a true church , and your service divine , then you would seek to gain people by love , and not proceed against them in such a manner : but your fruit makes your church and service manifest what they are who persecute honest harmless people , that dare not defile their consciences with polluted things : and may not people go to the church and hear divine service , except they go to your steeple-house and hear your matter ? and may not people perform divine service without they hear what you have to say ? for service standeth in performing , and not only in hearing : for many may hear the true spirit in its reproof , and yet not obey it to become servants to it : and such are not in divine service , though they may hear the divine spirit . and may not people meet with the lord , and hear his divine spirit , and perform divine service in no other place but where you would appoint them ? would you be limiting the holy one , and keeping people in bondage by your limitations ? for if they cannot conform unto you , then you cast them out from you , and so cast them into prison . and is not your limitation the very ground of this bondage ? and is the not-going to your steeple-house a fact of so high a nature , as to be excommunicated and cast into prison for refusing ? if it be , then shew the offence against , god and his truth , or otherwise you cast people into prison without shewing any cause , and that is against the law of the nation : for no free-man is to be imprisoned without cause shewed ; and the quakers are free-men , and you imprison them by your proceedings without shewing cause , for the cause must be some offence against god and his truth , and the offence is to be proved by two or three witnesses , or otherwise it is not an offence of that nature as to come under excommunication , and consequently a prison . and as for the quakers , you have never yet shewed any such cause upon your proceedings , and therefore , as to them , your excommunications are void , and such falsly imprisoned who suffer upon that account ; forasmuch as you have not at any time proved them offenders against god and his truth , which is the cause of excommunication ; and they that tryed judged such cases in the true spirit , they proceeded to excommunication upon such cases as were proved to be an offence against god , and his truth , but they did not proceed to imprison any by the power of temporal laws , nor by their own power , though such offences were proved against them , as might bring them under excommunication , neither did they proceed against those that were without ; but if any that was called a brother , was a fornicator , or covetous , or an idolater , or a railer , or a drunkard , or an extortioner , they were to put away from among them such wicked persons ( so mark ) they were amongst them against whom they proceeded to excommunication , and those that were without they left to be judged of the lord , 1 cor. 5. for a man is first to be within before he be cast out , and when he is within , as to profession , and then walketh not according to the rule of truth , and will not receive admonition , to be reformed from his abuses , then he is to be cast out as a wicked person . so the apostle did not say , if any will not come to our worship , and hear our service , or will not have their children baptized , or will not receive the holy communion , as now commonly used , or be in error in matters of religion or doctrine allowed in the church , or pay not their tythes , or tenths ; that then they shall proceed to cast out such as wicked persons : he did not lay these things down as a ground for such proceedings , but he took notice of the wickedness which was an offence against god and his truth , and so laid down the most principal matters upon which they were to proceed for the casting out such offenders from amongst them ; and this was their practice who judged in the true spirit , and cast out offenders by the power of the true spirit . but you cast out such as are not offenders in any such matters , and count them unworthy of common dealing and society among men , and cause them to be cast into prison , by the temporal power ; and so you cast out sober , and righteous , and godly people ; whereas they cast out drunkards , and fornicators , and such as were in transgression , but they did not imprison them ; and you are doing both , and that to a people who are neither drunkards , nor fornicators , no● any way offenders against god and his truth , but live soberly , and righteously , and godly in this present world , and you have not any thing further against them , but as to things pertaining to their consciences , of which you are not able to judge ; so that if you did not first make causes you could find none in the quakers to give you any occasion to proceed in such a manner against them ; and besides they are not of you , but are separated from you , and those causes you make are , in themselves so slender and weak , as that they cannot any way bear the weight of such proceedings ; neither ought you to be judg● in the case , forasmuch as the cause is your own , and the law of the nation , excludeth men from being judges in their own cause ; as supposing that men in their own cause , will eye their own interest more than the common good ; and therefore it excludes them from trying or judging in that case ; and yet you go much further , by taking upon your selves the whole matter , as in these particulars . 1. there is no cause but what you make . 2. there is no evidence but your own conclusions . 3. there is not any to give judgment or sentence besides your selves , now every cause is to be of that nature , as the law properly in it self will take hold upon , by which it cometh under the power of the law to be determined ; and every such cause is to be proved by such evidence as are not related to it , and also to be determined by such judge or judges as are no way concerned in the matter ; and so all parties , which may stand any way related unto the cause , either in evidence or judgment , are excluded . but your proceedings are wholly left unto your selves , and your own interest is involved , which makes you parties ; and what plea can be held against you in such a case , to obtain right from you ? for it is to be understood , that you have not made such causes , and gotten power to act in such proceedings , as to give judgment against that which you have made , or to determine the matter against your own interest ; and so it may well and safely be concluded , that you are resolved in the beginning how the matter shall end ; and not any plea , though never so good and sound , that will help the defenddant in his case . and here you are beside the law of the nation again , for every good and sound plea , is to be admitted on the defendants behalf in all courts of trial ; and the defendant is to have the benefit of his plea , so far as it will hold good against the plantiff ; and hereby many plantiffs are overturned in their cause , and all judges standing equal in judgement , as to the cause of both parties , do suffer the matter so to be tried and proved before them , as that they may from a good understanding , do right unto the party grieved . but you will not admit of any plea , though never so good and sound , according to scripture , which is the chief plea on the defendants part against you , yet you will not admit of it to the defendants benefit , by doing him right accordingly , but with confidence proceed to excommunication , if there be not conformity given ; and so your proceedings are found to be against the law of the nation in these particulars . 1. in destroying common dealings , and society among men . 2. in excommunicating and imprisoning , without shewing sufficient cause . 3. in being judges in your own cause . 4. in not admitting the defendants plea. and as these things are the very foundation or ground of your proceedings , and being found to be against the law it self , so the law doth not properly stand by you , neither can you properly stand by the law , for the law doth not properly stand by any thing that is against it , but rather takes hold upon it to suppress it ; and if this were well minded , you would not be admitted to sit in the highest seat of judgment concerning spiritual things . now you first cause people to be presented for not going to their parish church , and then you proceed to excommunicate and exclude them , and no plea will be admitted by you in the case ; and is the first an offence in your account , and is not the latter of as high a nature ? surely , if there be an offence in the first , it is much greater in the latter , forasmuch as you exclude from that which you cause to be presented as an offence for not going to ; and then , if people were willing to go , they are excluded , and being excluded , they may not be received until they have purchased your absolution , and this maketh an offence on your parts , and that according to your own conclusion . for , if not going be an offence , then exclusion must needs be greater ; and that falleth upon you as the actors ; and here you draw a guilt upon your selves in your own work . and what neccessity is there for you to cast out and exclude people for that which they are not in , is not this a high degree of confusion in your proceedings ? for , if you would have people go to your steeple-house and service , then overcome with love and convince them by sound doctrine , and if you judge them unworthy , then let them alone where they are , and do not run your selves into such confusion , as to cast such out as are without before , and then judge them unworthy of coming in , without your absolution . but if you should do so , then you would lose your gain , after which you seek , and your diana would fall , and your craft be spoiled ; and indeed ( to speak plainly ) that is the main thing you strive to uphold ; for your courts draw sees from such as cannot withstand you , and your absolutions bring money from such as fall under you , and so your proceedings end in money ; by which it is manifest , that you are not so much for the honour of almighty god , as the love of lucre ; and if that was not to be obtained , there is good cause to believe , that your courts would soon dissolve of themselves ; but whilest there is any hope of gain or profit , you will keep them up , if the magistrate will but help you ; and you have found out so many devices to compass your gain , besides that device for not coming to your steeple-houses , and service , as it is a hard matter to escape your snares , especially such as be of a tender conscience ; and for the sake of such here are some of your devices opened , and with the scriptures of truth compared , by which trial you are found much wanting . 1. you have devised to bring people into your courts , for not baptizing their children , as you call it ; and where doth the scripture command baptizing of children after your manner , as to sprinkle water in their faces , and to sign them with the sign of the cross , and to have godfathers and godmothers to undertake for them ? for though christ in his love and tenderness towards little children , would have them suffered to come unto him , and not forbidden , and that he took them in his arms , yet we do not ●●ad that he sprinkled water in their faces , and signed them with the sign of the cross , or that they had godfathers or godmothers to undertake for them ; but he said , of such is the kingdom of heaven , mat. 19.14 . by which he shewed their innocency , and his love to them in that state . and now you have gotten a law to compel people to baptize their children , as you commonly use it , though christ used it not : and if people refuse to use it , then you have a snare for them . and was it not above four hundred years after christ before sprinkling infants came in ? read eusebius ; and christ did not mention water when he sent forth his disciples to teach and baptize all nations , but commanded them , to baptize in the name , or into the name , of the father , son , and holy ghost , mat. 28.19 . and the apostle said , that by one spirit they were all baptized into one body , 1 cor. 12.13 . and this is beyond your outward sign which you are commonly using , and it standeth by the authority of the spirit , and of the scriptures , without the help of any temporal law. and do you not say , the scriptures are your rule ? and yet you are using such things as are not to be found in them , and have a law to compel or punish those that cannot use the same things with you . 2. you have devised to bring people into your courts , concerning your communion , as you commonly use it , and call it holy ; and it is believed that the communion of the saints and apostles was as ho●y as yours ; and yet we do not read that they excommunicated and cast such into prison , as would not be partakers with them . and was not the communion which they used , the communion of the body and blood of christ ? see 1 cor. 10.6 . and did not the apostle put people upon the examination of themselves before they ate of that bread , and drunk of that cup which was their communion ? 1 cor. 11.28 . ( so mark ) he did not say , if there be any that will not receive this bread , and this cup , as we commonly use it , that then we will excommunicate them , and cast them into prison . they did not proceed in such a manner , who had the true communion amongst them , but said , let a man examine himself , and so let him eat of that bread , and drink of that cup. so see what your communion is , who proceed to punish people that cannot receive it as you commonly use it ; for the apostle bids people examine themselves , and so let them eat ; and you bid people either come and eat , or you will proceed to punish them ; and here is a great difference between your minds and the mind of the apostle . 3. you have devised to bring people into your courts , for error in matters of religion , and doctrine , by you allowed ; and do you not believe your selves , that the religion and doctrine which christ and the apostles allowed , was as sound and true as yours ? and we do not read that they excommunicated and cast such into prison , who differed from that religion and doctrine by them allowed ; for the apostle bid people examine themselves whether they were in the faith ; he did not say , you are in error as to the religion and doctrine which we allow , and we must excommunicate you , and cast you into prison , and we have a temporal law to do it ; but he saith , examine your selves , whether you be in the faith : prove your own selves , know you not your own selves , how that jesus christ is in you , except ye be reprobates , 2 cor. 13.5 . and by that examination and proof , he would bring people to know christ jesus in them , and so bring them out of the reprobate state , in which is the error : and this was sound doctrine , by which he laboured to bring people to the knowledge of the truth , that they might be saved ; and that was to christ jesus in them , who is the salvation of god. and so the apostle would not , that people should be reprobate concerning the faith , and live in error , and therefore he preached sound doctrine to them , that he might open their understanding● to know the truth ; and the doctrine that he preached was christ jesus in them . and this was the religion and doctrine which the saints allowed and approved , and they warned such as did receive it , that they should not receive another doctrine , though they , or an angel from heaven should bring it . and though they certainly knew , that their religion and doctrine was truth it self , yet we do not read that they excommunicated , and cast such into prison , as differed from them in religion and doctrine , for they were of a better spirit , than to deal with people in such cases , after such a manner . therefore see what spirit you are of , and first examine and prove your selves , whether you be in that religion and doctrine which they allowed , who had the spirit of faith in christ jesus : for though you may have a law in such cases , and by that law may proceed to excommunicate and imprison , yet if such against whom you proceed , be in that religion and doctrine , which they allowed who had the true spirit , they are in the truth and not in error ; and by such proceedings , you make your selves no less than fighters against god , and his truth ; by which it is manifest that your power is not of god , and so the error is your own . and the 5th . of eliz. 23. is your great authority in these cases . 4. you have devised to bring people into your courts for not paying your tythes ; and in that case , hen. 8. and edw. 6. provided something for you ; but how that now standeth in force , as to your proceedings , the matter is something questionable . and if tythes be not yeilded and paid , then according to that statute made in 2. edw. 6.13 . you are to have a writ excommunicato capiendo , out of the chancery , against the party , or parties so refusing , and if they can be found , then to cast them into prison ; and if they cannot be found ; then the statute of the 5th . of eliz. 23. giveth power to leavy fines of 10. l. the first capias , 20. l. the second , and twenty pounds the third ; and if the party or parties do not yield their bodies to the sheriff upon proclamation ; then twenty pounds upon every capias , ad infinitum , according to that statute . and so you are furnished with statutes for your purpose in the case of tythes . but are these things according to the rule and command which christ gave to his disciples , when he sent them forth to preach the gospel . surely you have looked more into the statutes , than you have done into the scriptures , for did not christ say to his disciples , when he sent them forth , freely ye have received , freely give , mat. 10.8 . and do not you say , give us tythes , or we will give you punishment according to the statutes ? and is not here a great difference between your voices , and the voice of christ ? and is not the true sheepherd known by his voice ? and are not theeves and robbers known by their voices ? and which of you will go forth and freely give what ye have , as the disciples did ? or must you not first know what the tythes of such a place will afford you before you go unto it ? and will not more tythes and profits call you from that place again unto another ? and do you not hereby manifest that you do not freely receive the ministry as the disciples did , and so are in the disobedience unto the rule and command of christ , and are minding earthly things , for your belly , which is your god ? oh the lust of the flesh , and the pride of life which corrupteth the earth ! the power of the lord is manifest to cleanse the land , and the earth from such defilements ; yea he will sweep it as with a beesom , and will drive the locusts before him until the land be cleansed . and when christ offered up himself a sacrifice unto god , then did he end the law with tythes and offerings : for it is granted , that there was a commandment under the law , by which tythes were payd ; and they that were of the sons of levi , had a commandment to take tythes of their brethren , according to the law , heb. 7.5 . but you are compelling tythes from such as you cast out , and do not count them brethren , and so you erre from that commandment under the law. but it cannot be granted that tythes are now to be paid by the power of that commandment , forasmuch as christ hath disannulled it , heb. 7.18 . and being disannulled , the force and power of it is taken away ; and he never gave commandment afterwards for tythes to be paid , nor his apostles neither . and you may see how paul laboured with his own hand , that he might not be chargable , 1 cor. 4.12 . 1 thes. 2.9 . he had not his parritors about him to send unto such as would not pay him tythes ; and this makes a great difference between you and paul , for he laboured with his own hands , that he might not be chargable to any ; and you sit at ease , and are chargable to many ; for you will have your tythes , and your pay from such as do not set you on work , neither have need of your work ; and as christ hath disanulled the commandment going before concerning tythes , and that he did not revive it again by his own commandment , so it must needs stand disannulled to all intents and purposes whatsoever : for among temporal powers , there is that regard to the disanulling of any law , as that it shall no more be put in execution without it be again revived , but standeth wholly and fully disannulled and repealed . and will people have less regard to the power of christ jesus , than unto temporal powers ? for as christ disanulled that commandment , by which tythes were pay'd under the law , and did not again revive it by his own command under the gospel , so it standeth wholly and fully repealed unto this day , and no man hath power to revive it , or cause it to be put in execution ; for christians are to keep the commands of christ , and not to keep up commands which he hath disannull'd ; for that is to keep up the jews practice among christians , and so deny christ jesus , who is the end of the law , not only for tythes , and offerings , and oblations , but also for righteousness to them that believe . and have kings and princes of the earth such power and authority as to revive that by their law and commandment which christ hath disanulled , and left disanulled ? will you set kings and princes of the earth above christ jesus the king of glory , and prince of life ? and will you proceed against people to excommunicate and imprison them from such a ground and foundation . surely it is not altogether your ignorance but your interest that puts you forward in this work . and if you say , that the church is to be preserved in discipline and order by the magistrates power , and as they have provided laws in such cases , so you must put them in execution according to their own intention , and that you are blameless , as doing nothing but what the law enjoynes you , which in your places you cannot avoid ; and so according to your own perswasion concerning your proceedings you would seemingly clear your selves from persecution : but this covering will not hide you , though it be the largest that can be spread over you ; and if you would clear your selves by it , as not being the constituto●s of such laws , then you must needs make the magistrates guilty , and you have no cause at all to do so , seeing you reap the profit ; and if you would lay it upon them , to excuse your selves , you requite their pains for you after the worst manner , for they are your principal upholders and supporters , and that breath you live by , as to such things , you draw it from them , and that strength you stand by , you receive it from them . and have not you , or some before you , propounded and prescribed such wayes unto them , before they have enacted laws for such purposes ? and doth not that make you stand originally guilty of the matter ? and doth not your prosecuting such laws draw the guilt more upon you , though , as to what the magistrates do for you in such cases , they are not clear , and in time they may come to see it , and be weary of it ? and would you wholly lay your proceedings upon the magistrates power , and so make them bear the burden of all your work ? and will that power stand by you in all things you practice ? or do you not act in many things without their power ? and do you not thereby plainly do them wrong ? now concerning your steeple-house , which you call a church , and bring people into your courts , that cannot pay money towards repairing it , what law have you in that case ? and is your church of that nature as it must be repaired with money ? will it decay , and fall , and come to nothing , if it be not repaired and upheld with money ? if that be the nature of your church , as by your proceedings seemeth ; then people have good cause to absent from it , and you have no cause at all to compel any to come unto it ; for the church is the pillar and ground of truth , and it needeth not to be repaired with money , because it standeth in the eternal power and life , which decayeth not ; and christ jesus is the head and ruleth over it , and is a husband to it . and this is not like an old house that will fall if it be not kept up with money . and that is the church and church-government which the quakers own and submit unto , and there needs no outward law to compel them , for the day of his power hath made them willing , and his love constrains them ; and so you can neither compel nor restrain them by your laws , for they cannot be compelled to observe that which they know is not true , nor restrained from that which they know to be true ; and whether you proceed against them according to your law , or without law in such cases , it is all one unto them ; for they do not so much take notice of the outward law in cases of conscience , as they mind to keep their consciences void of offence towards god and men . so that your proceedings are little unto them , whether you render them guilty by a law or without law. for as their consciences are void of offence towards god and men ; so no man can charge an offence to make them g●ilty : and that wipeth off all your sentences and censures as fast as you give them forth . and what law have you to proceed against people ●or not repairing the fence about the steeplehouse-yard and for following honest labour upon those dayes you call holy-dayes ? have you not heaped up devices like a mountain , and do not every device bring you some gain and profit ? and is not that the princip●l ground why you proceed in them , and might their not be a good and sound plea held and maintained against you according to the scriptures of truth ? and might not all your devices be overturned if such a plea could be admitted ? yea surely , your mountain might s●on be thrown down if justice and equity could but enter , therefore you have no cause so highly to lift up your horn , seeing you stand upon a slippery place . but some may say , what is there in all these things which is of concernment as to life and salvation , for life and salvation standeth not in such things , but by believing in christ ? ye● ; there is great concernment in these things as to life and salvation , and they that would come into the true faith , and be a believer in christ , they must deny these things , and come out from among them : for they that believe in christ for life and salvation , they do not yield their obedience to another power , because all believers obey his commands , and not another ; so here is something of concernment as to life and salvation , for who are observing such things as christ doth not command , they have not life and salvation in him as believers ; therefore people are to mind what they obey , because they become servants unto that thing ; and who are obeying any of these things , they are certainly in bondage by them ; and doth not that separate from life and salvation in christ jesus ? and unto what do you bring people by your compulsion , do you bring them unto christ , or into your own observation ? and if they cannot bow to your observation , then you excomm●nicate them , and cast them into prison : and what command have you for such things according to scriptures ? let us see your scriptures if you be spiritual men , and do not presum● above what is written , but keep to that which you say is your rule ; for the quakers are noble , and search the scriptures , and they find that those things you practice are not so according to scripture . and have not people good cause to be separated from you , who erre from the scriptures and the power of god ? and how will you stand by these things in the day when you must give account of all your deeds ? will not these deeds appear as evil deeds ? and will not you appear as evil-doers ? and what law will then appear to justifie you before the judge of heaven and earth ? for you will find him to be a judge more righteous than your selves ; and you will not have a plea to hold against him , but must bear his judgement , because you have sinned ; therefore repent whilst you have time , and learn to do well . and why do you act so furiously against others by the power of the law , and take no notice of your selves by the same law ? is there not a law for you as well as others ? is there not something which the law taketh notice of , as to your selves , which properly falleth under the sentence of excommunication ? doth not the law take notice of incontenency , usury , simony , and perjury in the ecclesiastical courts , or idolatry ? and doth it not properly relate unto you , and brings such things under excommunication ? see 5 eliz. 23. but you here stand silent , or rather dead as to any motion ; and if you say that no such presentment comes before you whereby you may proceed , and that you cannot act in proceedings without some matter for a ground ; unto which is answered , that if you would but as diligently search , and examine such things among our selves , as you do other things among poor coun●ry p●ople , it is believed that you might find m●tter sufficient as a ground to set you upon motion ; and that is the proper place where you are to begin , for such things are offences against god and his truth , and the law very fitly takes notice of them as offences worthy of punishment ; and the quakers are not against the punishment of evil-doers : and if you would begin in your own house , and make it clean , then clean people would have some delight to dwell with you ; for they that are washed and sanctified by the spirit of the lord , they cannot joyn to any unclean thing ; therefore observe the law and its directions as to your selves , before you be so busie to execute it upon others : but you rather choose to take notice of such things as may increase your gain , than of such things as may profit the soul. and because of these things the land mourneth and is distressed ; for you have neither precept nor president from christ and his apostles for such proceedings ; neither can such as follow christ own your practice and proceedings , in such cases ; for it is below a christians life , and they that be in the christians life , do suffer by you that profess christianity out of the life . and is it not below spiritual men to plead laws and statutes for their proceedings in cases of conscience ? have you no other power and authority in such cases but what is given you by laws and statutes ? if you have then shew plainly upon what ground your authority standeth ; and if you have no authority in cases of conscience , but what is given you by laws and statutes , do you not thereby take away the authority and dignity of christ jesus ? and do you not as much as in you lieth go about to unthrone him from this right ? for what law can reach the conscience , but the law of the spirit of life in christ jesus ? and what power is able to judge the conscience , but the power of christ jesus ? and what authority can govern the church and keep it in discipline and order , but the authority of christ jesus ? and would you take away his right , and give it to another , or take it your selves ? doth not this manifest that you want his spirit , power , and authority ; and so the magistrates must help you by their power and authority ; and their laws , in some cases , must be the ground of your proceedings , and in other cases , your own inventions without law , and that makes your excommunications null and void ; for the magistrates have not that power given unto them as to what they do for you in such cases , though you , or some before you may have urged them , and drawn them to provide laws for you , yet they are all dead in themselves , as wanting power to serve unto that end for which they are provided , because the conscience is not to come under the power of any man in things pertaining to god ; and though we that are called quakers do own magistrates as they are for the punishment of evil-doers , and for the praise of them that do well ; which is their proper place as magistrates , and in such cases we are actively subject to their power , not only for fear , but for conscience sake , yet wherein they extend their power to the conscience , and thereby would give you power to exercise lordship over the conscience , we cannot in that place be actively subject ; because in so doing , they give you power to intrude into the authority of christ jesus : and as for conscience sake we are actively subject to their power in their right place , so for conscience sake we cannot be actively subject when they stretch their power unto spiritual things , which is out of their place ; and both these are for conscience sake unto us , who are cal'd quakers . for as we dare not deny the one for conscience sake , we cannot own or submit to the other for conscience sake . and what more is to be expected from us as to active obedience to the magistrates power , but only in cases which pertaineth to civil things ? and have we ever refused or denyed obedience to their power in any such case ? and as to your proceedings by the magistrates power , in cases of conscience , it might be some satisfaction unto many people , if you would openly declare by what laws and statutes you maintain your courts and proceedings , and in what kings time they were made : for if you have not the temporal power to warrant and maintain you , then you only move as birds in the air , which have no certain centre , and this is the ground why we that are called quakers deny your practice and proceedings in cases of conscience , as not being warrantable by the law of the spirit of life in christ jesus , nor according to the scriptures of truth : and we know that no temporal power or law , can maintain your proceedings against the law of the spirit of life in christ jesus , for it is he alone that hath power and authority to rule and govern the conscience , and not any besides him ; and so in cases of conscience , your proceedings are without power , and consequently void in law ; for without power there is not any offence can be truly tried or punished : and herein you are found wrong doers by your proceedings , and you pull down your own building by pleading laws and statutes for your proceedings in such cases , and moderate people do see that you are not spiritual as you pretend , but only in some things have the magistrates sword on your side , by which many become subject more out of fear than for conscience sake . and because we cannot for conscience sake be conformable in such cases , therefore you proceed against us and inflict punishment upon us , and that is contrary to reason which is counted the root of the law : for it is not a reasonable thing that the exercise of our consciences should come under your power to be punished , whilest as to civil things , we are not found guilty of any offence ; and this we do maintain against you to be a truth : and therefore , as to us , your proceedings are of no more force , than as you drive them forward in the strength of your own wills ; and yet there is a great noise that we will not obey the laws , nor be subject to government , and that we are a willful people , and deserve to suffer . now we would have our accusers to shew us plainly , what law we disobey , and in what kings time that law was made ; and also shew us wherein we are a willful people , and deserve to suffer ; for we do not know any thing by our selves in such matters , neither can such an accusation lye upon us ; for as to all things which the law requireth , which in it self is properly law , we actively obey ; and as to that which in it self is not law , as not being grounded upon reason , which is counted the root of the law , we passively submit ; and so we stand in the will of him that hath called us , and patiently suffer without resisting or revenging , and this hath been known for these several years ; and where is then our disobedience to the law , seeing we are either in active or passive obedience unto all that is counted law ? but such accusations are only to asperse us , and cover our persecutors ; for we do not disobey any law whereby we deserve to suffer , but , as to civil government , behave our selves , in a just and peaceable manner . and is there any law against us , as we live in that life ? if there be , we would know when it was made , and by whom , and what punishment is to be inflicted upon such as so live ; for if there be such a law as provideth punishment for those that live peacebly , then we are the proper objects of it , and dare content to suffer by it ; but if there be no such law , or punishment provided against a peaceable life , then do we not suffer undeservedly , because our life is peaceble . and such accusations and aspersions will not clear our persecutors , in the day when god shall judge the secrets of men by jesus christ ; but they shall then know that they have inflicted punishment upon us , contrary to our deserts ; and you , amongst others , who are the greatest promoters of it , and are also in the action by your excommunications : and we cannot otherwise be perswaded , but you are the womb in which our sufferings are principally conceived , and by the magistrates power you have opportunity to bring forth your birth , and herein you are found to walk contrary to the law and the prophets , and to the doctrine of christ jesus ; for this is the law and the prophets , that as ye would that men should do unto you , even so do unto them . and this is the doctrine of christ jesus , that if an enemy hunger , feed him ; if he thirst , give him drink . therefore see unto what you are come your selves , before you compel others to come unto you ; for if you be not come to the law and the prophets , you are at a great distance from christ jesus . and , are you doing to others , as you would have others to do unto you ? and how do you fulfil the law and the prophets , whilest you are doing that unto others , which you would not have others do unto you ? and are you feeding enemies , and giving them drink , according to the doctrine of christ jesus ? or are you not doing the contrary & so you are neither come to the law and the prophets nor to christ jesus . and for what must people come unto you , when ye your selves are not come to the law and the prophets nor to christ jesus ? must they come unto you as unto gentiles , who are alienated from the life of god , and strangers to the covenant of promise ? must such as become to the law and the prophets , and to christ jesus , return again to the gentiles ? for the law and the prophets are above the gentiles , and christ jesus is above the law and the prophets , and such as are come from among the gentiles and are come to the law and the prophets , and to christ jesus , they cannot return to the gentiles again , except they deny that which brought them forth , and though there may be some that for fear deny their profession to conform unto your practice , yet there are many that have more 〈…〉 ard unto the peace of their conscience . and if you would have ●●ople return unto you , then shew them a more excellent way then 〈…〉 er in they walk . for s●me have found a more pleasant 〈…〉 hen they walked in whilest they walked with you , and they that know what it is to travel in mire and clay , and then come to find a clean and pleasant path , they will not willingly go into the mire and clay again , but rather rejoyce that they are gotten past it . and we that are called quakers , have learned the law and the prophets , and the doctrine of christ jesus , and he is our light , and our way , and our guide , and being come to the excellency of this knowledge , through the mercy of the lord god towards us , we cannot conform to any beggarly rudiments , and bring our selves into bondage again . but as the power of the lord god hath made us free , so in that freedom we wait to be preserved ; and as we stand in that freedom , your bonds are all broken , though you may cast our bodies into prison ; for you may as easily hold the wind in your fist , as hold the truth in a prison . and can you hold the wind in your fist , that it shall not have an universal course ? is not that a thing beyond your art and skil ? and do you think to hold the truth in prison because you cast the body there ? is not that a thing beyond your power and strength ? for truth will have an universal course , when you have shut the body close in prison ; and by how much you think to bind it and supress it , even so much the more doth it grow and spread , and you cannot bind it from the universality of its motion ; and so you labour in vain as to what you do against the quakers , and you are so far from fulfilling the doctrine of christ jesus , that in stead of giving food and drink to a hungry and thirsty enemy , you are persecuting us that are your friends , and friends to all people : and so your practice and proceedings are not only contrary to reason , which is counted the root of the nations law , but contrary to the law and the prophets , and to the doctrine of christ jesus , and also contrary to what is manifest to be the kings mind ; for that speech which was delivered by the keeper unto the parliament , upon the tenth day of the eighth month , called october , 1667. it was delivered as the kings mind , and by his command , as the same speech doth demonstrate ; and what was so delivered , doth clearly manifest tha● the king doth regard the good of his people , as being so near a● interest to himself ; and he would have the parliament to imprin● it as a known truth in the hearts of his subjects , that there is 〈◊〉 distinct interest between the king and his people ; but the good 〈◊〉 one is the good of both . now as the king would have this to be imprinted as a known truth in the hearts of his subjects , and that he doth include his own interest with his people , and thereby bringeth the matter so near himself , as to concern his own good in theirs , which in it self is undeniable a very clear truth ; then why do not you receive this truth into your hearts , and so fulfil the kings mind ? for it is to be understood , that all people within the kings dominion , who are free born , are accounted his people , as he is chief in outward government ; and so in general tearms ; he includes his interest and good in theirs , and their interest and good in his own ; and do not you proceed to excommunicate and imprison such people ? and do you not make them uncapable of common dealings and society amongst men ? and do you not make them uncapable of having any benefit by the law as complainants ? and do you not judge them unworthy of the kings protection ? and is not this to make a distinction between the king and his people ? for no common good , as to outward things , can arise to the sufferers ; and as the king concerns his own good in the good of his people , by a joynt interest ; do you , not wrong the king by intruding upon his interest ? surely the mind of the king , as it is manifest , and your proceedings which you practise , are at a great distance , and much contrary one to the other , for you plainly endeavour to blot out that known truth which he would have imprinted , forasmuch as you destroy the common good of his people , in which it so nearly concerns his own . and now , upon what foundation will you have your building to stand ? and by what will you uphold your work in which you are so busie ? for your work is found contrary to the law of the nation , and contrary to the spirit of truth , and contrary to the scriptures of truth , and contrary to christianity , and contrary to reason ; and contrary to the law and the prophets and contrary to the doctrine of christ jesus , and contrary to what is manifest to be the kings mind ; and where will you have a foundation to build your work upon ? for as it is found contrary to all these weighty things ; so by their authority your work in cases of conscience may well be questioned , yea , the law of the nation may justly question you , and the spirit of truth may justly question you , and the scriptures of truth may justly question you , and christianity may justly question you , and reason may justly question you , and the law and the prophets may justly question you , and christ jesus may justly question you , and the king may justly question you ; and what can your foundation be , but the love of money , which is the root of all evil ? and these things are opened thus fully and largly that you might see your selves as in a glass , & others might see you with open face : and what sad effects have ensued the execution of temporal laws , which have related to spiritual things ; was not such a law pretended when the lord of life was condemned ? and was not such laws pretended when the martyrs suffered ? and are not such laws now pretended , by which the innocent and guiltless are punished ? and hath not the prosecuting of such laws been the occasion of destroying the natural life of many innocent people at this day ? and doth not this fill your hands with blood ? and how can you say that you wash your hands in innocency , and so approach to god's altar , if your hands be full of blood ? and that is the end of your laws and proceedings in cases of conscience , for such laws never brought prosperity in their execution , but alwayes have been destructive , and so brought calamity and misery ; and it need not be declared what hath hapned by the execution of such laws , both as to years past , and the time present , for the blood of many declares it , and the loss of estate declares it , and the long suffering bonds and imprisonment declares it , and the sound of this declaration is higher and louder than tongue or pen can declare ; and will not the lord make inquisition for these things ? yea surely , he will find out the work of every one , and the guilty he will by no means clear , therefore love mercy before you offer sacrifice , for until you love mercy , and live in it , all your sacrifices and prayers are but as empty shadows ; and though you may offer and make many of them , yet whilst you mingle them with violence and oppression , they never reach the throne of grace to find acceptation , and so the showrs fall not down upon you with a blessing ; and that makes briars and thorns spring out of the ground unto persecution : and as for the quakers , you may as easily force the sun to go backward , as force them into your practice and observation ; or you may as easily restrain the showrs from falling , as restrain them from worshipping god in his spirit ; for as they fulfil the mind of god , by yeelding their obedience and service unto him , so they cannot fulfil or satisfie your minds , by yeelding their obedience and service unto you ; and if you were spiritually minded , you would never endeavour to force and compel them by the power of temporal laws , but the wrong being greatest to your selves , even so they pitty you , as well knowing the terror that will come upon you , and therefore they labour to perswade you for your own good ; and do not count them your enemies , because they tell you the truth in plainness , but be warned to forsake the evil of your doings , and live in love and peace as becometh christians , for christ jesus must reign and have the glory . the end . a call from death to life and out of the dark wayes and worships of the world where the seed is held in bondage under the merchants of babylon / written by marmaduke stephenson, who (together with ... william robinson) hath (since the writing hereof) suffered death, for bearing witnesse to the same truth amongst the professors of bostons jurisdiction in new england ; with a true copy of two letters, which they writ to the lords people a little before their death ; and also the true copy of a letter ... from a friend in new england, which gives a brief relation of the manner of their martyrdom, with some of the words which they exprest at the time of their suffering. stephenson, marmaduke, d. 1659. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a61464 of text r16756 in the english short title catalog (wing s5466). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 81 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 17 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a61464 wing s5466 estc r16756 13033371 ocm 13033371 96806 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a61464) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 96806) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 400:21) a call from death to life and out of the dark wayes and worships of the world where the seed is held in bondage under the merchants of babylon / written by marmaduke stephenson, who (together with ... william robinson) hath (since the writing hereof) suffered death, for bearing witnesse to the same truth amongst the professors of bostons jurisdiction in new england ; with a true copy of two letters, which they writ to the lords people a little before their death ; and also the true copy of a letter ... from a friend in new england, which gives a brief relation of the manner of their martyrdom, with some of the words which they exprest at the time of their suffering. stephenson, marmaduke, d. 1659. pearson, peter, 17th cent. robinson, william, d. 1659. dyer, mary, d. 1660. 32 p. printed for thomas simmons ..., london : 1660. includes various letters signed by peter pearson, william robinson, marmaduke stephenson, and mary dyer. "to the reader" signed: john whitehead, marmaduke storre, william padley, gregory milner, thomas leemin. reproduction of original in huntington library. eng stephenson, marmaduke, d. 1659. robinson, william, d. 1659. pearson, peter, 17th cent. dyer, mary, d. 1660. persecution -new england. society of friends -new england. a61464 r16756 (wing s5466). civilwar no a call from death to life, and out of the dark wayes and worships of the world where the seed is held in bondage under the merchants of baby stephenson, marmaduke 1660 16577 57 0 0 0 0 0 34 c the rate of 34 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2000-00 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2001-00 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2001-06 tcp staff (oxford) sampled and proofread 2003-05 spi global rekeyed and resubmitted 2005-03 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2005-03 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a call from death to life , and out of the dark wayes and worships of the world where the seed is held in bondage under the merchants of babylon , written by marmaduke stephenson ; who ( together with another dear servant of the lord called william robinson ) hath ( since the writing hereof ) suffered death , for bearing witnesse to the same truth , amongst the professors of bostons jurisdiction in new england . with a true copy of two letters , which they writ to the lords people a little before their death . and also the true copy of a letter as it came to our hands , from a friend in new england , which gives a brief relation of the manner of their martyrdom , with some of the words which they exprest at the time of their suffering . john 16.2 , 3. they shall put you out of their assemblies , yea the time cometh , that whosoever killeth you , will think that he doth god service ; and these things will they do unto you , because they have not known the father nor me , saith christ . london , printed for thomas simmons , at the sign of the bull and mouth near aldersgate . 1660. to the reader . but especially to you that are professors ( one in doctrine and discipline with the professors in new england ) do we write these things , that the witnesse of god may arise in you , to judge between the lords people called quakers , and your brethren the professors in new england , whether they have not forgotten god and his goodnesse towards them , and lost their first love which was stirring in them when they were little amongst the families of the earth , and whether they are not children of the whorish woman , that is called the mother of harlots , that hath sitten upon many waters , and deceived the nations with the wine of the wrath of her fornications ( which she offers in her golden cup ) till the earth is corrupted with violence , and she made drunk with the blood of the saints ; seeing they are so far adulterated from god and christ as that in their skirts is also found the blood of the saints & martyrs of jesus . oh! how are they fallen that once seemed so tender in conscience , as that they would rather leave their native countrey , then practice things contrary to their conscience , and who would have believed that they which once fled for fear of sufferings , would have caused others to suffer under their own hands , which are now become wicked hands ; for they have taken two of gods dear servants , and hanged them on a tree for no matter of fact committed by them against any law which is iust , but because they were found by their words and actions to be quakers , and did ( contrary to the sentence of banishment , which upon pain of death , the court passed upon them , * return into their iurisdiction as they were required of god to bear witnesse unto the truth , in which there is power to set free , and for the testimony thereof , and that they might hold forth the good will of god in love to their enemies , and that they might be clear from the blood of all men , in giving them warning to repent , and walk in the light of the lord , their lives were not dear to them , they being nothing terrified by their adversaries , which to them is an evident token of perdition , but to the patient sufferers , of salvation and that of god , with whom they have now a reward in the endlesse life ; so that in them is fulfilled the words of christ , he that will loose his life for my sake , shall find it , but we do clearly see in the light of the lord , that he that seeks to save his own life will kill the iust , and therefore we marvel not at what the professors in new england ( that fled to save themselves ) have done ; knowing that they which are born after the flesh , will persecute him that is born after the spirit , but we do even pity to see such as do professe scriptures have their eyes so shut , and their hearts so grosse , as to think they do god good service when they not onely cast out of their synagogues , but out of their countrey , and do imprison , scourge , cut off ears , and kill those that come to them in the name and fear of the lord , and do tremble at gods word , working out their salvation with fear and trembling ; and here we do appeal to the witnesse of god in you all professors and people , whether the professors in new england , have not acted quite contrary to god , in imprisoning , scourging , banishing and killing those that tremble at his word , seeing god hath said to this man will i look , that is of a broken and contrite heart , and trembleth at my word , but to such the professing rulers in new england will not look , neither suffer them to have a being amongst them ; and again we say , let the witnesse of god in you judge , whether they have not acted directly contrary to christ in destroying mens lives , seeing he comes not destroy mens lives but to save mens lives , and whether they be not quite out of his doctrine and royal law , which saith , what ever ye would that men should do unto you , do you even so unto them ; and we do likewise appeale unto the witnesse of god in all sober people , whether the pastours and teachers of the people in new england ( that stir up and encourage their flocks to persecute to death gods servants ) be not become bruitish , and contrary to the ministers of christ and their flocks , contrary to the primitive christians , seeing the ministers of christ were gentle towards all men , and did not strive nor warr with carnal weapons , but did meekly instruct them that did oppose themselves , that with sound doctrine they might convince their adversaries , and they both loved and taught the believers that followed them , to love their enemies , and not kill them , as they have killed those that they account their enemies , for which they have no cause , unl●sse it be for speaking the truth ; and again , whether these teachers and professors , and all that justifie their proceedings against the lords servants , be not of that generation that killed the prophets , and shamefully entreated those that were sent unto them , which called the master of the house beelzebub , and killed the prince of life ; seeing they do the same things to them of his houshold . and reader , that it may appear that these two ( which the professors of new england have taken , and by wicked hands put to death ) were the servants of christ iesus , and of the houshold of god , we do here present to thy view these things following , which were writ by their own hands , and sent unto us not long before their death ; together with a letter which was writ from plymouth in new england by peter pearson , relating the manner of their death , with some of their words which they did expresse a little before their martyrdom , all which we desire may be seriously weighed and laid to heart , that the witnesse of god may rise in iudgement against the spirit of persecution in whomsoever it appears , to which spirit we exhort all men ( that love their soules ) to beware of joyning ; and so in love to all people we rest by faith , chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of god , than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season . john whitehead . marmaduke storre . william padley . gregory milner . thomas leemin . written in york-shire , the 23d . day of the 3d. month. 1660. a call from death to life , and out of the dark wayes and worships of the world , where the seed is held in bondage under the merchants of babylon . m. s. oh you my dear neighbours and people in the town of shipton and wighton and elsewhere , where this may come , who have been spending long your mony for that which is not bread , and your labour for that which doth not satisfie , as i have done ; oh come buy wine and milk without mony and without price , while it is held forth to you , least the day come that you be deprived of it ; for long hath the spirit of the lord been striving with you ( as it did with me ) but you have resisted it time after time , because it testified against you when you went on in sin , and reproved in secret for the evil of your doings ; therefore you do not regard it , but flies from it . so in bowels of tender love to you all do i speak , and in love and pity to your souls , prize the love of god , and his tender mercy and forbearance to you , that he did not cut you off in the height of your iniquity , but hath spared you until this day , though you have long taken pleasure in sin , not regarding god that made you , yet hath his spirit been striving with you many dayes & years , ( as it did with me ) and hath reproved you time after time , for the evil of your doings , but you regarded it not , though it often called upon you in love & meekness to depart from your iniquity , and that which you have been addicted to ; it hath reproved and called you that have been addicted to drunkenness , lying and swearing to depart from these things , for they are evil , and it hath called upon you that are proud and covetous to depart from them , and hath reproved you that have been wild and wanton , and given to sports and pleasures , to depart from them , and run on no longer in vanity , but you did not regard it , but took pleasure in sin . oh consider dear neighbors and people , what you have been doing ever since you came to years of maturity , and let the witnesse of god which is faithful and true in you all arise and answer , to which i speak , and it will let you see that you have provoked the lord , and vexed his righteous soul from day to day , and have pressed him with your sins and iniquities , as a cart is pressed with sheaves , yet hath he born it with patience and hath suffered long , not willing that you should perish and dye in your sins but still he hath waited year after year upon you to be gracious to you , but you have refused to return , and hearken to his call and counsel , but have run on in the broad way , as your forefathers have done so do ye , and follow their customs and traditions which are vain , and will not profit you at all in the day of the lord , when he comes to call you to an account how you have spent your time ; so consider and lay it to heart , before the evil day come upon you , least the spirit of the lord cease striving with you , for verily the day is coming on apace that the spirit of the lord will cease striving with man , who puts the day of god far from him , then it will be said , he that is righteous let him be righteous still , and he that is filthy , let him be filthy still . so dear friends and people young and old , prize your time while you have it , and do not slight the counsel of the lord any longer , least the day of your visitation passe over your heads at unawares which cannot be called again , and as i said before , spend your mony no longer for that which is not bread , in following diviners of lyes , for they cause you to erre and go astray by their lyes and by their lightnesse , like sheep without a shepherd , for they are blind watchmen which leads you out of the way , like troops of robbers to devour you , hos. ch. 6. v. 9 and makes merchandize of your souls , as they did upon me and thousands besides , which the lord hath delivered as birds out of the fowlers net ; so being escaped from them , we see their deceit and subtle hypocrisie which long hath lodged in them , and therefore we cannot but declare against them , because they are seen to be such as devour widows houses for dishonest gain , and makes a prey upon you as they have done upon us , for they seek their gain from their quarter , and feeds themselves with the fat , and clothes themselves with the best of the wooll , as the false prophets did of old , which the true prophets declared against ; and with the same light that the true prophets saw the false prophets of old , do we see these priests in this generation , for their fruits makes them manifest what trees they are ; for they sue men at the law for tithes , and take them by force , false prophet like , and who cannot put into their mouths for conscience sake , they prepare war against them , and with cruelty & oppression cause their goods to be taken from them to satisfie their wits and greedy desires ; so they make themselves manifest to be of that generation , and to walk in their steps that the true prophet spake of , who were greedy dumb doggs that can never have enough , as thousands do witnesse at this day , and you may see it to be so with the priests of this generation , for in balaams steps they are walking , who loved the wages of unrighteousnesse , as they do in this generation , but they exceed him in cruelty ; for though he loved it , he did not sue for it , but these priests do in this generation , of which i am a witnesse , and thousands besides , who have suffered by them , to the spoiling of their goods and estates ; oh it is seen , it is seen in this our day that the filthy and abominable thing is committed in the land , as it was of old , the prophets prophecy falsely , and the priests bear rule by their means , and the people love to have it so , but what will you do in the end thereof saith the lord almighty , for they have dawbed you up with untempered morter , and are physicians of no value to you , for they have long been sowing pillows under your arm-holes , and have spoken smooth things to you , in healing that in you which is for destruction , and seeks to kill that which should live , that so they might rule over you as kings in the earth , and you to worship the beast and his image , who is making war with the lamb , but the day of their downfal is at hand , and the lamb shall have the victory , and rule and reign in his people for ever and ever , for now he is arisen in the power of his spirit , with great dominion and authority , to slay the wicked and cut down his enemies that resist him in his way ; and they that will not have him to reign over them , must fall before him who is our head , who will render vengeance in flames of fire upon all his enemies . so dear people be awakened , and stand up to judgement , and live no longer in carelesnesse and carnal security , but own the light of christ to be your guide , for a measure of it is given to every one of you to profit withall , and it is nigh you in your hearts and in your mouths , the word of faith which is able to save your souls ; so all to it take heed that by it you may be quickened and revived again out of your fallen estate wherein you lie by reason of your transgressions , which have made a separation between you and your maker , and verily i say unto you , except ye be regenerate and born again , you cannot enter into the kingdom of god ; so dear people young and old , i speak to you all as one , consider how you have spent your time , and let a true search passe through you all , that you may see whom you have been serving all your time , for servants you are to whom you do obey ; so dear people be not deceived , for god will not be mocked , such as you sow , such you must reap from the hand of the lord , and receive according to your deeds whether they be good or evil , who will give a reward to every man according as his works shall be , for he is a god that will not wink at wickedness nor let the transgressor go unpunished , to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confesse him lord , who created heaven and earth , whom we serve and worship , who is our lord and king , and captain of our salvation , our leader and guider , and our preserver night and day , our mighty and strong one , the mighty god of israel is his name , the wonderful counsellor and prince of our peace , whose presence is with us to the confounding of our enemies that rise up in opposition against us , for he goes before us who is our life to tread down our enemies under his feet , who is terrible to the wicked , and all that forgets him must be turned into hell , where the worm dies not , and the fire never goes out , the swearer and the lyar must go thither , that is their portion , the drunkard and the whore-monger must go thither , the proud and covetous cannot escape the damnation of hell , and all they that lives dives like must pertake of dives torment which is coming upon them , from which they cannot escape nor flie from , and all such must go into the lake with the beast ▪ and the false prophet which have long born rule by their means in england , and in the nations abroad , for they have devoured my flock , and the sheep of my pasture , saith the lord almighty , who will be avenged on them , for the wounded they have not healed , nor comforted those who were sick , neither have they brought back again that which was driven away , but with force and cruelty have they ruled , but the lord god is now come in his mighty power , to take their power from them , and deliver his people out of their hands , which have long been made a prey upon by them , and reward them double for their doings ; so you my dear neighbours , do not uphold them any longer in their sin , in satisfying their greedy desires , least you pertake with them of their plagues , and of the wrath of god that is coming upon them , from which they cannot escape , for they have grieved the spirit of the lord from day to day , to see what havock they have made in the nation of england , by spoyling and causing spoyl to be made of peoples goods and estates , oh! their sin is great and grievous to be born , and the cry of their oppression and their iniquity is entered into the eares of the lord , that he is even grieved and sore vexed at them , for they have trampled upon his witnesse in them , and have pressed him with their sin as a cart is pressed with sheaves , so that he can bear no longer with them , because their iniquity doth abound . oh! search the scriptures and see if they do not go beyond and exceed the fal●e prophets of old in deceit and subtile hypocrisie ; oh! they might even blush for shame , to consider what they have done and caused to be done , which will fall sad and heavy upon them when the lord calls them to an account , and requires his flock at their hands ; then shall they roar and weep bitterly , and wish they had never been born , when calamity & anguish of spirit overtakes them , which they will certainly meet withal , for the lord hath spoken it who will perform his promise , that the beast and the false prophet shall go into the lake together , and for ever be tormented with the devil and his angels , for thither must they go , and all that joyns with them must partake of their punishment ; so dear friends and people take heed what you do in joyning with such who leads you to destruction , for in the broad way they are walking themselves and leads you after them into the pit of perdition , where they must remain for ever , for they will not enter into the kingdom themselves , nor suffer you if they can hinder ; and will not the lord arise for the redemption of his seed ? yea surely , he is arisen already , to shake the nations that resist him , and hath given the power to his son , which shall rule the nations with a rod of iron , and they that will not bow to his government must be destroyed and broken to pieces , the mouth of the lord of hosts hath spoken it . so dear friends , and people young and old , mind well what is written , and ponder it in your hearts , for in love to you all do i speak , the lord is my witnesse , that this is not written in any prejudice of mind to any mans person , neither in prejudice or envy against the priests or the false prophets , but against their evil actions which we see in them , which we loath and detest ; for never did the true prophets of the lord seek their gain from their quarter , as these priests now do in this generation , nor ever did they sue men at law for tithes , as these priests do now , neither did they the lord sent forth to declare his mind and will make bargains with people for so much a year , or abide in one town for many years together , as these priests do now , nay they went from one place to another , from city to city , and from country to country , in obedience to the command of the lord , as ieremiah and the rest of the true ministers did , to whom the word of the lord came , saying , i have ordained thee a prophet unto the nations , mark , not to a town or a city , to remain in for many years together , but to the nations , and in obedience to the living god , he testified against the world that their deeds were evil , but they could not bear his words , but said he was worthy to die , and so the priests and false prophets joyned with the princes and rulers of the people , and cast him into prison and into the dungeon , where he did sink amongst the mire that was in it , read in his prophesie and you will find it so , and this was that which the true prophets and ministers of christ received from the world where they went , stocking , whipping and imprisonments ; thus were they requited evil for good in all ages , for their love which they did bear to the souls of the sons of men , and the same must we expect from this generation wherein we live , we whom the lord hath called to place his name in , and hath sent us forth in this day of his love , to preach his everlasting gospel to them which dwell upon the earth , in love and pity to their souls , but they regard it not , though we go thousands of miles for the seeds sake which lies in death , yet the reward of our labour from them is prisons , and whips to scourge us withal , and knives prepared to cut off ears , and irons hot to burn in the hand ; thus are we requited evil for good , for testifying against the world that their deeds are evil , and therefore do they hate us as they did christ and his apostles , and calls us deceivers , fools and hereticks , jesuites and the like , because we speak the truth to them , and cannot joyn with them in their abominations , but stands as witnesses for the lord god against them ; therefore do the priests and rulers joyn hand in hand together against us , as they did against the true prophets , christ and his apostles , as you may read in the scriptures of truth , which bear testimony to these things . so dear neighbours and people where this may come , consider my end in writing this unto you , the lord is my witnesse , that this is not written as to set up our selves and pull down others , but it is written for your sakes that you might come so see the deceit of your own hearts , which hath long lodged in you , and also the deceit of the priests in this generation , that seek their gain from their quarter , and keeps you captive in babylon and aegypt , where our lord is crucified , as they did many of us in time past , where we were bewitched by their sorceries and their smooth words , in speaking peace to us w●en our soules lay in death , unconverted in our fallen estates , as they are at this day ▪ so they could not help us out of it , being in it themselves ; thus were we led by them in blindnesse for many years together , ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth by them ; if the lord had not looked upon us with an eye of pity , we had surely perished under their teaching , because they are out of the doctrine of christ and his apostles , who was sent to open blinde eyes , and turn people from darknesse to the light of christ in them , and from the power of satan to god ; but these priests labour in this generation to keep people in darknesse , in blindnesse , and in ignorance , in death , in their unconverted estate , that so they might not see their deceit as we do ; the lord open your eyes that you may see how you have been led astray out of the true way which leads unto eternal life ; oh! my love in tendernesse runs out to you all , my dear neighbours and acquaintance , in bowels of compassion and pity to your souls , which lies in death as mine hath done , but the lord in his eternal love and pity to my soul , hath redeemed me from my fallen estate , and raised my soul from death to life , and out of the pit wherein it lay dead in trespasses and sins , and seeing the lord hath done this for me , i cannot but declare it to the sons of men , and praise his name in the land of the living , who hath done great things for me , and when i consider and ponder it in my heart , my soul is ravished with his love , and broken into teares to consider his kindnesse toward me , who was by nature a child of wrath as well as other● ; oh! the consideration of his love hath constrained me to follow him , and to give up all for his sake , if it be for the laying down of my life ; for none are the disciples of christ , but they that follow him in the crosse , and through sufferings , and they that love any thing more then him , are not worthy of him ; now minde well and consider what i say , the true unfeigned love to god doth not break the love from one another , but it breakes the bands of wickednesse , as strife , debate , anger , and envie , that have lodged in the mind one against another , and when these things are destroyed in men and women , then comes the love of god to abound in them and encrease one to another , and this i witnesse , and the lord beareth me testimony to what i speak , that my love is dearer and nearer to those in relation to me than ever it was before , and i know some of them feels it so , yea the lord knows my heart whom i serve , that i lie not , but speak the truth to you all , that so you might not stumble , nor have any prejudice in your mindes against me without a cause , who am a lover of all your soules , and for that cause is this written to you , that you may know it is so , for the lord knows i do not forget you , though i be thousands of miles from you , because of the simplicity that was in some of you who were my neighbours and acquaintance , for i am one who have obtained mercy from the lord , through judgement and great tribulation , which all must passe through before they come into the land of canaan , they must be regenerate and born again , and know a dying to sin , and that which they have delighted in before they witnesse a living to righteousnesse , the old man must be put off with his deeds before the new man be put on , christ jesus the son of the living god , who is the expresse image of his fathers glory , who is taking his people to himself out of the 〈◊〉 of the beast and false prophets , who have long made a prey upon them , but the day is come that they shall make no longer a prey upon them , for the lord hath said it that he will teach his people himself , and under his government shall they dwell safely from the devourer and venemous beasts , which hath long had his seat in the earth amongst the sons of men , and by him they have been led captive at his will , to do his work and service , for it was pleasing to them , thus hath the devils work been done for a long time together , and the lords work neglected which should have been done ; thus have men and women been growing as trees of unrighteousnesse , bringing forth fruit to the unrighteous one , the prince of darknesse which hath long re●gned , and had possession in the heart of man ; so all dear people consider well of your conditions , that you may see what trees you are and to whom you bring forth fruit ▪ and this concerns you all to know , from the least of you to the greatest , for the lord is no respecter of persons , but in every nation he that feareth god and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him , who is our hiding place , and rock of sure defence for us to flie unto , where we are kept safe in the hollow of his hand ▪ so dear neighbours and people consider , that you have long been labouring for the meat that must perish & come to an end , now it stands you all in hand to seek after the living bread and hidden manna that comes down from above , and is given to feed the hungry , and strengthen the feeble minded , and verily it is so , in love and plainnesse to you do i speak , that you who can live without this living bread , your souls lies in death still , and the witnesse lies slain in sodom and egypt in you , and the seed lies covered under the clods of the earth in you , and unlesse it arise and live in you , you cannot be saved nor enter into the land of rest which is prepared for the faithful , who are regenerate and born again of the holy seed , which shall inherit the blessing , the son of god which is heire of the promise , and in him is our life hid with god , from the vulturous eye and venemous beast , and from the lord are we refreshed day by day . so dear people , let the witnesse of god arise and be awakened in you all , that the seed may come forth from under the clods of your hard and stony hearts , that so the prisoner may be set at liberty , which long hath been oppressed , and for the sake of it in you am i constrained to write unto you , not knowing whether i may see your faces in the flesh any more yea or nay ; oh! that you would lay these things to heart , which i in love have written to you , not knowing how soon your breath may be stopt , and your life taken from you , and as death leaves you , so must you appear before the lord and be judged according to your doings . so dear hearts , do not sleight the day of your visitation nor the tenders of gods love which is yet held forth to you , least you be taken away in your sins , and die in your iniquities , and then i know your portion will be sad ; therefore do i warn you in bowels of tender love , and in pity to the captive in you , that you run no longer in your former vanities , in spending your time out of the fear of god , for all they that live out of the fear of god , do not feel his presence , nor enjoy his blessing ; so all hearken to the counsel of god , and be attentive to his voice , and lend your ear to his call , while he is knocking at the door of your hearts ; oh! do not resist him but let him in that he may take possession whose right it is , for verily if you resist him when he calls upon you , and will not lend your ears to his counsel nor give ear to his words , a day of trouble and perplexity of spirit will assuredly come upon you , then will you call upon the lord but he will not hear you , but will hide his face from you , even so will it be with you at that day , because the lord called and you would not hear him , so when you call upon him he wil not hear you ; and this from the lord god i declare unto you , that if you perish your destruction is of your selves , and the lord will be cleare of your blood in the day of your account . so dear people , let the patience and forbearance of our god towards you lead you to repentance , & now no longer go on in sin against that of god in your consciences , but all stoop down to the witnesse of god in you , that the seed may arise to live in you , for the blessing is upon england for the seeds sake , which god hath raised , and it is growing , and the vertue of it is spreading over the nations , and the kingdom of christ begins to flourish in the earth , but this i say unto you , that unlesse you feel the seed of god to arise and live in you , you cannot inherit the blessing , for the blessing is to the seed , the plant of gods renown , which he hath regard unto , for it is of his nature and image , and proceeds from him who is meek and lowly , and easie to be entreated by the upright , for his ear is open to their cry , who hungers and thirsts after his presence to refresh their souls ; so dear people , lie no longer in death , but come out of the grave of carnal security wherein you lie , that your souls may live , then will you prize with me the love and presence of the lord above all things ; but unlesse that be restored to life in you which lies in death , you cannot prize the love of god , for you do not feel his presence , and this you know by experience , that a dead child is not sencsible of want , neither doth it hunger after the breast , but a living child that is born into the world is soon sencible of want , and in it is a hunger raised after the milk which comes from the breast to refresh it withal , for it cannot live without it , or some other food like unto it , and this is a true figure to you and all , and thorow it you may read your selves , and how your conditions are every one in particular , that so you may no longer be deceived , nor rest in a false hope which will faile you , and even so it is with you all who never found a true hunger raised after the lord and after his presence to refresh your souls ; but you who can live content and rest satisfied without nourishment from him , you are as a dead child which feels no hunger nor want , and this is the truth to you all , the lord revive your sences , and quicken your understandings that you may be sencible how your conditions are ▪ which is the desire of my soul , that so you may not perish in your gain-sayings , and for this very end is this written to you , as i was moved of the lord in bowels of compassion to you , knowing that you are where i once was in the perishing state , like the prodigal from the fathers house , in the far country , feeding upon the husks with the swine ; and this was my state and condition for many years , but in the time appointed the lord looked upon me with an eye of pity , and called me home to himself , out of the far country , where i was feeding on the husks with the swine , into the banqueting-house , where my soul is refreshed , nourished and fed with the hidden manna and bread of life , which is prepared for the hungry and feeble-minded to feed upon . so all dear people turn in your minds , and read within , i speak not to the thing without , for all they that go from the lord they go into the strange land , into the far country , and all such are adulterers that spends their portion upon harlots , and hides their talent in the earth , which was given them to profit withal , and all such are wanderers and vagabonds which have not a habitation in the lord , in cains nature , and though they may be builders of cities , as cain was , yet being from god as he was , they are strangers and wanderers , being seperated from the lord , who hath prepared a rest for his people , where they are safe and feeds together in the good land , where they are at home with their maker , who fills heaven and earth with his presence , glory unto his name for ever more . so all people turn home into your own tents , that you may see where you are , and what you are feeding upon , and wander no longer abroad with your minds in the earth , after that which will perish and come to an end , where the moth & rust doth corrupt , and thieves break through and steal , and deprive you of your substance that you have gathered together by fraud and deceit , which may be soon taken from you , and you left desolate , naked and bare ; therefore it stands you all in hand to seek after that which will endure for ever , the pearl of great price , which doth exceed all the treasures in aegypt , for its durable and will last for ever , the rock of ages on which the saints was built , the chief corner stone elect and precious , the sure foundation of many generations , the pillar and ground of truth , christ the light the bright and morning star , the sun of righteousnesse which is now arisen with healing in his wings , to cleanse the lepar of his leprosie , and hath caused the dumb to speak and the deaf to hear his voice and follow him , and this hath he done in this day of his power , which makes the heathen to wonder and be confounded at his appearance in his sons and daughters , who beare his image , who are meek and lowly , lamb-like , the righteous knows him who loves his appearance , but to the wicked his presence is dreadful and terrible like a lyon of the tribe of iudah , to consume with the breath of his mouth , and break to pieces like a potters vessel all the stiffe necked and strong ones who lives in the pride of their hearts and at ease in the flesh , like fat bulls of bashan , spending the creation upon their lusts ; oh the day is at hand that all such must be as chaffe before the wind , and as stubble before the fire which will consume them , & leave them neither root nor branch , the mouth of the lord of hosts hath spoken it ; therefore take heed what you do , and follow not the multitude to do evil , for they walk in the broad way which leads to destruction and to the chambers of death , where the souls of men and women are plunged into misery and torment , and into the pit of perdition , where they cannot come out nor be loosed from their cruel bonds , where they are chained and fettered fast , under the powers of darknesse , who is king of the bottomlesse pit , the old dragon which goes about like a roaring lyon seeking whom he may devour , and they that are from the watch , watch , they are from the rock and sure foundation , christ the light and life of his people , and all that are from him , they are in darknesse and such are taken in the snares of the devil , who rules in the dark , for there he hath his seat , in the earthly part of man which is one with him , who is the unclean spirit , which seeks to destroy and lay wast the heritage of god , that so his kingdom might be set up , who is a lier & a murderer ; but now is the day come that christ is risen to reign as lord and king in his people , & therefore doth antichrist rage in his members because his destruction is at hand , and his torment is coming upon him , wherein he must have and receive a just recompence of his reward , and all that joyns with him must partake of his torment for what they have done against god and his people ; and so dear neighbours and people , joyn with him no longer who is the enemie of god , least you be cut off from the face of the earth , and destroyed with leviathan that crooked serpent , which must go into everlasting burning there to remain for evermore , where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth , and no comfort nor ease to be found , but howling & bitter lamentation night and day , and this will be the portion of the wicked that live wantonly upon the earth ; oh! the day will come that they will wish they had their time to spend over again , when their misery comes upon them , and the darts of the almighty striks them & wounds them to the heart , then will their pain be great , which cannot be expressed , which they must feel night and day ; oh! that you would lay these things to heart , and consider your latter end , and this i speak in love to you all whether you will hear or forbear , you shall one day know and be made to confesse what is written to you is true ; therefore take heed what you do that resist and quench the motions of the spirit of god in you , when it doth arise to shew you your conditions wherein you lie , for you that do resist the lord in his way , you do despite unto the spirit of grace ; so dear people young and old , resist the lord no longer in his appearance in you , for you that do , you slay the witnesse the messenger of the covenant in you , and so becomes guilty of blood ; therefore take heed of going on in the hardnesse of your hearts , and in speaking evil of the truth , though baalam erred from the spirit of truth , yet it was the same then that it is now , though iudas betrayed it , and demas forsook it , and embraced the world , yet truth is truth , and will stand for ever over the heads of all its enemies , and here comes the scriptures to be fulfilled , for many are called but few are chosen ; and this hath appeared in our generation , that many have had a true taste of the love of god , and of the powers of the world to come , but they are gone from it again , and are turned aside into the crooked path , like the dog to his vomit , and like the sow that was washed into the mire again , where they are defiled with the flesh-pots of e●ypt , which they lusted after ; oh! mark and behold the end of all such that depart from the living god ; oh! is not the unclean spirit entered into them again , and become worse then he was before , so none rejoyce at the hearing of those that turnes from the truth , which they were once in , for verily it will not ease you of your misery and torment which will come upon you if you go on in sin , and dispise the day of your visitation ; so to you all i have cleared my conscience in the sight of god , from a friend of the truth , and a s●ferer for the seeds sake which is ke●pt in bondage under pharaoh and his task-masters , my name in the fl●sh is marmaduke stephenson . written in the common goal of boston in new england , in america , in the beginning of the seventh moneth , 1659. these are copies of letters sent from william robinson and marmaduke stephenson ( after they were banished ) unto christopher holder a prisoner in boston common prison . christopher holder , o my dearly beloved of my father , my soul and life salutes thee , for thou art dear to me in the love which changeth not , but doth indure for ever , am i one with thee in the life and power of truth , where we are joyned together as members of his body who is our head , and our preserver night and day , where we are kept safe under the shaddow of h●s wings , where we feed together in the green pastures by the pleasant springs , where thou may feel me my beloved one , at the livin● fo●ntain which doth refresh the whole city of our god , where we are daily re●reshed together in the banqueting house , where we do receive ●tr●ngth and nourishment from him who is our life , and fi●● us with his l●ving vertue day by day , which is as precious oynment powred forth giving a pleasant smell , and is pleasant to behold , for it hath ravished whereby we are constrained to leave all to follow it , who gathers our hearts in one , where i am joyn●d and sealed with thee in the covenant of life , where we shall or ever rema●●e in the bo●om of t●e father , after our testimonies are finish●d , then shall w● lay d●wn our head● in peace with all the faithful , ev●n so the lord k●ep us as witn●sses of his truth , that so we may be armed with his p●wer and 〈◊〉 in the hour of t●mptation , and in the day of tryal to s●pport ●s and bear us ●p in his armes , that so he may be hono●red by us who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all glory and honour , to whom it doth bel●ng now and forever , amen . so with my love to thee i rest , who am thy dear brother in the truth . marmaduke stephenson . c. holder . dearly beloved brother , whom my soul dearly loves , and my spirit and life doth dearly embrace in , gods love and life , power and truth , thou may feel me with thee , in the armes of the lord where we are kept , who is our strength , and the portion o●our cup for ever ; god knows how my life doth flow forth unto thee , from the river of our god which dayly runs through us , wherewith we are dayly refreshed and whereby our strength is daily renewed , for surely the lord is with us and who shall be able to stand against us ; dear heart , in the sweet and pleasant habitation of our god , in the mansion house of my father and thy father , feel me with thee , for surely we have all one god to our lord , who is our king and our law-given , for truly out of one womb have we all come , and at one fountain do we all drink , and are daily nourished , dear heart where thou may feel me with thee in the life , where we are sealed together for evermore ; oh! my dear beloved my soul doth greatly love thee ; oh! i cannot expresse it , but thou may feel it in the covenant of everlasting love , where we are united by the spirit of truth & holinesse in the power and heavenly peace of god , feel me with thee where neither length of time nor distance of place can seperate us , nay all the powers nor strength of darknesse it cannot break it , in the same life and love , and authority of god , the lord for ever keep us , and grant that it may be with us for evermore , amen . which i know the lord god will perform , even so be it saith my soul . dear heart , the remembrance of thee doth ravish my soul , and by it is my heart filled with pure love and joy ; oh! the lord god knows how greatly i long to see thy face , but dear heart i have not yet freedom in the lord to accomplish it , for i see some service i have to fulfil before i come to boston , if the enemie hinder not , for truly hitherto i have seen the hand of the lord greatly with us , william robinson . dear brother , my spirit and life dearly salutes thee , feel my love in thy own bosom how my life issues forth unto thee , wherein i am bound up with thee in the bowels and love of god , sealed with thee in the eternal covenant in the life and power of the lord iesus , wherewith we are covered , and where we feel each other in the heavenly life and kingdom of our lord iesus christ ; dear heart feel how near i am unto thee in the quiet and peaceable union , and habitation of our god where we cannot forget one the other , where we are sealed together in the fear and dominion of god ; dear heart , the lord knowes how greatly i long and desire to see thy face , and i know the lord will grant it ; dear heart we were and are gladly received here , and the seed hath been reached in many , and the life hath answered to us in many , we have had two fine meetings . thy dear brother william robinson . the 15th . 7th . moneth . 1659. dearly beloved , unto whom i am united in the spirit of truth , love and everlasting peace , where i believe our dwelling shall be for ever in heavenly joy , and true peace in our fathers kingdom , where we rejoice together , and sweetly enjoy one anothers presence under our fathers banner in heavenly paradice , where we meet each other in our father love , in the unity and life of christ jesus , where my dearly beloved i am with thee ; dear heart thou maist feel me , and see how i am united unto thee . w. r. the 26th of the 7th month , 1659. c. h. my dearly beloved , my life is often refreshed by thee , the remembrance of thee is like the new wine , whereby my spirit and soul is refreshed , and like the oyl wherewith we are annointed , even bread in time of need , and water in time of thirst ; oh! what shall i say unto thee , i am overcome with thy life , and ravished with thy beauty , and thy love doth often melt in me , and i am broken with the remembrance of thee ; oh! that thou didst but know it how full i am of the fathers love ; oh! dear heart bear part with me of what i bear , until i see thy face ; surely the power of the lord that is with me and upon me doth often break me in pieces and often melt me into tears , when he rises in his strength within me ; oh! i am overwhelmed with it ; oh! feel ( my dear heart ) how strong and mighty the lord god is with me ; oh! though thousands of the philistins doth compass me round , yet surely the god who is with me will work by me ; for truely , i see them all before me as a potters vessel , which the lord god will with his hand dash in pieces ; dear heart , i am present with thee in the spirit and heavenly life , and if the lord permit we shall behold one another in the outward man to the comfort and joy of the spirit ; my dearly beloved , on next fifth day we intend , if the lord will , to come to boston , with several friends with us ( which was so done ) thy dear brother in the heavenly life , and spirit of truth , w. r. this was written by william robinson to the court of boston . on the 8th day of the 4th month 1659. in the after part of the day , in travelling betwixt newport ( on rhode island ) and daniel goulds house , with my dear brother christopher holder , the word of the lord came expresly to me , which did fill me immediately with life and power , and heavenly love , by which he constrained me and commanded me to pass to the town of boston , my life to lay down in his will , for the accomplishing of his service that he had there to perform at the day appointed ; to which heavenly voice i presently yielded obedience , not questioning the lord how he would bring the thing to pass , being i was a child , and obedience was demanded of me by the lord , who filled me with living strength and power from his heavenly presence , which at that time did mightily over-shadow me , 〈◊〉 my life did say amen to what the lord required of me , 〈…〉 commanded me to do , and willingly was i given up from that time to this day , the will of the lord to do and perform whatever becomes of my body , for the lord hath said unto me , my soul shall rest in eternal peace ▪ and my life shall enter into rest , for being obedient to the god of my life ; i being a child , and durst not question the lord in the least , but rather willing to lay down my life , then to bring dishonour to the lord ; and as the lord made me willing , dealing gently and kindly with me , as a tender father towards a faithful child whom he dearly loves , so the lord did deal with me in ministring of his life unto me , which gave and gives me strength to perform what the lord hath required of me ; and still as i did and do stand in need , he ministred , and ministreth more strength and vertue and heavenly power , and wisdom , whereby i was and am made strong in god , not fearing what man shall be suffered to do unto me , being filled with heavenly courage , which is , meekness and innocency , for the cause is the lords that we go in , and the battel is the lords , and thus saith the lord of hosts , the mighty and terrible god , not by strength , nor by might , nor by power of man , but by my spirit saith the lord of hosts i will perform what my mouth hath spoken , through my servants whom i have chosen , mine elect , in whom my soul delighteth . friends , the god of my life , and the god of the whole earth , did lay this thing upon me , for which i now suffer bonds near to death ; he by his almighty power , and everlasting love constrained me , and laid this thing upon me , and truly i could not deny the lord , much less resist the holy one of israel : therefore all who are ignorant of the motion of the lord in the inward parts , be not hasty in judging in this matter , before you hear the truth of the matter , least you speak evil of the things you know not ; for of a truth the lord god of heaven and earth commanded me by his spirit , and spoke unto me by his son , whom he hath made heir of all things ; and in his life i live , and in it i shall depart this earthly tabernacle , if unmerciful men be suffered to take it from me ; and herein i rejoice that the lord is with me , the antient of dayes , the life of the suffering seed , for which i am freely given up , and singly do stand in the will of god , for to me to live is christ , but to dye is gain : and truly i have a great desire and will to dye herein , knowing that the lord is with me , whatever ignorant men shall be able to say against me ; for the witness of the spirit i have received , and the presence of the lord and his heavenly life doth accompany me , so that i can say in truth and from an upright heart , blessed be the lord the god of my life , who hath counted me worthy , and called me hereunto , to bear my testimony against ungodly and unrighteous men , who seek to take away the life of the righteous without a cause , as the rulers of the mathathusets bay doth intend , if the lord stop them not from their intent : oh! hear ye rulers , and give ear and listen all ye that have any hand herein to put the innocent to death ; for in the name , and fear , and dread of the lord god , i here declare the cause of my staying here amongst you , and continuing in your jurisdiction , after there was a sentence of banishment upon death ( as you said ) pronounced against me , without a just cause , as you all well know , that we who were banished committed nothing worthy of banishment , nor of any punishment , much less banishment upon death : and now ye rulers , you do intend to put me to death with my companion , unto whom the word of the lord god came unto him saying , go to boston with thy brother william robinson ; unto which command he was obedient , who had said unto him , he had a great work for him to do ; which thing is now seen , and the lord is now a doing of it , and it is in obedience to the lord the god of the whole earth that we continued amongst you , and that we came to the town of boston again in obedience to the lord the creator of heaven and earth , in whose hand your breath is ; and will you put us to death for obeying the lord the god of the whole earth ? well , if you do this act , and put us to death ; know this , and be it known unto you all ye rulers and people of this jurisdiction , that whosoever hath a hand herein will be guilty of innocent blood , and not onely upon your selves w●ll ye bring innocent blood , but upon this town and the inhabitants thereof , and every where within your jurisdiction , that had the least hand therein ; therefore be instructed ye rulers of this land , and take warning betimes , and learn wisdom before it be hid from your eyes . written by one who feareth the lord , who is by ignorant people called a quaker , and unto such am only known by the name william robinson , yet a new name i have received , which such knows not . written in the common goal in boston . the 19th of the 8th month , 1659. a relation from the two innocent servants of the lord , concerning the ( bloody ) sentence of death passed on them by iohn indicott in the court of boston . on the 20th day of the 8th month , 1659. i with my beloved companion , marmaduke stevenson ▪ and mary dyer of rhode island was had into the court , where john indicott with others of his councel were assembled , and soon after , we were come to the bar before them , john indicott called to the keeper of the prison to pull off our hats , which was done accordingly ; when did john indicott begin to speak unto us as a man out of the dust , whose life is departing from him , so faintly did he utter his words unto us , to this effect , that they had made several laws , and tryed and endeavoured by several wayes to keep us from among them , and neither whipping , nor imprisoning , nor cutting off ears , nor banishing upon pain of death , would not keep us from amongst them ; and he said also , he or they desired not the death of any of us ; yet notwithstanding his following words were , give ear & hearken now to your sentence of death , said john indicott their governour ; so after these words were spoken by him he stopt , the words being uttered very faintly out of his mouth ; then i did make way to speak to john indicott and the rest of the court , which was as i remember to this effect , i desired i might read a paper to them and the people there present ( which was many ) which was a declaration of my call , wherein was declared the reasons and causes of my staying in their iurisdiction with my companion , after banishment upon death , which had been pronounced against us , and two more friends ( the one of which is a sufferer now with us ) on the 8th day of the 7th month last ; at which words speaking , john indicott their governour in a furious manner ( for rage and madness like nebuchadnezzar was got up in him ) said , i should not read it , neither would they hear it read ; which thing onely at that time i desired before the sentence of death was pronounced against us , yet he would not grant it ; so i seeing , and being sensible of their hardness of heart that they are given up to work wickedness , and commit murder in labouring to take the lives of the innocent from the earth , i said unto them , seeing that i could not be suffered to read it in the hearing of the people , nor suffered to have it read unto the people that then was present , i said , i should leave the paper with them , which i did soon cast upon the table amongst them , and the secretary or some other handed it to the governour , who read it himself , but would not let it be read in the hearing of the people , and when he had looked a certain time on it , he called me by my name and said , i needed not have made such ado , or desired to have it read ; for he said , i had spoke more then that unto them the day before concerning it ; which i had not , for there is many words in the paper which i did not then utter unto them ; so that i desired the thing again , that all that was there present might bear it , but he would not suffer it ; but soon after in envy called me by my name , and said unto me , hearken unto your sentence of death , which be uttered forth to this effect ( in which time i was silent ) he said william robinson this is your sentence , you shall be had back from the place from whence you came , and from thence to the place of execution , to be hanged on the gallows , till you are dead ; this was the sentence of death john indicott their governour pronounced against me , and soon after called to the goaler to have me away , which he did accordingly . william robinson . soon after my dear brother w. r. was taken away out of the court , the governour being partial , spoke unto me , saying , if you have any thing to say , you may speak ; but i was silent , and gave him no answer then , so that when he saw that i would not speak , when he required of me , then he pronounced the sentence of death against me , as he had upon my brother before , you shall be had to the place from whence you came , and from thence to the gallows , and there to be hanged , until you be dead ; then did these words following run through me , give ear ye magistrates , and all who are guilty , for this the lord hath said concerning you , who will perform his promise upon you , that the same day that you put his servants to death , shall the day of your visitation pass over your heads , and you shall be cursed for evermore , the mouth of the lord of hosts hath spoken it ; therefore in love to you all take warning before it be too late , that so the curse might be removed , for assuredly if you put us to death , you will bring innocent blood upon your own heads , and swift distruction will come upon you : so after these words were spoken unto them , i was had to prison again , where my brother was . marmaduke stevenson . the like sentence did john indicott their governour pronounce against mary dyer , after m.s. was had away , mary dyer you shall go to the place from whence you came , namely the prison , and from thence to the place of execution , and be hanged there , till you are dead ; i said , the will of the lord be done ; take her away marshal ; i said yea , and joyfully i go ; and in the way to the prison often used such speeches with praises to the lord for the same ; i said to the marshal , let me alone , for i should go to prison without him ; i believe you mrs. dyer , said he , but i must do what i am commanded . mary dyer . this is a copy of m. s. letter to the lords people . oh ! my dear and well-beloved ones , who are sealed with me in the holy covenant of our fathers love , my love and life runs out to you all who are chosen of god and faithful , for you are dear unto me , the lord knows it , and are as seals upon my breast , you lambs of my fathers fold , and sheep of his pasture , the remembrance of you is pretious to me my dearly beloved ones , who are of the holy seed and bears the right image , which springs from the true vine and off-spring of david , and stock of abraham the father of the faithful , and the redeemed ones who are reconciled to god and one to another , in that which sea and land cannot separate , where you may feel me knit and joined to you with the spirit of truth , and linked to you as members of his body , who is our head and rock of sure defence for us to flye unto , where we are kept safe in the hour of temptation , and in the day of tryal shall we be preserved in the hollow of his hand , where his banner of love will be over us , to compass us about , where we shall have recourse to the living springs which comes from the pure fountain and well-spring of life , which issues forth abundantly , to refresh the hungry and strengthen the feeble minded , where you may feel me my beloved ones in the green pastures , among the lillies of the pleasant springs , where our souls are bathed and refreshed together with the overcoming of gods love , & the vertue of his presence , which is as pretious oyntment poured forth , giving a pleasant smell : so my dear friends , let us alwayes wait at the altar of the lord , to see the table spread , that so we may sit down and eat together and be refreshed with the hidden manna and living food of life , which comes from him who is our life , our peace , our strength , and our preserver night and day ; oh! my beloved ones , let us all go on in his strength , who is our prince and saviour , that his image we may bear who is meek and lowly in heart , and minde the true and sure foundation of many generations , the chief corner-stone , elect and pretious , the rock of ages on which the saints were built , and if we all abide thereon we shall never be moved , but stand for ever as trees of righteousness rooted and grounded in him , who will be with us in all our tryals and temptations which we may meet withal , and here will the lord our god be honoured by us all that are faithful unto death , we shall assuredly have a crown of life which will never be taken from us ; oh! my beloved ones , what shall i say unto you , who drinks with me at the living fountain , where we are nourished and brought up as twines in the womb , at the breasts of consolation , where i do embrace you in the bond of peace which never will be broken ; oh! feel me and read me in your hearts , for i am filled with love when i think upon you , and broken into tears for the remembrance of you who are faithful doth refresh my soul , which makes me often to think upon you and have you in remembrance , you iewels of my father , and first fruits of his encrease , if i forget you , then let the lord forget me , nay verily you cannot be forgotten by me , so long as i abide in the vine i am a branch of the same nature with you which springs from the good tree which the lord hath blessed , where we do grow together in his life and image as members of his body , where we shall live to all eternity , and sit down in the kingdom of rest and peace with abraham , isaac and jacob , to sing the songs of deliverance to the most high that sits on the throne , who alone is worthy of all honour and living praises , to whom it is due , novv and for ever , amen . and this vvill be the portion of our cup , if vve all stand stedfast to that vve have received , and be faithful in our measures , in doing the will of god vve shall find peace and unity vvith the lord , vvhich is joy unspeakable and glorious , vvhich vvill never be taken from us ; so dear hearts , let us all press forvvard to the mark of the high calling , so shall vve obtain the crovvn from him , vvhere our lives are hid vvith christ in god , vvhere vve shall remain for ever vvith him after our testimony is finished , 〈◊〉 shall lay dovvn our heads vvith joy and peace , and receive the reward of everlasting life , vvhich is laid up for us in christ iesus ; oh! my beloved ones , vvho are of the royal seed vvhich the lord hath blessed , my life 〈◊〉 bound up vvith you in the holy covenant , vvhere vve are linked together as in a chain , and moulded into one mould , vvhere nothing must remain that is not good , for it must be purged out that vvould defile , that so so vve may appear like the fine gold vvhich is tryed in the fire , to shine forth in the image of the father as lights to the world , and as cities set on a hill vvhich cannot be hid , so vvill the lord have praise to vvhom it is due , by our upright vvalking and honest conversation , so shall vve all be a svveet smell and a good savour in them that are saved and in them that perish ; oh! my dear friends and brethren , hovv doth my love abound tovvards you , oh! feel it and let it fill your hearts , for verily you are dear to me , the lord knovvs it vvhom i 〈◊〉 that you are often in my remembrance , though my body be far beyond the seas separated from you , yet doth my soul and life remain vvith you in the holy covenant sealed by the spirit of promise , vvhere vve shall remain together in rest and svveet peace for evermore after our testimony is finished : so all you vvho are upright in heart , feel my love and receive my salutation vvhich springs from the fountain of love , where i am vvith you as by the vvaters of shilo vvhich runs softly , vvhere we are watered and refreshed together day by day , that so we grow as plants of righteousness in the true vine where we are reconciled to the father , and one to another in that which sea and land cannot separate , where you may all feel me and read me in your hearts , with that which was before words were , and if i never see your faces more in the flesh , the will of the lord be done , for verily my life is not dear to me , to lay it down for his sake who hath called me out of darkness into his marvellous light , and hath counted me worthy to bear witness of his truth amongst a blood-thirsty people , whose hearts are removed far from the lord , that so i may finish my testimony with joy , as the rest of my brethren have done which are gone before me , for i am freely given up with my dear brother called william robinson , wh●se love is dear to you all , to lay down our lives as a witness against this people ; for us to live is christ , but to dye is gain , for we know that our reward is sure , where we shall enjoy the pure presence of the living god , and be in favour with him for evermore ; oh! how doth my love abound and run out in tenderness to you all , oh! my tongue cannot express it , nor my mouth utter it forth as it flowes out to you from the living streams which waters the whole city of god , oh! feel it and be refreshed . m. s. this is a copy of w. r. his letter to the lords people . the streames of my fathers love runs daily through me from the holy fountain of life , to the seed throughout the whole creation ; i am overcome with love , for it is my life and length of my dayes , it s my glory and my daily strength , i am swallowed up with love , in love i live , & with it i am overcome , and in it i dwell with the holy seed , to which the blessing of love is given from god who is love , who hath shed it abroad in my heart which daily fills me with living joy from the life from whence it comes ; you children of the living god , feel me when you are waiting in it , when your hearts and minds are gathered into it , when in the strength of it you are traveling feel me , when it runs from the fountain into your vessel , when it issues gently like new wine into your bosoms , when the strength and power of it you feel , when you are overcome with the strength of love ( which is god ) then feel me present in the fountain of love , wherein are many mansions ; you children of the lord feel me wrapt up with you in the pure love , which destroyes the love which is in enmity with god , which warreth against the seed which proceedeth from the father of love , the god of truth ; let nothing seperate you from this love which is my life , neither words nor thoughts nor nothing else enter betwixt which is contrary to it , for that will stain the place of its abode ; so dear children who are begotten by love into the covenant of life and love , keep daily in it , this is the portion that god hath given to his children to continue in his love which is the life of the seed , which is raised by the power of the endlesse love of god in the creature ; i am full of the quickning power of the lord iesus christ ▪ and my lamp is filled with pure oyl , so that it gives a clear light and pleasant smell , and i shall enter with my beloved into eternal peace and rest , wherein i am swallowed up , with the life of it i am filled , and with it i shall depart with everlasting joy in my heart , and praises in my mouth , singing halelujah unto the lord , who hath redeemed me by his living power , from amongst kindreds tongues and nations ; and now the day of my departure draweth near , i have fought a good fight , i have kept the holy faith ▪ i have near finished my course , my travelling is near at an end , my testimony is near to be finished , and an eternal crown is laid up for me , and all whose fret are shed with righteousnesse and the preparation of peace , even such whose names are written in the book of life , wherein i live and rejoyce with all the faithful seed for evermore . written by a servant of jesus christ , william robinson . the 23. day of the 8th month , was this given forth , and he suffered the 27th . day of the same moneth at boston in new england 1659. this is a copy of peter pearsons letter wherein is a relation of m. s. and w. rs. suffering . dear brethren unto whom my life is united in the invisible unlimited power of the lord god almighty , i give you a relation of divers passages , wherein is tidings of heavinesse and joy ; our dear brethren the two servants of the lord , william robinson , and marmaduke stephenson , have finished their course in the pure dominion and eternal majestie of the almighty god , and are laid down in abrahams bosome in the heavenly kingdom of endlesse felicity , where the life of all the upright is united with their life to all perpetuity ; so that their memorial shall never rot , for their name their life is left upon heavenly record , and shall never be blotted out from the life of the tribe of the faithful . vpon the 9th . day of the 4th . moneth 1659. the 4th . day of the week had all us english friends that were abroad in this country a meeting upon road island , the 6th . day following of the same week at a ferry side upon road island , did one friend whose name is william leddra and i part with christopher holder , marmaduke stephenson , and william robinson , we being about to passe over the ferry , to travel into this part of the countrey called plimmouth colony ; at the end of two dayes journey we came to a town therein called sandwich , and the day following had a pretty peaceable meeting , and it was with us if we did escape apprehending in this colony , to have traveled into bostons iurisdiction , but the second and last meeting that we had determined to have at sandwich , in it we were apprehended and had before the governour and magistrates , and by them committed to this prison , where we have remained 5. moneths and upward ; and being we deny to defray the charges that they have brought themselves into by medling with us ( namely their wicked officers fees , ) and also refusing to make an engagement to come into the government no more , we are by their law to remain close prisoners during the courts pleasure ; but well content we are , rejoycing that we are worthy to suffer as witnesses for the lord against them , and their law , and the thick power of darknesse by which they did establish it ; this knowing that for our testimonies sake bonds must abide us during the lords pleasure ; the day after we were taken prisoners , was william robinson , and marmaduke stephenson imprisoned at boston , where they remained until the 7th . moneth ; in the forepart of the 7th . moneth they were had before their court of assistance , and after divers passages in their examination , the iury ( whom they witnessed against as unfit men to try their cause being out of the doctrine of christ ) when they gave in their verdit , said they had found them to be quakers ; so when they were found and judged by their ungodly law , to be guilty of the sentence of banishment upon pain of death , they were returned to prison again , and after a little time were had again before their iudgment seat , and the sentence of banishment upon pain of death past upon them , against which their life did arise in power and dominion , being the lord had commanded them to stay , and william robinson declared unto them how it stood between them and god , and if they did put them to death for transgressing their commandement , they would become guilty of innocent blood , and gave them warning in the name of the lord to beware of shedding innotent blood , with more expressions that cut them to the quick ; and although they had passed the sentence of banishment upon them , yet this overplus to vent their furious mindes in torturing the outward man whilest they had it , they made a decree to have william whipt , and commanded the constable to get a man that was able to do it ; so a man being prepared and had before their court , and judged a man fit for their purpose , they had william robinson into the open street , and there stript him and put his hands thorow the holes of the cariage of a great gun , where the iaylor ( a member of their church held them till the whipper gave him twenty stripes with a threefold cord whip with knots at the ends , which stripes he laid upon his body without mercy or pity according to the hearts desire of some of the blood-thirsty rulers , who bad whip him severely ; so when they had inflicted this barbarous action upon his body , then they returned him with marmaduke stephenson again to prison , and wrote an order to the iaylor to discha●ge the prison of them forthwith ; the iaylor when he had taken w. rs. great coat from him , turned them out of the prison , and after some stay in the town according to their freedom , past abroad into the countrey within their iurisdiction , entering into great service and sounding thorow a dark cloudy countrey which had not been broken thorow before , wherein was found honest desires , and divers were convinced , the power of the lord accompanied them , and with astonishment confounded their enemies before them , great was their service abroad in that iurisdiction for 4. weeks and upwards , and having acquitted themselves like men , upon the 13th . day of the 8th . moneth they returned again to boston with six friends that did accompany them , and one friend that went out of this government and met them near boston , where they were all apprehended and had before the governour and some of the counsel ; the seven friends were all committed to prison , and m. s. and w. r. were delivered to the custody of the goalour to be kept in chaines in a room by themselves , the which was done , they were shut up in a room by themselves , and chaines laid upon their right legs ; the next week their general court began , before which they were had and sentenced to die , and so returned to prison again ; upon the 27th . day of the same month was the day appointed that they were to be executed , the night before they had notice given of it , then the latter part of the 27th . day ▪ being the 5th . day of the week after their lecture so called , w. r. and m. s. were had forth of the prison into the open street , where was one james oliver who was made c●tain over a band of armed men , by information 2. hundred , which were prepared to guard them to and at the place of execution , with drum● colours and halberds , guns , swords , picks and half-picks , 〈…〉 others on horseback , to keep off the multitude of 〈…〉 〈◊〉 dear lambs near the hinder part , and the chief marshal and the drummer next before them , the command being given to march to the place of execution , w. r. spake these words saying , this is your hour and the power of darknesse , then the drummer beat up his drum ▪ and after a little space ceased again ; then m. sephenson spake saying this is the day of your visitation , wherein the lord hath visited you , other words past which were not clearly heard ▪ by reason of the sound of the drum ; so they walked along in pure retired chearfulnesse to the place of execution , triumphing in the strength of the lamb over all the wrath of man and fury of the beast ▪ in the pure retired heavenly dominion of the invisible god ; and when they were come to the ladders foot , they took their leave each of other and w. r. stept up the ladder and spake to the people , saying this is the day of your visitation wherein the lord hath visited you , this is the day the lord is arisen in his mighty power to be avenged on all his adversaries , and the rope being about his neck , as he spake the executioner bound his legs and hands , and his neck cloth being tyed about his face , he said now ye are made manifest ; so the executioner being about to turn him off the ladder , he uttered this expression , saying , i suffer for christ in whom i live , and for whom i die ; so he being turned off , m. s. went up and spake to the people , saying , be it known unto all this day that we suffer not as evil doers but for conscience sake ; then be being bound according to the former manner , as the executioner was about to turn him off the ladder , he uttered these words , saying , this day shall we be at rest with the lord ; thus the faithful witnesses sealed their testimony for the lord against the dragons power , and blessedly departed with praises in their mouthes , entering joyfully with their beloved into everlasting rest. peter pearson . written in plimmoth prison in new england , the 6th . of the 10th . moneth , 1659. mary dyer an inhabitant in some part of that countrey , was likwise sentenced to die when these two friends , were only for coming a second time to boston , to visit her imprisoned brethren there , and was carried with them to the place of execution , and after they two was executed , she stept up the ladder and had her coats tied about her feet , and the rope put about her neck , with her 〈…〉 , and as the hangman was ready to turn her off , they cryed out stop , for she was reprieved , and loosing her feet and bid her come down , but she was not forward to comedown , but stood still saying , she was there willing to suffer as her brethren did ; unlesse they would null their wicked law , she had no freedom to accept their reprief , but they pulled her down , and a day or two after carryed her out of townby force ; and yet the rulers of boston had the impudence to affirm ( in their apologie published to vindicate their barbarous proceedings against the innocent ) that this mary dyer accepted her life , promising or consenting that she would depart their jurisdiction in few dayes and return no more ; thus do they make lies their refuge , and add iniquity to sin . the end . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a61464e-210 here followeth a copy of the warrant to the keeper of the prison . * you are by vertue hereof , forthwith required to discharge the prison of william robinson , marmaduke stevenson , mary dyer , and nicholas davis , who were found by the court and jury , by their own confessions , words , and actions , to be quakers , and had sentence pronounced against them , to depart this jurisdiction on pain of death , and that if after the 14th . of this instant september , they or any of them be found within this jurisdiction , or any part thereof , at their peril . dated at boston , the 12th . of september , 59 by edward rawson secretary . a declaration of the present sufferings of above 140. persons of the people of god (who are now in prison,) called quakers: with a briefe accompt of about 1900. more ... together with the number of 21. persons who were imprisoned and persecuted until death. all which was delivered to tho. bampfield, then speaker of the parliament, on the sixth day of the second month, 1659 ... as also an accompt of some grounds and reasons, why for conscience sake we bear our testimony against divers customes and practices at this day in use amongst men. also a cry of great jndgement [sic] at hand upon the oppressors of the lords heritage, as received from him on the 18. day of the first month called march. with an offer to the parliament of our bodies, person for person to be imprisoned, for the redemption of our brethren, who are now in bonds for the testimony of jesus. burrough, edward, 1634-1662. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a77940 of text r203719 in the english short title catalog (thomason e977_7). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 96 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 25 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a77940 wing b5993 thomason e977_7 estc r203719 99863565 99863565 115771 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a77940) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 115771) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 145:e977[7]) a declaration of the present sufferings of above 140. persons of the people of god (who are now in prison,) called quakers: with a briefe accompt of about 1900. more ... together with the number of 21. persons who were imprisoned and persecuted until death. all which was delivered to tho. bampfield, then speaker of the parliament, on the sixth day of the second month, 1659 ... as also an accompt of some grounds and reasons, why for conscience sake we bear our testimony against divers customes and practices at this day in use amongst men. also a cry of great jndgement [sic] at hand upon the oppressors of the lords heritage, as received from him on the 18. day of the first month called march. with an offer to the parliament of our bodies, person for person to be imprisoned, for the redemption of our brethren, who are now in bonds for the testimony of jesus. burrough, edward, 1634-1662. [2], 44, [2] p. printed for tho. simmons, at the bull and mouth, near aldersgate, london : 1659. signed on e2v, f1v: e.b., i.e. edward burrough. the last leaf is blank. annotation on thomason copy: "april. 23". reproduction of the original in the british library. eng society of friends -doctrines -early works to 1800. quakers -england -early works to 1800. persecution -england -early works to 1800. a77940 r203719 (thomason e977_7). civilwar no a declaration of the present sufferings of above 140. persons of the people of god (who are now in prison,) called quakers:: with a briefe burrough, edward 1659 16450 27 0 0 0 0 0 16 c the rate of 16 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-05 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-06 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2007-06 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a declaration of the present sufferings of above 140. persons of the people of god ( who are now in prison , ) called qvakers : with a briefe accompt of above 1900. more , being but a part of many more that have suffered within these six years last past , whose names and particular sufferings are not here set down . together with the number of 21. persons who were imprisoned and persecuted until death . all which was delivered to tho. bampfield , then speaker of the parliament , on the sixth day of the second month , 1659. by which all people may be made sensible of the great oppressions of the innocent , and lay them to heart , that the judgments of the lord may be prevented , which otherwise will fall heavy upon the oppressors , and all that are at ease in the flesh , and unsensible of the day of jacobs troubles . as also an accompt of some grounds and reasons , why for conscience sake we bear our testimony against divers customes and practices at this day in use amongst men . also a cry of great judgement at hand upon the oppressors of the lords heritage , as received from him on the 18. day of the first month called march . with an offer to the parliament of our bodies , person for person to be imprisoned , for the redemption of our brethren , who are now in bonds for the testimony of jesus . london , printed for tho. simmons , at the bull and mouth , near aldersgate , 1659. declaration of the present sufferings of above 140. persons of the people of god ( who are now in prison , ) called qvakers : with a briefe accompt of above 1900. more being but a part of many more that have suffered within these six years last past , whose names and particular sufferings are not here set down . together with the number of 21. persons who were imprisoned and persecuted until death . that so all people may be made sensible of the great oppressions of the innocent , and lay them to heart , that the judgements of the lord may be prevented why otherwise will fall heavy upon the oppressors , and all that are at ease in the flesh and unsensible of the day of jacobs troubles . as also an accompt of some grounds and reasons why for conscience sake we bear our testimony against divers customes and practices at this day in use amongst men . also a cry of great judgement at hand upon the oppressors of the lords heritage , as received from him on the 18. day of the first moneth called march . london , printed for thomas simmons at the bull and mouth near aldersgate . 1659. to the parliament of the common-wealth of england . being a declaration of the names , places and sufferings of such as now are in prison for speaking the truth in several places : for not paying tithes : for meeting together in the fear of god : for not swearing : for wearing their hats : for being accounted as vagrants : for visiting friends , and for things of the like nature , in all about 144. besides , imprisoned and persecuted till death 21. also a briefe narrative of the sufferings within the last six years , or thereabouts , of about 1960. persons already returned , being but part of many more , whose names and sufferings are not yet returned ; all which is desired may be read and considered of by this parliament , that right-may be done . first , for speaking the truth in several places berk-shire . john evans cast into prison at redding for speaking to a priest at shaw near newberry . cambridge-shire . john norris of swasey committed to prison at cambridge for asking the priest of hardwick a question . william allen of okington for bidding the people ( after their evening sacrifice was ended ) to fear and tremble at the name of the lord , was committed to prison . canterbury . thomas pollard prisoner there for speaking in the steeple-house . cumberland . george wilson , prisoner at carlisle , and also matthew dickson at lampligh , for speaking to the priest . devon-shire . john roet , for bidding the people at the steeple-house at tiverton in devon to mind the truth of god , was cast into prison at tiverton , and sorely abused , and denied straw to lie on ; and they would not suffer friends to bring him provision , but still remains a prisoner . edward bradford for speaking to a priest now in prison at exon. essex . william monk of sanden , for going into the steeple-house , and asking the priest a question , was committed to prison . william allen , for exhorting people to repentance in the town-street of wetherfield , as he was going to a meeting , was committed to prison by dudly temple , justice so called , and hath remained prisoner above these six moneths . john claydon of hadstock , arrested at the sute of thomas wallis of that town for words pretended he should maliciously speak against him , and cast him into prison , where he hath been a prisoner four months . glocester-shire . deborah harding being moved of the lord to speak to joseph woodward priest , was forced out , and carried before thomas escot , one of the justices , and sent to prison . hamp-shire . ja. potter , committed to the common goal at winchester , by wil. whither ▪ and ric. kinsmell , called justces , for reading a paper in the steeple-house yard , and at the following assizes , was fined 5. l. by judge nicholas for wearing his hat when he was brought into court , for which he was sent back to prison , and hath been a prisoner twenty moneths , and so still remaines . henry streaters wife committed to prison by justice reynolds , for speaking some of the prophets words , to priest corbet , as he was traveling on the way ▪ who hath a young child sucking , the said justice reynolds giving charge to the goaler , that she should be kept close prisoner , not having the liberty of common whores , that have bastards ; but is constrained to a little bad rome , where eight more are kept close prisoners . kent . elizabeth fowler , cast into the dungeon in the common goal , at tenterden , for speaking ; in a steeple-house , where she hath been ten weeks , committed by the mayor without bail or mainprize , and there still remaines . northampton-shire . john rogers , for speaking to william sanderson priest of hindon , after he had done and was come out of the pulpet , was committed to prison by john brown caled justice , and hath been a prisoner thirteen weeks , and so continues . john green of bugbrook , was cast into the county goal by justice benson , so called , for speaking to benjamin tompkins priest of hartpoor , and hath been in prison seven weeks , and so remaines . suffolk . anne blakelin prisoner in bury edmonds for speaking to a priest at haveril , and hath been kept prisoner there two years . sussex . iohn snashhold , for speaking in the steeple-house hath been kept prisoner fourty eight weeks . nicholas beard , for speaking to the priest is prisoner there also . worcester-shire . iohn clemance of evisham , prisoner there for going to a steeple-house . westmerland . richard hebson , was imprisoned for speaking to a priest where he and others were cruelly beat and abused , by an unmerciful goal or of apleby , and richard hebson being put forth of prison very weak , and bruised , died presently after . westminster . elizabeth peacock , for saying without faith they could not please god , is imprisoned in the gatehouse , by john maid-stone from white hall . wales . edward stephens , prisoner in tregarran , for speaking in a steeple-house . james jones prisoner there , for going to the steeple-house with edward stephens . tobias hodge and dorcas erberry , prisoners in cardiff , for going into the steeple-house or speaking there . wilt-sheir . francis taylor , prisoner at salisbury , for speaking in a steeple-house there , and very badly used by the constables , and people there , and then imprisoned by the justices so called , and lies very sick . york-sheir . daniel thackeray , was sent to the house of correction at wakefield by john dawson and martin isles , for witnessing the kingdom of heaven to be within , and at leeds sessions fined xs . and afterwards sent to the castle at yorke , where he remains prisoner , by william fenton , john payton , and john dawson , and martin isles . besides , for going into steeple-houses , streets and markets , and speaking to rulers priests or people in the fear of the lord , either by testifying against the world , that the deeds thereof are evil , or exhorting to the fear of god , and amendment of life , the hireling teachers , and persecuting rulers have cast into prisons , holes , and dungeons , there to lie for many moneths , under blooddy goalers , and some till death , to the number of 347. secondly , for not paying tithes . berk-shire . leonard cole , had three horses taken from him , for 5s . tithes , one of which horses the said cole was bid 3l . 10s . for ; which horse they sold , but returned nothing again ; afterwards , the said leonard cole was arrested by the priest of arberfield near redding , and thrown into prison , where he still lies . buckingham-shire . george salter , imprisoned at alesbury for tithes , he refusing to swear to his answer , to the priest of hidgerlys bill of complaint . cornwall . loveday hambly of tregongeeves , was at the suit of priest upcott priest of austel , persecuted and cast into prison for tithes , and hath been a prisoner about nine moneths , notwithstanding the said upcott did a little before her imprisonment take from her the said loveday hambly , as many cattel as were worth 40l . and upwards , for 5l . pretended to be due for tithes ; and is now a prisoner for about 13s and 4p . it is to be noted , that this woman hath been one of the best friends that this priest hath had . john hambly , in prison at bodmin for tithes , by a priest . cambridg-shire . john smith the elder , imprisoned at cambridge castle , at the suit of john fydoe priest of hardwick , for tithes , by a warrant given under the hands of thomas sclater , and james tomason justices , so called . john smith the younger of hardwick , was at the suit of the said priest fydoe , and priest cudworth , imprisoned for tithes in cambridge castle , and there remains a prisoner . robert letchworth , now of chesterton , but formerly of soam , was for tithes cast into prison , by the priest of soam ; and there hath been a prisoner above twelve moneths , and so remains . canterbury . william mott , prisoner there for tithes . robert minter , prisoner there for tithes , and hath had ninety pounds worth of goods taken from him for tithes , besides his imprisonment . edward noakes , imprisoned for tithes , and had goods taken from him , to the value of 98l . for tithes . cumberland . john nicholson , was by richard hutton priest , cast into the goal at carlisle for tithes , where he yet remains . dorchester-goal . nicholas masters of bradford , was committed to dorchester prison the ninth moneth , at the suit of ellis harvey , an impropriator for tithes , and so continues . francis beaton of overcomto , was likewise committed to prison , at the suit of robert bartlett clerk , in a plea of debt , falsly so called , but it was because for conscience he could not pay tithes , and still remains a prisoner . nicholas stone , committed to sherborn bridewell , by john huskins recorder , and the bayliffs of the same burrough onely , for going to a steeple-house , and not speaking a word till the priest had made an end . essex . robert abbott of colen , arrested and cast into prison f●r not paying tithes to richard harlackenden , of that town , and hath been a prisoner about eleven moneths . john adams of hadstock , in prison for not paying tithes , by thomas wallis , and hath been a prisoner about four months . edward morrel of thaxstead , in colchester goal for tithes . widdow ball , and her son william ball , earrested and cast into prison for not paying tithes to john wright priest of that town , and have been prisoners ten weeks . thomas monkford of salem , in prison for not paying tithes to john cooper , and hath been a prisoner thirteen months . henry smith of salem , was cast into prison for not paying tithes to anthony maxey , and hath been a prisoner six weeks . anthony page of salem in prison for not paying tythes to iohn cooper an impropriator , and hath been a prisoner thirteen moneths . james potter of mark stane in prison for not paying tyths to william turner of the said town impropriator , and hath been a prisoner five weeks . fleet-london . alexander heblethwaite , james corny , and richard robinson , hav●●●en prisoners there two years . david hall hath been prisoner there one and twenty moneths . henry gill●●th been prisoner there six moneths . gerard roberts four moneths and upward . iohn lucas hath been prisoner 15. moneths , and 8. moneths in alisbury , and ●even moneths in the fleet . william glydwel hath been prisoner 20 moneths , viz. 13. moneths in alisbury , and seven moneths in the fleet . william clater prisoner there 32. moneths , for tythes by a priest who carryed away his goods by cart-loads . andrew smith hath been prisoner first in colchester , and now in the fleet eighteen monethes . gloster shire . edward buden , and william peasly who made their personall appearance before the barons of the exchequer at the the suit of henry hen priest , and because for conscience sake they could not return their answer upon oath , a writ was issued forth against them , signed by georg raymond then high sheriff , by vertue whereof they were arrested and cast into glocester goal , and have remained prisoners a year and five moneths , for the value of tythes about twenty shilling●● piece . notwithstanding which , the priest henry hen did in the time of their imprisonment drive away three cows of the said edward buden , and six cows of the said william peasly , and remain prisoners still . francis pennel of awst is prisoner for tythes by reason of the said henry hen priest , and in the time of his imprisonment , nicholas ireland by a demise or grant from the said henry hen of the tythes , came with a wain and six men to fetch away loads of wheat , barly , and beans without any order of law or magistrate , and yet hath been a prisoner seventeen moneths and so remains . thomas beal at the suit of william benet priest of t●●ligh was for tythes cast into glocester goal , in which time the said priest bennet took away some of his corne and hay , the said priest being an officer in the late kings army , and the said thomas beal was in the service of the parliament both in england and ireland for divers years , the value of the tythes being but four shillings , and for which he hath been a prisoner 18. moneths . joseph tomlins , at the suit of robert wickens priest of toddenham , was cast into prison for tythes , and hath been there six moneths , and so still remaines . thomas white of hucklewait imprisoned fortythes at the suit of william bishop impropriator , and hath been a prisoner one year and ten months , and so remains , notwithstanding he is a poor man , and hath many children . henry lloyd and iohn cox , both prisoners in glocester goal for tythes pretended to be due to nicholas carey priest by the persecution of the priests servant . hartford-shire . george huckle , a poor old man living in hartford shire for denying to pay to thomas ridner priest of hitchin , offering mony , smoak money , and tythes of two years for ducks , turkeys , and a cow , was committed to prison , where he hath been a prisoner ten moneths , and so still remains , notwithstanding there is evidence under 20. mens hands from the parish where he dwelt ( sent to the late protector ) that the poor old man , hath not had nor kept any of those creatures these 20. years . nicholas lucas of trinn , for the value of three shillings tythes , was committed to harford gaol , and there remaines prisoner . huntington shire simon sanford for the value of three shillings & four pence tyths was by iohn manton priest of alcumburg subpoena'd to the exchequer who appeared in person , but his appearance could not be taken , so the priest got an attachment against him , by which he was cast into prison , where he hath been prisoner 12. moneths and so continues . thomas purchase by means of james bedford priest of blunsome was for tythes castinto prison the seventeenth day of the 9th . moneth , 1658. and remains a prisoner still . hamp-shire . william baker and richard baker committed to prison by iohn hook called justice , for saying that the priest of bromsale was a robber and covetous , for taking a cow from robert beadle , which the priest had caused to be taken away for 40s . tythes , pretended to be due to him , but the cow was worth 4l . 10s . and hath been a prisoner 7. weeks , and still remains so , and iohn day had four cow ; taken from him worth 12l . and 3l . onely was for tythes to the priest . now let those that are moderate consider who is the offender . ann potter imprisoned by priest bental in chegny court prison for tythes . and richard dean imprisoned at the same time for tythes . lincolne-shire . thomas brumby of fillingham , a poor old man , having a wife and many children , was committed to prison about the 18th . day of the 7. moneth 1657. for about 6s . tythes at the suit of ralph hollingworth priest of fillingham , yet the writ names neither priest nor tythes , by the tenor of the writ his body should have been had before the barons of the exchequer , from the day called st. michaels 3 weeks , to have answered the late protector of divers trespasses , contempts and offences ; but the poor old man hath suffered 66 weeks imprisonment , and still remaines a prisoner by the meanes of this priest ; which contemps , trespasses and offences were , for not paying the priests tythes . edmond wolsy was committed to prison the 12 day of the 12 moneth called february , at the suit of francis ball of sibsey for tythes , this persecutor is no priest but an impropriator as is supposed , who hath kept this poor man in prison 47. weeks , who is now dead . iohn pidd , richard pidd , and arnald trueblood all of beckingham were upon the 23th . day of the 9. moneth 1658. committed to goal for tythes , at the suit of georg farthing , lately houshold servant to joseph thurlsone priest of beckingham , the man pretends the priest let him a lease of the tythes of those people called quakers , two of which do still remain prisoners . and arnold trueblood since dyed in the pit of the said goal among fellons . lanca-shire . oliver atherton in prison hath been three moneths by the means of the countesse , so called , of darby for privy tythes under twenty shillings , and the servant of the said countesse hath taken from him 6l . worth of corne , and given no account . norfolk . william barber committed to norwich-castel for tythes and there remaines . northampton-shire edward roberts at the suit of lyonel godrick priest hath been in prison for tythes one year and two moneths , and the said priest did take from the said edward roberts four horses worth 28l . for tythes valued at three pounds , and yet notwithstanding he remains a prisoner , to the destroying and undoing of him , his wife and family , and the said priest told him to his face , it was pitty that he , and such as he should live in a common-wealth . peter makerness of findon sued for tythes by william downer impropriator , into the exchequer and because for conscience sake he could not swear to his answer , was committed to the county prison , and hath been there six moneths , and still remaines nottingham-shire . william smith in prison in that county for tythes at the suite of william pocklington farmer of tythes . oxford-shire . alexander harris imprisoned by william browne priest for the value of 7s . tythes , and hath been a prisoner twelve moneths , and so remaines . william cole of chalbury sued by the same priest for 7s . 6d . tythes , and cast into prison , where he hath been kept a year and ten moneths . thomas french of chippingnorton by the meanes of william norton tythe renter , was served up to london by a writ , for the value of 11s . tythes , and the said norton served those servants that were hired to carry in the corne , with a subpoena , and made them pay eleven shillings six pence , and cast two into prison where they have been nine moneths , and there still remains . suffolk . thomas jude hath been a prisoner in bury edmonds for tythes above twelve moneths , and so is kept . also richard white , and john easling are prisoners in ipswich for tythes . sussex . robert adams , and richard pratt have been prisoners in horsham goal one year for tythes . sommerset-shire . william serjeant , geo. taylor , and john dogget are prisoners in ivelchester goal for tythes . samuel clothier , henry clothier , and thomas lockier have been prisoners in the said goal for tythes these 13. moneths . thomas loscomb , and henry moore are prisoners there for tythes . william vinent , and john langden have been prisoners there for tythes six moneths . upper-bench-prison . john pollard at the suit of benjamin maddock a pretender to the tythes , cast into prison about the 16. of the 9. moneth ( 58 ) he having been a prisoner in colchester for tythes twelve moneths before . warwick-shire . thomas palmer , william mans , and richard mills were sub-poena'd at the suit of john dyke ( an ejected priest for his wicked course of life ) to appear before the barrons of the exchequer for tythes valued at 14s . pretended to be due to the said priest , and they appeared accordingly , but their appearance could not be received , and so were cast into prison 20. steps in the dungeon for a contempt , because they could not for conscience sake swear to their answer . thomas palmer hath been in prison 16. weekes and william mans 11. weeks , and still are prisoners . wilt-shire . john fry sued in the upper bench , and the exchequer by john menlas priest of gumfield , who never demanded ought of him , and was cast into prison at fisherton-anger near sarum , by richard lovel , and walter thomas , they having the warrant of isaac burgess sheriffe of wiltshire so to do , where they have been kept from the 13. day of the 9. moneth ( 58 ) to this day . richard ast sometime of collerne in wiltshire imprisoned at fisherton-anger at the suit of george marshal priest and thomas harris impropriator for the value of two or three and thirty shillings , and hath been a prisoner 21. weeks and more , notwithstanding they caused his corn to be taken out of his house and field before his imprisonment . also priest monlas caused to be taken from the said john fry goods to the value of twelve pounds and more before he was imprisoned . john jay who is also a prisoner there hath sent an accompt of his sufferings . york-shire . james tenant sued in the exchequer by the farmer of tythes , and because he could not for conscience sake swear to his answer , was committed to prison , where he hath been 35. weekes and so continues . robert mainford at the suit of charles kame priest hath been in prison for tythes eight moneths . matthew major and john ellis imprisoned at the suit of francis swayne priest have been prisoners 20. weeks and so remains . stephen lorimore imprisoned at the suit of richard sherborn for some small tythes , and hath been a prisoner two years , and still remaines so , committed to prison by thomas harison sheriff . salop . edward ward , for about 50s . tythes had a yoke of oxen taken away from him worth about 12l . by edward lawrance priest of shrewsbury . besides for not paying tythes ( to the upholding of priests who do not work for them ) there have been imprisoned to the number of 200. and moreover 44● . persons suffered the spoiling of their goods , because for conscience sake they could not pay tythes , the value of tythes demanded amounted to 706. l. 8s . 11. d. for which they took of their goods to the value of some thousands of pounds . for meeting together in the fear of god on the first dayes . george harrison violently taken out of apelties house who is a friend in heverall by a rude multitude of the town , and cruelly bruised in the street till he did spit blood , who a short time after dyed , having never in his life time recovered from the hurt he then received . dorchester-goale . lore bag the wife of richard bag , and her son thomas bag , and three of her daughters sarah , mary , and abigal bag , all of one town living in brideport , and of one family , were by nicholas sampson and robert prince bayliffs , for coming from a meeting about a bow shoot from the place where they dwelt , committed to prison , pretending they committed them for being wanderers , and because they would not give them 2s . 6d . a piece ; and after were called to sessions , where thomas bag was fined by the recorder thirteen shillings four pence , because he wore his hat in the court , and because ( for conscience sake , knowing they had broke no law ) could not give them two shillings six pence a piece for coming from the meeting , and thirteen shillings and foure pence for thomas bags wearing of his hat , were all sent back to prison again , where they have been sixteen weeks , and still remaines prisoners , lore bag being above threescore yeares old , and her husband richard bag a mercer driving a trade ; so his whole family is taken from him to their great losse and hinderance . yorkeshire . andrew hawkes commited to prison by thomas dickison called justice , for not prosecuting a warrant which came from the said dickison against several persons therein named , which was for no other cause , but for meeting together peaceably the first day of the week to wait upon the lord ; and the said hawkes hath lay●n in prison eleven moneths and have not been brought to any tryal , and still remains prisoner . henry vbanck thomas thackray , and christopher thackray & thomas docker were taken forth at a meeting in leeds and sent to prison by iohn dauson and martin isles , and at the sessions there fined twenty shillings a peece , and afterwards sent to york castle where they remain prisoners . besides for meeting together in the fear of god on the first day of the week , and denying the steeple-house worship , there have been imprisoned one hundred sixty five persons , and moreover for going to godly and christian meetings on the said day , 30. persons hath had twenty eight horses , and other goods taken and sold and nothing returned again , which horses have been valued at one hundred thirty six pounds twelve shillings . fourthly , for not swearing , and wearing their hats . buckingham-shire . george salter , imprisoned at alesbury for tithes , he refusing to swear to his answer , to the priest of hidgerlys bill of complaint . dorchester goal . bartholomew logg was fined 3s . and 4 pence , by john hoskins , for wearing his hatt , and for not payment thereof was committed to prison , where he hath been fourteen weeks , and still remains a prisoner . thomas bagg was fined by the recorder 13s . and 4 pence , because he wore his hatt in the court , and because for conscience sake ( knowing he had broke no law ) could not give it them , was sent to prison , where he hath been sixteen weeks , and still remains there . glouceter-shire . edward buden and william peasly , who made their personal appearance before the barons of the exchequer , at the suit of henry hen priest , and because for conscience sake they could not return their answer upon oath , a writ was sued forth against them , signed by george raymond , then high sheriff , by vertue whereof they were arrested , and cast into glocester goal , and have remained prisoners a year and 5 moneths , for the value of tithes about 20s . a piece , notwithstanding which , the priest henry hen did in the time of their imprisonment , drive away 3 cows of the said edw. buden ▪ and 6 cows of the said will . peasly , and remain prisoners still . hamp-shire . james potter , committed to the common goal at winchester , by william whither , and richard kinsmill , called justices , for reading a paper at the steeple-house yard ; and at the following assizes was fined 5l . by judge nicholas , for wearing his hatt when he was brought into the court , for which he was sent back to prison , and hath been a prisoner there 20 moneths , and so still remains . norfolk . william king , committed to norwich castle , for refusing to swear , and was fined 40s . by judge baldock , for refusing to do service for his countrey , but by yea and nay , and there remains . northampton-shire . peter mackerness of findon , sued for tithes , by william downer impropriator , into the exchequer , and because for conscience sake he could not swear , was committed to the county prison , and hath been there six moneths , and still remains there . suffolk . george sherwing , for not swearing to his answer to a bill at the suit of the lady gandee , for tithes , was committed to milton gaol , by an attachment from baron nicholas , and hath been there 2 years . wales . howell jones , prisoner in tregarran , for not putting off his hatt . york-shire . james tenant , sued in the exchequer , by a farmer of tithes , and because he could not for conscience sake swear to his answer , was committed to prison , where he hath been 35 weeks , and so continues . john hall was taken forth of a meeting in woodstock in leeds parish , and because he refused to swear , was sent to prison , by william fenton , and martin isles , they pretending he was a jesuite , and still remains prisoner in york castle . besides , for not swearing , and wearing their hatts , imprisoned 125 persons ; and 38 persons for not swearing in their courts have had goods taken from them to the value of about 77l . 15s . fifthly , vnder pretence of being vagrants . hamp-shire . anthony millage , who was formerly a captain of a frigot , was as a vagrant committed to prison with hunphery smith , to the common goal of winchester , by john bunkley , called justice , for no other cause at all , but for being in his company , and hath been a prisoner ten moneths . william bayly was also committed by the aforesaid john bunkley , without any accusation laid against him , but for being in the company with humphrey smith , ( from the parish where he was born ) as a vagrant , and hath been a prisoner ten moneths , and so remaines . besides , cruelly whipped , and counted as vagrants and wanderers , though men of considerable estates , 42. persons . sixthly , for visiting friends in prisons . dorchester-goal . william ellet the younger commited to prison , by nicolas sampson ; and robert prince baylifs of brideport , onely , for standing peaceably in the street , when george buly was examined , and hath been a prisoner there 14 weeks and so remaines . besides , for visiting of their friends in prison , imprisoned 30. persons , also two persons onely for entertaining their friends according to the command , to entertain strangers , were imprisoned , and had four horses taken from them worth about 18 pounds . seventhly , for not repairing of steeple-houses , and not paying clerkes wages . one hundred fourty one persons , for the repair of steeple-houses , and clerks-wages , had demanded of them 27. l. 14. s. 8. pence , for which was taken from them to the value of about 139. pounds 15. shillings , and 10 pence in goods . eightly , imprisoned , and persecuted till death . cambridge . boniface norris , being neer four-score years of age , as he was riding to a meeting , was sorely beaten and bruised , and fined 10. shillings for going to the meeting , and afterwards imprisoned by dudly pope called a justice , and a week after he was let out of prison , died . durham . george humble , an aged man , for standing by some of his neighbours whom george lilburn had set in the stocks for speaking to a priest , the said humble standing by , and reproving the people , was for that sent to prison to durham by the said lilburn , where he was kept until death . devon-shire . jane ingram , for going to visit some friends who were cast into prison , and lay upon straw at doomes-dale in lanceston in cornwal , was by jo . champion justice so called , cast into prison at exeter , and there kept in prison upon straw till she dyed . lanca-shire . richard apener , was imprisoned till death for tythes , by priest shaw of oldingham , who also spoiled his goods , and made havock of many more . as some friends in lancashire were comming from a meeting , they meet with a priest upon the high way , and others with him , to whom one elizabeth leavens spake a few words , whereupon the priests party got hedg-staves and beat the friends , amongst whom a woman great with child , was sorely beaten on the breast , and so sorely bruised , that she presently fell sick , and with much adoe got home , and within two or three dayes after died . bristol . temperance hignel , being moved of the lord to go to a steeple-house in bristol , to speak to jacob brint priest , after he had ended , was knockt down in the steeple-house to the astonishing of her sences , and sorely beaten and bruised , her blood drawn , and her cloaths torn off from her back in the steeple-house , and then cast into prison , and being afterwards carried out in a basket sick , within two or three dayes after she died . also george harrison imprisoned there till death . lincolnshire . edmond wolsey imprisoned for tythes until death . also thomas bromby imprisoned until death , for about 6. s. tythes . glocester-shire . richard atwood , for 15 shillings tithes , was imprisoned till death by richard fowler priest . essex . james parnel for speaking in cogges-hall steeple-house , on a fast day was imprisoned until death , by herbert pelham , thomas cook , dionysius wakering , and william harlackenden , and before he dyed was most cruelly , and barbarously used by the goalers wife . norfolk . robert jacob of windham , being four score years of age , imprisoned till death , being first cast into prison for not swearing to be a constable , and released , but afterward cast into prison again for tythes , and for refusing to swear to his answer , he was kept prisoner till death . oxford . elizabeth fletcher a young woman , was by the schollers of oxford for speaking the word of the lord to them , thrown against a grave-stone , and into a grave , and drawn through a pool with ropes , and pumpt ; which usage she said before her death she should never recover , but carry to her grave , and accordingly by reason of that usage she died . suffolk . john cason , imprisoned for tithes till death , at the suit of john padgett the priest of aldham , and also by priest glaufield , and before his death was barbarously and cruelly used by the goaler . summer set-shire . william tucker of naylsey imprisoned till death , by thomas george priest . york-shire . william peers , and will . sykes , imprisoned till death for tithes . john sumerson imprisoned till death for tithes , having first been prisoner two years . matthew wilkinson imprisoned till death for tithes , in pickering castle , because he could not swear to his answer to the priests bill . william wilkenson of rosedal● , for not paying tithes to john mason of middleton an impropriator , was sued in the court of exchequer , and for not swearing to his answer , was cast into prison in pickering castle , where he remained a prisoner near a year , and then died in prison . westmoreland . richard hebson aforementioned , cruelly used by the goaler of apelby , died . in all imprisoned , and persecuted to death , 21. ninethly , imprisoned for things of several natures . berk-shire . leonard cole of arberfield , was put in prison at redding , and there kept above twelve weeks , the last term was brought to the court at westminster , called the common pleas , where he appeared personally , and was from thence sent to the fleet , where he remains a prisoner ; two or three dayes after he came to the fleet , one george hatton , brought him a declaration of alexander stoake● priest , and about the second day of the first month called march , 1658 / 9 ▪ the said priest went with bayliffs to the dwelling house of the said cole , and there entred his barn , and turned out his threshers , and seized on a mow of wheat , besides what was threshed on the floor , to the value of 20 quarters , ( as the bayliffs themselves did compute it ; ) also they took away 10 kine , which were worth near 50l . in all they took from him to the value of 100l . for one years tithes . for which farm one william thorrell , who possessed it many years , paid 6l . yearly to the priest for the tithes thereof , as he himself told the said cole . cumberland . george bigland of carlisle , was fined 22l . by william briscoe , thomas craster , and cuthbert stedholm , for following the occupation of a weaver in the city , notwithstanding he had served 7 or 8 years in the parliaments service , yet nevertheless was committed to prison . hartfordshire . thomas prior of hitching , for setting up a coppy of the priests unrighteous declaration in the market-place , taken out of the exchequer , against a poor old man , george huckle , was by the priest had before brockett spencer , one of the justices , so called , who committed him to prison for setting up the said declaration , and for a colour said , it was for setting up a libel , which said thomas prior hath been a prisoner ten months , and so remains . hamp-shire . humphrey smith , was committed to the common goal at winchester , by john bunkley , called a justice , ( upon the false oath of a wicked man ) and hath been a prisoner ten months , and so remains . lincoln-shire . john seel of leverton , a poor labouring man , was upon the 18th of the 4th month committed to prison at the suit of edward greathead priest of that town ; by the tenor of the writ , his body was to be had before the barons of the exchequer within 15 dayes after the time called trinity , to answer the late protector , &c. but neither the persecutor nor tithes are named therein , yet the poor man hath suffered 29 weeks imprisonment , by the means of this priest . besides , summoned up to westminster , from all parts of the nation for tithes , 400 persons . the number of the persons herein mentioned , are about 1960 , who are but a part of those who have suffered for things of the like nature , within these 6 years ; many of them being sufficient and considerable men and women , have been cruelly whipped and their blood shed . oh! do not ye let the nation be covered with innocent blood , by such as profess the scriptures , who use people so barbarously , imprison , and persecute about church , religion , worship and ministry , which are out of christ and the apostles lives , who saved mens lives , and wrestled not with flesh and blood , but brought the creatures into the liberty of the sons of god . do you walk in their steps ? since the drawing up of this paper , some few of the friends within mentioned to be in prison , may have been released , and others imprisoned . wil griffes , for speaking to a priest in shrowsbury , was by the mayor of the town committed to prison , & hath been a prisoner 5 months , & so remains . richard sale of chester , for bearing his testimony for the lord against the wickedness of the people of that city , and for crying repentance , was by the command of the mayor put into a hole of a rock , called little-ease , the place being too strait for his body , he was thrust in by force of men which bruised him , insomuch that he spatt bloud ; after some time he fell sick , and his body much swelled , and he was heard to complain in the time of his weakness , of those bruises which he had in that cruel place of torment , called little-ease , the hole in the rock ; and after some time lying in pain , he died . also arnold trueblood died since in prison . if the truth hereof be questioned , many witnesses may be produced to confirm the same . an account of some grounds and reasons of the innocent sufferings of the people of god called qvakers , and why they testifie against the vain customs and practices of the world . friends . it may seem strange unto you , as it doth unto others , to hear that so many of our friends should be cast into prisons , there being few goales or houses of correction in england to which some of them have not been commited , & you partly know , how many of them are this day in bonds , and it is no less strange to us , that such frequent and heavy sufferings , for matters of conscience should come upon us and our brethren , who for the most part have been instruments with you and others , for casting off that yoke of oppression , which at the beginning of the late wars , lay upon the honest people of this land ; which made many fly into strange nations , and to seek habitations in the deserts ; but we wonder the more , that they should come from those we accounted our friends ( that so much have pretended the liberty of conscience ) and many of themselves practised the same things for which we now suffer . may we not ask what hath been done by our friends ? what lawes are these which they have broken ? whose persons , or possessions have they wronged ? what force or violence have they used to any man ? have you found them in plots , or guilty of sedition , or making resistance against authority ? have they not patiently born the greatest sufferings that any people of this nation ever lay under , since queen maries dayes , without murmuring , and discontents ? and when have they sought to revenge themselves , or troubled you or others , to be repaired for those many injuries and false imprisonments which they have endured ? how have they been counted as sheep for the slaughter , perfecuted , and despised , beaten , stoned , wounded , stocked , whipped , haled out of the synagogues , and cast into dungeons , and noysom vaults , where many of them have dyed in bonds , shut up from their friends , denyed needful sustenance for several dayes together , not suffered to have pen , ink , or paper ; and when they have layen there many moneths , and some of them years , denyed a legal tryal , continued from sessions to assizes , and from one assizes to another , and no eqnity to be found , from judge , or justice ? if it be answered to us they are common disturbers of ministers , they will not pay tythes , they will not swear , they will not put off their hats , they travel up and down from one country to another , without a magistrates passe , and on the first dayes to meetings at great distance , they will not pay fees , when they are brought into courts , nor plead in the formes there used , nor give security to keep the peace , or to be of the good behaviour , when the justices of the peace require it ; and we have lawes , or customes , that require these things should be done . it is forgotten what was one of the great causes of our late wars , the sufferings that then was imposed , and lay upon many for matters of conscience ; and was it not a chief pretence of our fighting , that we might enjoy the freedom of conscience , as well as outward rights , not onely in the inner man ( for that the bishops , or high commission court could not hinder ) but the free exercise in all acts of piety , and religion , of what the lord should make manifest unto us ? but whether this was then intended , or is now perverted , it is that which is our right , which we must claim , and no man may take from us ; for this we know , that christ jesus alone hath right to rule over the consciences of men , unto whom every one must give an account of himself , according to the just , perfect , and unchangeable law of god which is revealed , with that alone of god , which is made manifest in man , which he hath shewed unto him , by wch every one shal be judged at the last day , when the book of conscience shal be opened ; and therefore all unequal , imperfect & changeable laws of men we do deny , and by them , and for their transgression we shall not be judged of the lord ; and all lawes made in their wills , by their wisdoms in the things of god , which concerns religion , and the free exercise of a good conscience towards god and man , against them all we do bear witnesse , and knowing the commandments of the lord , and what he required of us , and having tasted his tender love , to those that keep them , and felt his terrors against all disobedience , we are made willing to bear the greatest sufferings , rather then sin against god ; and in this ground we stand not careful what man can do unto us , or say of us , nor to give him an answer in this matter ; for whether it is better to obey god , or man , let him judge . yet here to prevent mistakes , we do with the like clearnesse declare our free and willing subjection in the things of this world , to every ordinance of man that is just ( according to the righteous law of god ) and our work is not to weaken , but to strengthen the hand of the magistrate , by labouring to bring all to own that of god which should exercise their consciences ; to do in all things , as they would be done unto , in which is fulfilled the law and the prophets , which takes away the occasion it self of the law , and brings to live in peace and love , wherein should be the magistrates joy and glory . and do but look back to the crimes charged against us , and all the sufferings we lie under , and you may clearly see , that not for any evil done , or just law broken that concerns man , are we thus punished ; but for things which concernes our god , and chiefly for bearing our witnesse , as we are moved of the lord against the false prophets and hirelings of these dayes , who by their fruits are made manifest , not onely unto us , but to many thousands besides ; yea , the greatest part of all the sober people of the nation , their own hearers will confesse it ; and we see and know that they and all ministries and worships in the world , set up and standing in the will of man , shall perish and come to nothing , and the rise of these men , their growth and end , we comprehend , and see their downfall hasten greatly ; and all the powers of the earth shall not be able to support them , and with them shall fall their tithes , their temples , their gleab-lands , and offerings , their set dayes of worship in their wills , and all laws limiting the holy one , made to uphold their craft , and blessed are they , who through the day of tryal shall stand in their witness faithful unto god , not fearing what man can do unto them . do not you approve christ jesus his going into the temple ? and do not you own the apostles , who went into the jews synagogues every sabbath day , and into the market places to testifie of christ jesus , and reason with the people ? and do not you commend luther and calvin , john wicliffe , and others ( as famous for their zeal in publishing abroad what then was manifest unto them , ) and those persons which in q. maries dayes , went into the popish steeple-houses , to bear witnesse against their superstitions , which caused her to make a law against them , by which many of them then suffered , and by which the priests of england , till the last parliament were guarded , and is it now become an offence to practise the the same things ? and is that a just law made by the late parliament , by which many have suffered ? are not the priests sprung from the old root of episcopacy and it from the pope ? and are they not forced to fly thither for their vindication ? and is not the spirit the same , ( which makes these laws ) to support them ? how shall the kingdomes of the earth , the papists , turkes , infidels , heathens , be converted ? your priests sit down in their ease , and will not go ; they call themselves ministers of the reformed church ; and have not you taught other nations how to make lawes , to restrain the testimony of those whom the lord sends , and is sending into all the corners of the earth ? did the command of god which gave tithes to the jewish priesthood concern the gentiles ? was not the commandment to the jews themselves disannulled , when the priesthood was changed ? did ever any of the believing jews pay tithes to the apostles , or any of the gentiles either ? did not the papists bring in this doctrine , and oppression ; did not many of the martyrs in queen maryes dayes witness against tithes , and was not that an article , for which some of them suffered ? and do not you own and commend those martyrs , or do you judge them for holding an error ? hath not all or most of those countries that turned from the sope , and are called reformed , cast off tithes with the pope , and were ashamed of them ? and is it the glory of england , who pretends to the highest reformation to keep up tithes , ( the popish priests maintenance ) and first fruits , and tenths ( the wages of the very pope himself ) & to hale before courts , cast into prisons , and spoil the goods of all those who for conscience sake cannot pay them ? let that of god answer . and how many have , and at this day do suffer because they cannot swear , which christ jesus and his apostles above all things forbids ? how are the commands of christ made void by the customs and traditions of men ? were it not easy by turning the law against lyars and false witnesses ( which the law of god is against ) to find out that which your law against false swearing never did or could discover ? do you own christ jesus , of whom the jews that put him to death gave this witness , that he respected no mans person ? do you commend mordecai ? who could not give the outward honour and bow to haman ? and do you regard his words , whosaid , i know not how to give flattering titles to men , for my maker would soon take me away ? hath not god made of one mold , and one blood all nations to dwell upon the face of the earth ? and doth not he that respects persons commit sin , and is convinced of the law as a transgressor ? and must it now be an offence not to put off the hat , or give respect to the person of him that hath a gold ring , and fine apparel ? hath not all the earthly lordship , tyranny , and oppression sprung from this ground , by which creatures have been exalted , and set up one above another , trampling under foot , and despising the poor ? and is it not easy to see that power and authority without contempt may be preserved , the power honoured , obeyed and submitted unto , and the person respected ? hath not the great and heavy oppressions of the law been long felt and cryed out against , the long delayes in courts , & the great fees of officers , which causeth many to be excessively rich out of the ruines of the poor , which hath brought an odium upon the law it it self ? for to the poor , the remedy is frequently worse then the desease ; and while people are free to feed this deceipt , there is little hope to have it amended . and how full of lyes , deceipt , pretences , and needless circumstances are all your pleadings and proceedings , to the burthen of many mens consciences , and ruine of their estates ? and how vile and wic●●● are the greatest of lawyers , that will plead any thing for money , and by their subtilties do most commonly hide & cover the truth ? and when do the judges reprove it ? and how treacherous and deceitful are the solicitors and attorneys , that truth or honesty can scarce be found amongst them ? and how do those eat up the people as it were bread , and grow great and rich , by raising and increasing suites , troubles , strife and debates amongst their neighbours ? and we seeing these oppressions , are made to bear our witness against them , and cannot uphold them , and our testimony shall not be in vain . and how is the power given to justices and judges to bind to the peace and good behaviour ( being left to their discretion ) turned against the most peaceable , and best behaved persons amongst men , meerly because they cannot bow to their wills , and hold their tongues when the lord god requires them to speak ? do you commend christ jesus , his apostles and saints , who were sent to preach the gospel , and travelled from city to city , from nation to nation , from countrey to countrey , that the ends of the earth might hear the glad tidings of salvation ? and do you commend those they called puritans , for going many miles to worship the lord ? and do you now condemn those that practise the same thing ? would not your law against vagabonds have taken hold on christ and his ministers , and hindred their work ? by it have many honest and good people suffered most shameful whippings and imprisonments , who were travelling in their own countrey , about their outward and lawful occasions , that were of considerable estates and could not be counted , vagabonds ; and what use is made of this law , throughout the nation , you cannot but hear . are not these things like the sayings of those who said , had they lived in the dayes of the prophets , they would not have persecuted and put them to death ? and yet they crucified christ ; and so the cry at this day is against the jews for their cruelty , when themselves are found exercising the same things against his saints and members . long hath the beast reigned , who usurped power in these things , and the false prophets , who have over-spread the earth , & the great whore , who have made all nations drunk with their abhominations , and the wine of their fornications , with whom the kings of the earth have committed adultery , whom christ said should come , and before the apostles decease did come , who went cut from the apostles , and put on their cloathing , but inwardly were distroyers , ravening wolves , which the whole world went after , who turned against the saints , who kept to the spirit ( the life which they went from ) and made war with the saints till they overcame , and their power reached over the whole earth ; but now is the life risen , and is again made manifest which they went from , which gives to see before the apostacy was ; now is the lamb risen , and rising to make war with the great dragon , the beast and false prophets , and now shall the great whore be taken , and her flesh shall be burnt with fire , and the saints shall have the vict●●● therefore , let all kings , princes , rulers , & magi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be warned not to take part with the beast , nor to up●●●● 〈…〉 their power ) the false prophets , who have long de●●●ved the nations ; but in their place stand to keep the out 〈…〉 that none may offer violence and destroy another , ●●ich 〈◊〉 been the way of the beast & false prophets ( the 〈…〉 support of their kingdom ) but leave christ jesus in his saints to manage the war , whose warfare is not carnal , whose weapons are not carnal , yet are they mighty through god to the pulling down of the strong-holds , and overturning the foundation of satans kingdom , and they shall soon see what is truth , and what is errour , for great is the truth and will prevail ; they shall not need to cry out for want of ministers , or that christ jesus is not able to send forth labourers ; nor will those he sends forth trouble them for maintenance ; and here is the magistrates true place to keep peace amongst all men , to punish him that doth evil , and to encourage him that doth well , to rule the kingdoms of the earth in righteousness , that justice and equity may be exalted , that way may be made for the lord jesus christ , who is coming to reign , and to take the dominion to himself ; and we are witnesses in our measures of his coming , and of the working of his mighty power , by which he is able to subdue all things to himself ; and this is the testimony unto which we are called , and many thousands with us in the unity of the same spirit . and witnesses we stand against priests , tithes , temples , swearing , and all the carnal way of worship , set up and upholden by outward laws and powers , which would limit and restrain the spirit of the lord , which is grieved , and daily cryes out against these abhominations . witnesses we stand against parliaments , councels , judges , justices , who make or execute laws in their wills , over the consciences of men , or punish for conscience sake ; and to such laws , customes , courts , or arbitrary usurped dominion , we cannot yield our obedience . yet we do declare , as it is testified in all counties , cities , goals and prisons , to judges , justices and others , that as we preach christ jesus alone in the things of god to be our law ●●ver , so do we own him to be our king ( and own magist●●●● in things civil ) not resisting the evil , but following his example who was made perfect through suffering , and for his salvation we wait , till he alone shall plead our cause ; and therefore for conscience sake we have joyfully born , and do be●● so many and great sufferings , since the day we were convinced of the everlasting truth . these things we have declared , not to upbraid you with the injustice of others , nor to revile the government it self , nor as a complaint against our oppressors ; but that you may see the ground , and true cause of all our sufferings , and of the sufferings of the saints , in all ages , and generations , and in all nations of the world this day , and we leave it to that of god in you all , to weigh and consider , whether it be not time to reforme , both laws , courts , and officers . from your friends , who are lovers of peace and truth , who wait for the comming of the lord , to establish justice , and righteousnesse in the earth , whom he hath raised up , as witnesses of his appearing , and of the dawning of the mighty and dreadful day of god , in life , light and power , who are hated of men , and reproached under the name of quakers . and whereas there is a great cry up and down the nation , that the quakers meetings must be broken and suppressed , and that this present parliament intends to do it , and of this i have heard in divers parts of the nation . now to this i shall say and answer ; first , as i have observed the spirits of people concerning this cry , all the rude and ungodly people , as drunkards , and the prophanest of men , they glory apace at this newes , and rejoyce at this mightily , as if some great prize were befallen unto them ; and it makes them rude , and violent enough to the breaking of the peace in the nation ; but thus it is with but the worst sort of people in the nation , who are rejoyced with these tidings , that the quakers meetings must be broken ; but as for the honest people , such as be sober and sincere , thousands that had a hand in chusing this present parliament , never intended to send them up to london for such a work ; and the cry is by many of the sober people , if they go about such a thing , they will destroy themselves , undoe themselves , and leave their names a reproach ; why say the people ? ( we have a testimony before us ) hath it not been upon that rock of limiting tender consciences in former dayes , that hath broken many before these , which might be examples to these , not to do the same things ? and many sober people are offended at such newes , and it makes their hearts sad , whose conscience and the witnesse therein doth answer that we are the lords people , and it ought not thus to be done concerning us , as the newes reports ; so that by this newes of the intended purpose , to break the lords peoples meetings , the ungodly and prophane , are gratified , and strengthened in their wickednesse , and the righteous are made sad ; and further , as for us , we have been trodden down , and made a prey unto our enemies , and the gates of death and hell have stroven against us already , but have not prevailed unto this day ; for the lord is with us , and who is it that shall prevail against us , and i may say what is this that is reported to be done ? what shall dust and ashes do , and man whose breath is in his nostrils ? and who are they that shall break down that which the lord hath a purpose to build ? who shall be able to prosper in going about it ? or what success shall god give to that work ? i tell you nay , it is the lord that hath raised us up , and we have given our power to him , to stand by him , and to be protected , defended and upheld by him alone , and we cannot give our power to any mortal men , to seek that from them which is not in their hands to give ; the power of the lord god is over you , he that is our keeper and preserver , in whose hands is your breath , to destroy it utterly , if you do that which doth offend him ; for you shall know that we are the lords people , by whom we shall stand and grow in dominion and authority in his life , and the dread of the lord shall be upon our enemies , though they one gratifie another , with intention of evil against us ; yet the lord stoppeth the purpose of his enemies , and turnes it backwards upon their own heads ; and this i say from the lord , if such a thing be in your hearts , conceiving to be brought forth by you , it is a birth that will devour you , ere ever it spring out of your bowels , it will be too heavy a burthen , and you shall never have strength to deliver it ; this is the word of the lord to you , it shall be a rock to overthrow you , and it will be a snare to catch you , and if any such thing proceed from you , it will break you , and your own wickednesse will destroy you . alas ! do not you see evidently the hand of the lord fight for us ? yea , we have evident testimony of his presence , that he is and will be with us unto the end , and if any wil be blind , let them be blind , for these tidings do not trouble us , neither are we thereby moved , no not to beg of any man the contrary , for we cannot give our power unto you , nor come under the power of this world , no not to beg of you , contrary to a good conscience , that you should forbear the fulfilling your intents ; but this it is in the name and power of the lord , though he requires nothing of you to exalt his kingdom by your power , nor to prescribe him a way , how he must be worshipped , yet he requires that you should do nothing against him , nor his people , by limiting the spirit of the lord ; and i say the saints of the most high can not give their power to you , to stand or fall thereby , nor to go by the authority thereof , to exalt the kingdom of god thereby ; they can beg no such thing , nor desire it of you , for it is not in your hands to give his work of salvation unto the nations ; you cannot give nor lay one stone in the building of his blessed temple , but he alone will do it , and not by the arm of flesh ; yet doth he require , that you should do nothing against him , nor abuse your power , but and if you do , he will reward you according to your deeds , and this you will find and feel in the day of god , when he brings vengeance , and judgement upon you , and when he sets his kingdom over you all , and that comes to reign over the nations , which now is a sufferer . and when i first heard the newes sent abroad in the nation , of such intentions , to break the quakers meetings , many considerations passed through me , will these go said i in the same way , that many have been destroyed in before them ? will these run upon the same rock ? will these take in hand to limit god , and to set him a way ? and shall all these sufferings of the lords people for these many years be finished by these , that all the unjust dealings , and oppressions of the saints , may be upon them ? is there no wise man among them , nor none that feareth the lord , that he may be preserved from destruction ? and is this their begining in parliament , to destroy gods heritage ? the lord , nor the people of this nation that fear god , have not intrusted them therein ; but if it be so , said i in my heart , if this wickedness be intended , and if they do so greatly abuse their power , they shall leave their names as a reproach to after ages , and their memories shall rot , and their wickedness shall lie upon them for evermore ; but i considered that we having given our power to the lord , from him we have found to this day , and do alwayes seek defence , and to be carried on , and by him we stand , and to him we fall ; & not to mortal men , who are as clay in the hand of the potter ; wherefore let the wise in heart consider these things , and lay them to mind ; for if they shall proceed to that wickedness , the nations , shall they never settle in peace , nor shall their rulers , receive a blessing , but they shall be a curse unto themselves , & to all under their authority ; and this is a testimony to all sober people , shewing unto them all , where our confidence is , and in what it remaines ; and nevertheless if the heart of the wicked be strengthened against us , and their hands made strong to deal violently , yet shall the righteous rejoyce , and be exceeding glad ; for the day of redemption and everlasting peace is come unto his people , that do and have waited for him , and all under him shall bow and bend , and he will make his peoples cup overflow , and spread their table , even in the fight of their enemies , and they shall fear , and the terror of the lord shall lie upon them , and when they have executed their violence , then shall the lord deal violently with them . e. b. a cry of great judgement and vengeance upon the wicked , near to be executed , as it was received from the lord into his servant . on the eighteenth day of the first month , as i was travelling in warwick-shire , my meditations being upon the lord , and upon the cause of his people in this nation ; and how unjust and unrighteous their woful sufferings have been executed upon them within these few years ; even when i was pondering of these things , in the deep consideration thereof , it came upon me from the lord , and the cry went through me , the lord will be avenged , the lord will be avenged upon his enemies , and he will avenge the cause of his people ; and this cry stuck close upon me for some hours , that the lord would surely execute his judgments upon the oppressors of his heritage , who have spoiled and troden it down , and sought to destroy it ; and i considered and took into full view in my spirit , how grievous , how sad , and how unjust the sufferings of gods people have been within these few years , and my heart was even broken therewith , and my spirit even melted ; and it came upon me from the lord , saying , write unto the rulers , and yet once more warn them of that recompence , and of that indignation which is at hand upon them ; even a just recompence for all their deeds ; and as they have done , even so shall it be done to them ; as they have sought to destroy the generation of the righteous , even so shall they be destroyed from off the face of the earth ; and as they hav● unjustly judged and condemned the innocent , so shall they be condemned and justly judged of the lord ; and as they have cast the bodies of the poor lamb● of christ into prison , and been a snare upon them , even so shall they be insnared , and into captivity shall they go ; and as they have caused the goods and possessions of the innocent to be spoiled and made a prey , even so in like manner shall the curse of the lord spoil their substance ; and as they have done , so shall it be done unto them ; and as they have mete to others , so shall it be mete to them again . and i saw a great misery and desolation nigh at hand , even the sword of the lord , and it should slay them ; and i beheld it was made ready for the slaughter : and in the sense of these things a sadness fell upon my spirit , considering the desolation and the judgment that is at hand , to be executed upon the cruel oppessors . wherefore all ye rulers , and all ye that have troden down the heritage of god , and ye that have disregarded those many warnings that ye have had ; i say unto you all , in the power of the lord god , in his dominion , and by his spirit , this is once more a warning to you from the lord , & that these things must surely come to pass , and be fulfilled in their season , and no man shall be able to deliver his brother ; but every man shall bear his own burthen , and drink his own cup prepared for him ; and though it hath been counted a light thing amongst you , and you have dispised the reproof , and gone on without fear , yet in as much as the lord hath spared you , and not speedily executed judgment upon you , but rather waited for your return ; yet the dealing of the lord towards you in sparing of you , you have not accepted , and therefore shall his judgments be the greater upon you . for if you do now come to the witness in your own consciences , what evil hath this people done ? whose ox have they taken , or what have they desired of you ? or what have they sought from you ? or wherein have they been a burthen to you , saving that they have reproved you for your iniquities , and desired your repentance ? would you but now at last come to consider this , and confess the truth in your consciences , will not that tell you , that they have suffered patiently all things that you have cruelly imposed upon them ? and have not they walked peaceably towards you , & humbly , meekly & justly among their neighbours ? and have they not been meek & innocent even as lambs , and as the sheep before the sbearers ? and have they wrought offences towards any ? have they sought the overthrow of the government , or have they sought vengeance against their enemies ? or what injury have they done to any mans person , or estate , saving to satan and his kingdom ? have they not sought to reform , and reclaim the ungodly from their wayes ? and have they not pittied and prayed for their enemies ? and have they not in all things walked in good conscience towards the lord , and towards all men ? yea , my friends , in the day of the lord , when the witness in your consciences shall not be limitted , but shall speak plainly , and when the impartial judge shall appear upon his throne , then shall you acknowledge these things . wherefore i say unto you , receive the judgment of the lord to purifie you , otherwise the judgment shall destroy you ; and now come to be more wise , that some of you may be as a brand pluckt out of the fire , and be reserved from being consumed ; for the visitation of the lord is near an end , when his loving kindness will be shut from you , and his long suffering turned into fury ; and he will make you know that we are his people with whom you have thus dealt , yea , you shall suddenly know it , the time is not long till he will crown his people in the sight of his enemies ; he will crown them with praise and with righteousness , with honour and majesty , and he will keep them in safety , even when sorrow compasses you about ; his mercy and loving kindness shall extend towards them , even when his wrath and judgements doth smite you , and confound you . o what shall i say unto you ! for the deep sence thereof remains upon my heart ; for when i consider how that in all ages the lord did avenge his peoples cause , & when the time of their suffering was expired , he brake the bonds of iniquity , and set them free ; thus did he with his people israel of old , and many times it was his way with his people to bring them low by suffering , and then to raise them up again in glory ; and he suffered their enemies for a season to glory over them , that he might bring them down ; and thus he did in england in the case between the bishops and their crew of persecutors , and the poor people at that day called puritans : did not he confound that persecuting crew , and deliver his people ? and is not he the same to effect the same work at this very day ? yea doubtless , and much more will he do it , in as much as the manifestation of truth is more clear then it was in their dayes , and in as much as the rulers and people of this nation have rejected a more clear testimony , then either the papists in queen maries dayes , or the bishops and prelates in their dayes ; even so much the more will the lord god execute his vengeance with more violence , in a more manifest way , and all shall know , that it is he that doth it , and he will set his people free ; for he hath regarded their suffering , and he hath said it is enough ; for he hath tried them , and found them faithful ; and all this hath been suffered to prove them , and not to destroy them ; and like as he hath preserved them in patience , and peace through it all , even so will he give them hearts to walk answerably to their deliverance ; and as they have abounded in patience in their sufferings , so shall they abound in praises everlasting in the day of their freedom ; and the earth shall be glad , and shall yield the increase and blessing ; the heaven and the earth shall rejoice , and the heart of the righteous shall leap for joy , when the lord hath broken the yoke of the oppressed , and set his people free , inwardly and outwardly , and then shall they sing unto the lord over all their enemies who shall be tormented and vexed in the lords sore displeasure , for their reward cometh , and their recompence shall be even as their work , and he will give unto them sorrow and anguish , in stead of rejoycing . but again , when i considered the long suffering , and patience , and forbearance of the lords innocent people under all their sufferings ; and when i looked at their innocency , and at their righteousness , and spirit of holiness with which the lord hath blessed them , my heart was made glad in the consideration of this ; and the more was my joy , the more that i beheld their innocency , and the guiltlesness of their cause , whereby the unjustness of their suffering did the more appear ; and withal when i looked and beheld their increase under all their sufferings , and how that the lord had turned all these things to their good , and to the overthrow of all their enemies ; how that , by that way , wherein their enemies intended to destroy them from being a people ; even thereby did the lord most wonderfully increase them to be a great people ; for through all have they grown in life and power , in strength and in number , and through it all have they been incouraged to follow the lord with more zeal and boldness ; and in the consideration of this i did rejoyce , with magnifying the lord for ever , that he had brought forth his praise even through the wickedness of the wicked , and he had increased his people , and exalted them through the cruelty of all their enemies ; and that through all opposition they were attained to a happy rest , and through all the tempests of great trials , they were arrived into the harbour of renown and great glory ; and when i considered this , how that the lord had given them dominion , and brought their life to reign over all their enemies , these things were a joy unto me ; and looking back into ages , seeing there was nothing , nor any people for generations , that had grown , and risen through all opposition like unto these ; wherefore it is a sign and a testimony that we are the lords , and that these things are of him , and from him , and by him alone , that he might be praised for ever . again , when i do consider , how that the lord hath raised this people , even out of the dust ; and them that were not a people , are become a people ; and the lord hath provoked nations , by them that were not a people within these few years ; and the lord hath carried on this work amongst his people , not by any thing of man , nor by the arm of flesh , but in pure innocency and simplicity hath it been accomplished ; not by the wisdom of this world , nor by men in places of honour , and of power in the nations ; for all that has been wanting to them ; and what they are , it is through the opposition of all this ; for they have had none of the great men of the earth on their side to defend them and establish them , but all hath been against them ; and even oppression and tyranny executed upon them , rather then any approbation , or justification from men in outward authority ; so that truly it may be said , that there hath been nothing of man in this work , but all of the lord by his own power ; and in a contrary way to all the false sects and false churches , hath the beginning and carrying on of these things been ; for we know that all the false sects in this nation hath risen & been established through the countenance of men in place and power ; and upon man and the wisdom of this world , and authority of the powers of the earth , hath the rise and fall of all false churches depended ; and as the powers of the earth hath sided with them , so have they been set up , and at the displeasure of authority , have been cast down . but as for this people , they are raised of the lord , and established by him , even contrary to all men ; and they have given their power only to god , and they cannot give their power to any mortal men to stand or fall by any outward authority , and to that they cannot seek , but to the lord alone , who heareth their cry , and will avenge their cause . wherefore let all the persecutors bow before the lord , and let all the saints walk humbly in his sight ; and let them continue in that innocent life in which they have begun ; and let them never forget the mercies of the lord , and what he hath brought to pass , who hath manifested great things , and will do more and more to the confounding of all his enemies , and to the praise of his elect people . and all ye saints upon the earth , have ye the lord in respect continually , and turn you not unto idols , but let the lord be your joy for evermore . e. b. friends , who are called a parliament of these nations , we in love to our brethren that doth lye in prisons , and houses of correction , and dungeons , and many hath in fetters and irons , and have been cruelly beat by the cruel goalors , and many have been persecuted to death , and have dyed in prison , and many lyeth sick and weak in prison , and in straw : so we in love to our brethren do offer up our bodies and selves to you , for to put us as lambs into the same dungeons , and houses of correction , and their straw , and nasty holes and prisons , and do stand ready a sacrifice for to go into their places , in love to our brethren , that they may go forth , and that they may not dye in prison , as many of the brethren is dead already ; for we cannot but lay down our lives for our brethren , and to take their sufferings upon us that you would inflict upon them ; and if our brethren suffer , we cannot but feel it ; and christ saith , it is he that suffereth , and was not visited . this is our love towards god and christ , and our brethren , that we owe to them and our enemies , who are lovers of all your souls and your eternal good . and if you will receive our bodies , which we freely tender to you for our friends that are now in prison , for speaking the truth in several places , for not paying tythes , for meeting together in the fear of god , for not swearing , for wearing their hats , for being accounted as vagrants , for visiting friends , and for things of the like nature , according to a paper intituled , a declaration to the parliament , &c. delivered the sixth day of the second month called april , 1659. to the then speaker of the said house . we whose names are hereunto subscribed ( being a sufficient number to answer for the present sufferers ) waiting in westminster-hall for an answer from you to us , to answer our tenders , and to manifest our love to our friends , and to stop the wrath and judgement from coming upon our enemies . tho. raulinson tho. curtis john crook thomas davenport john foster . thomas reese tho. hackelton william garrold john scanfield rich. crane will. travers john chandler richard simpson tho. kent william brown edward shaller william mullins humphrey bache john barnard william styles simon robinson robert moor william woodcock george rawlins alexander allens cuthbert harle ralph johns joseph jones john gayon john tyso george bewley james beech rich. burd william archpool william bett edward giles john radley william hownell steven crisp edmund cross james allen william shewen john boulton tho. norris daniel baker edwin harrison richard quicke john freeborn john love tho. moor ric. bax john stedman william persehowse richard glipsham nich. bond benjamin turly john pennyman rowland elrudge thomas coveney alexander parker john anderdon john baddeley john newton john yardley rice jones richard greeneway robert hasle john hope francis collins thomas bradly roger game henry godman james smither richard lewes nathaniel gerrard edward brook arthur stanbridge john blackfan ninion brockett richard newman nicho. rickman henry woolger william gering john barber james grynier robert sooley peter gosse thomas taxe rowley titchborn henry abbat john carter john fielder stephen wix thomas blatt benjamin matthew james fenner john stavelin robert mildred steven hubbard ioseph busthell thomas burchett christopher white iohn lee iohn beckett thomas braborne robert wade philip williamson richard deane iohn steevens gobert sikes george lamboll robert stedman thomas stedman richard hindmarch iames tenning thomas lawrance iohn schoren william spary iohn wolrich robert engram edward southwood iohn furly jun. iustinian holyman samuel vause henry cook henry ayres richard tydder iohn lawrance william iohnson ioseph lancley william dike george robinson robert newman iohn starkey edward bland thomas dowen thomas shortland amor stoddart iohn price iohn hollis edw. byllynge william plumley richard cockbill richard iopson benjamin peirson ionah smith richard davis iohn hawkes mannaseth casketer iohn disborow edward owers william penington william marnar richard hacher iacob carr william harrwood iohn allington thomas passenger thomas seaman william hamshere iames smith calib woods humphry kierbe maximilian cokarel . if we had been of esaus stock , we should have fainted before now ; and if we had been of cains stock , we should have built up his citie , and should have had fought with his weapons ; which was not , nor is the way of the just , and the elect ; of which we are , before the world began . errors . page 7. line 13. blot out and , the same page line 38. for seventeen , read eleven , page 12. l. 36. for edward , read richard , the last line of the same page , for shrewsbury , read bas-church , page 27. l. 37. add not. the end . a sermon against persecution preached march 26, 1682, being the 4th sunday in lent (on gal. 4:29, part of the epistle for that day) and the time when the brief for the persecuted protestants in france was read in the parish church of shapwicke ... / by sa. bolde ... bold, s. (samuel), 1649-1737. 1682 approx. 100 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 21 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a28594 wing b3488 estc r19364 12258531 ocm 12258531 57668 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a28594) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 57668) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 171:9) a sermon against persecution preached march 26, 1682, being the 4th sunday in lent (on gal. 4:29, part of the epistle for that day) and the time when the brief for the persecuted protestants in france was read in the parish church of shapwicke ... / by sa. bolde ... bold, s. (samuel), 1649-1737. [5], 36 p. published by richard janeway, london : 1682. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and 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in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -n.t. -galatians iv, 29 -sermons. freedom of religion -great britain -sermons. persecution -sermons. sermons, english. 2006-06 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-06 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-06 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2007-06 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a sermon against persecution . preached march 26. 1682. being the 4 th . sunday in lent ( on gal. 4. 29. part of the epistle for that day ) and the time when the brief for the persecuted protestants in france was read in the parish church of shapwicke . and now published to the consideration of violent and headstrong men , as well as to put a stop to false reports . by sa. bolde , vicar of shapwicke in dorcetshire . london , printed 1682 , and published by richard janeway . to the reader . reader , it hath bin my constant course for some months , to preach every sunday either on the whole epistle for the day , or some part of it . and finding i was commanded in the brief for the persecuted protestants in france , ( which was brought me in the week before the 4th . sunday in lent ) to publish it the next sunday ; i found there was no need to alter my wonted course , in order to my pitching on a subject which might suit with that occasion . the famous dr. patrick in his epistle dedicatory before his sermon preached before the lord major , &c. the 21st . sunday after trinity 1680. ascribes his being directed to the subject he then preached on , not so much to his own prudence , as a kind of divine providence ; because having observed this same course that year , he did not on that occasion go out of his way to meet with a sitting argument . whether people will put the same construction on this discourse or not , i neither know nor care . but i think i may truly say , i have discoursed on this text , with a freedom which becomes a christian , and particularly a true son of the church of england . it may he some who pretend to the church , will take exception at this sermon , for there are some so shallow , and of so short discourse , they cannot understand how a man can except against their violent proceedings against some dissenters , and yet he himself a thorough conformist . indeed it is not of any moment what such may either say or think , but yet to give them some satisfaction , if they ever happen to be favoured with any sober and lucid intervals , i will amongst the many instances i might mention for this end , offer these few to their consideration . 1. i could never yet understand that conformity did oblige any man to lay aside all bowels of compassion . nay i am sure , to convince and satisfy men with reason , and by humility , gentleness , and meekness is most christian , and tends most to the honour of particular persons , and whole churches . how much of fierceness and violence there is in any party , especially if countenanced by the principles of that perswasion , so much there is of some infernal and devilish mixture in it . 2. those who do generally decry and prosecute dissenters with greatest passion and virulence , are greatest strangers unto them . they usually know no more of them , than they learn from some false and scandalous observator or other . 3. they are commonly ignorant of the state of the controversy betwixt us , and the dissenters . the true reason , why judicious and thinking conformists do use those particular ceremonies which are enjoyned , is because they are satisfied they come under the general rule given by the apostle , viz. that all things be done decently and in order . and the reason why they observe no other rites and ceremonies , ( whil'st it must be acknowledged there are others every whit as orderly and decently in themselves as these ) is because , these alone are enjoyned by an authority , they are perswaded , has power to interpose in these things . and now if others do not break the general rule given by the apostle , but apprehend that a freedom from impositions in these things , is one part of the liberty they are commanded to stand fast in , why should we quarrel with , and prosecute them ? especially whil'st they acknowledg that it pertains to authority to take notice of them who are indecent , and disorderly in their worship . is it not enough that we may act according to our own more minute perswasion , and have the countenance and incour agement of those in power , but we must ruine and oppress them who will not truckle to our fancies ? 4. i have had the opportunity to be acquainted both with conformists , and nonconformists . and as i acknowledg i have great cause to bless god for the worthy labors , and exemplary lives of very many in the church of england , so i ought to give others their due . and this i must say , that those of the dissenters whom i have bin acquainted with , have bin men of great learning , exemplary piety , strict devotion , and extraordinary loyalty . men who have bin diligent attenders on god in his publick ordinances , eminently religious in their families , who have had a great regard to conscience in all the parts of their conversation with men. they have neither bin haunters of taverns , nor obscene and loose in their discourse , nor have they bin guilty of sitting days and nights at cards and dice . indeed they have bin persons that could not be justly blamed for any thing , but that they had straighter notions concerning humane impositions in the service of god , than we conformists have . and a very learned gentleman had upon consideration given a very just and good reason of this . he expresseth himself in these words . i think this their scrupulosity may be of god , and that some men are by him framed to it , that he hath provided it as a bar and obstacle in the natures and complexions of some devout men , against any innovations whatsoever , that dangerous ones may not steal upon the church , for the better maintaining the simplicity and purity of christian religion and worship . if after all this , any remain unsatisfied , they may seek satisfaction where they please 〈…〉 . sa. bolde . a sermon against persecution , &c. galatians 4. verse 29. but as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit , even so it is now . there were some even in the apostles days , who laboured what they could to hinder the progress of the gospel , by preaching up the necessity of the jewish law. these having insinuated themselves into the churches of galatia , had infected many of those christians , with their poysonous and false doctrines : for though they did not openly declare themselves enemies to the gospel , yet they did supplant it as to its power and efficacy , by alledging its insufficiency alone , and the necessity of their being circumcised , and embracing those old rules god had anciently inforced under the former dispensation . they knew if they could leaven and corrupt them with these principles , they did at first so speciously display , it would not be long before they should entirely undermine that foundation the apostles had laid amongst them . for however innocent their pretences might seem at first , it is clearest paul perceived the consequence would be dangerous . christ will not profit you at all , gal. 5. 2. for this cause it is he doth labour with them so earnestly , and useth such variety of arguments to secure them from giving place any further , to those false and pernicious teachers , and to convince them of their errour and fault , in giving way unto them at all . amongst other arguments he urgeth the different state men are in when under the gospel , from that they were in when under the law : and that the law was primarily designed only to prepare and fit men for the gospel , but not to continue in the same place and power after , as before ; no more than he that being arrived to ripe and full years , is bound to continue under their tutorage , who had the care of him in his minority , gal. 4. 1. he afterwards proceeds to argue with them from the nature of that law they are so desirous to be under , v. 21. and then explains himself by a similitude of abraham's two sons ; shewing there is as great a difference between those who are under a gospel state , and them that are under the law , as between that son which was his natural child , and that which was conferred on him by the special promise and powerful interposition of god's particular blessing . and thus he takes occasion to reflect on the great alteration that was wrought amongst them , since they did histen to , and entertain these false and deceiving apostles . and does , as it were , tell them , it was no wonder they should thus vary , and that they should now approve ways of severity towards christ's apostles and followers , seeing they did receive and adhere to them , that were directly contrary to christ's ministers and servants . compare gal. 4. 14 , 15. whith this 29. v. it is no more than what hath fallen out in all ages of the world. the servants of sathan and enemies of true godlyness , have always bin for persecuting the faithful and obedient children of god. and it seems by this epistle , to be the especial and peculiar character of them that are irreligiously and immoderately hot and zealous about ceremonies , to be the greatest persecutors of those who are most pious and conscientious . look through all the scriptures , nay look through all the ages of the church , you shall generally find that those who were most for the persecution of others on the account of some indifferences relating to religion , were very wicked superstitious men : men that were inordinately zealous for , and fond of some outward ceremonies . now if a fondness for any ceremonies would maintain and justify mens persecution of others , who cannot approve their fopperies , one would think these teachers who were crept in amonst the galathians should be excused , because they prest only those things that had formerly bin of divine appointment . for , he that came to take away the insupportable yoke of jewish ceremonies , certainly did never intend to gall the necks of his disciples with another instead of it . but here we see how dangerous it is to give our selves too great a liberty in admiring any bare external and accidental appendage to religion . sathan doth suddenly strike in on such occasions , and doth so powerfully affect mens minds with some strange apprehensions , of the beauty , excellency , usefulness , and necessity of these things , they are quite taken off from minding the inward part and soul of religion . and by this means they come to lay out all their zeal about these trifling and worthless parts , they even starve their own souls , by a constant feasting on these meer husks , and do what they can to destroy others souls , at least their bodies , by persecuting them , if they will not conceive and believe as well of these things , as they do . it is a very shrewd sign , and token that a man is a wicked unregenerate man if he be of a fierce and persecuting temper ; if he be prone to endeavour to ruine and trouble , or further the vexation and disturbance of serious pious people , only because they cannot be as ceremonious as he is . he that was born after the flesh , &c. the words do immediately relate to the sons of abraham , ismael is he that was born after the flesh , viz. in a meer natural ordinary way . now , as he did persecute , and mock , and deride , and insult over isaack , who was born after the spirit , viz. who was the son of the promise , and in order to whose birth , there was the exerting a divine power in the accomplishing of that promise which was made to abraham , when both he and sarah were past hopes , and naturally uncapable of having children , so it is now , viz. even so , those in these days , who are of the seed of abraham , that pretend they have him for their father , and are outwardly jews , or that pretend themselves so out of servile compliance , do persecute them that are born after the spirit ; that is , those who are the children of the promise , the seed of abraham , truly so called in a religious sence , who succeed him in his faith. the jews did very much boast of , and lay an extraordinary stress on their being the seed of abraham ; they placed most of their religion on this , and thought it a sufficient plea for themselves on all occasions , and an effectual security from those judgments that were sometimes threatned against them ; and therefore we find the holy men in scripture often labouring to convince them what a sandy foundation they did build upon , mat. 3. 9. john 8. 39. rom. 4. 12 , 13 , 14. it is indeed a great mercy to be born of pious and religious parents ; those parents that have a great familiarity and interest with god , have usually a great treasury and portion of blessings laid up with god for their posterity . exod. 20. 6. but people may lay too great a stress on this outward priviledge . and if children do not labour to walk in the steps of religious and gracious parents , but depend wholly on their predecessors holyness , they will be fearfully mistaken at last . he that was born after the flesh , &c. he that is a loose , wicked , unregenerate , carnal person , is for persecuting and undoing him that is born after the spirit , him that is serious , holy , strict , and conscientious ; thus it has bin , and thus it is . i will sum up all into this proposition . wicked , unregenerate men , always have bin , and still are for persecuting holy , religious , spiritual men. look through all the books both of old and new testament , nay look through all history , and you will still find , where ever you meet with persecution , that it was carried on by the devil's agents , by wicked , lewd men , against holy and righteous men. observe the characters every where of informers and persecutors , and see if they have not bin branded with some notorious and hateful wickedness . indeed men can scarce arrive to such a height of wickedness , as this is , till they have by the habitual exercise of other crimes , feared their consciences , and are become so insensible , that all the commendable notions and sentiments that do usually accompany mankind , are lost and eradicated out of their brests . consider these few instances of persecutors as they now occur , and then see whether all others be not of the same complexion . what an obdurate caitiff and villain was cain that slew his own brother , because more holy , and consequently better accepted with god than he was ? what a vile character is ismael all along represented under to us ? were not they drunkards that were against david , and made songs of him ? what were the false prophets that set themselves against micaiah ? were they not such as did prophecy lies ? who were those that were for the burning of the three children ? and for the casting of daniel into the lions den ? were they not all flattering and abominable idolaters ? what was judas that betrayed christ , that informed the high priests and scribes against his master the son of god ? was he not a covetous mercenary son of perdition ? what were those that swore , and gave evidence against christ ? were they not a couple of perjured miscreants ? and if you search and inquire , you will find all informers against , and persecutors of the just and holy to be of the same stamp . are not the informers and persecutors of our days like unto those that were before them ? is it not evident to all that they are notorious for perjury , falsness , drunkenness , whoredom , prophane and common swearing ? are there any more regardless of the lord's day , more irreligious and obscene in their discourse , more vile . contemptible and base in the eye and opinion of every honest , pious , good , or sober person ? are there any so unjust , so false , so exorbitantly vicious , lewd , and debauch'd as they ? now christ and religion do not allow of persecutions , of troubling and vexing , of ruining and undoing of any men for little indifferences much less for truth and holyness . they are for advancing and propagating holyness and peace , and love , and condescention . is . 42. 2 , 3. christ came not to destroy but to save mens lives ; and sharply rebukes his disciples when they would have call'd for fire from heaven to destroy the samaritans : it is a sure token men are enemies to christ and religion , when they are of a persecuting spirit . it hath always bin the great character and glory of the christian religion , that where ever it came , it did promote and further quietness and peace , and love , and brotherly kindness ; and did banish wrath and fury , and malice , and every hateful and hurtful disposition and inclination . it was always thus , till popery got some power in the world , and then more barbarous villanies , and outragious cruelties were perpetrated under this name , than were known to the world before . and if it be carefully observed , you shall find that in all ages , those who have bin most for cruel methods against them that differ from them , have had most of the spirit of popery in them ; and it is deplorably apparent that now in our days , they who appear most vigorous and active in prosecuting those protestants who differ from others in some accidental matters , have a great affection for popery , and are hastening towards rome as fast as they can . that the following part of my discourse may be as plain and easy to you as possible , i will reduce what i design to say on this subject , to these following heads . 1. i will tell you what persecution is . 2. name more particularly the characters of them that are persecutors . 3. shew you whence it is that wicked men are so violently set against the godly . 4. i will make some brief application of the whole . i am first of all to tell you what persecution is . and it is an endeavouring to trouble , molest , disturb , kill , or any way hurt and injure another person on some religious account . every prosecution of a person , is not properly persecution , but only when it is grounded on some religious affair . a man may be guilty of sin in prosecuting another upon civil accounts , but this sin comes under another denomination , as oppression , injustice , unpeacable brangling , &c. now persecution is much what the same in religion , that oppression is in civils . when men will not suffer others to enjoy that liberty , and those rights in religion , which either nature or revelation do allow them ; but will be severe against them , if in every accidental matter , they will not be just of their mind . when men do hale others to tribunals , and procure them either to be punished in their bodies , or in their estates ; or to be deprived of their lives , or civil liberties , because they either perform some duty god has expresly commanded , in a way they do not approve , or because they will not consent to , embrace , and comply with those determinations they have just reason to believe are sinful . whilst men are not openly wicked , but tho not free from common infirmities , which do unavoidably accompany humane nature in this frail estate , yet free from gross and scandalous sins , whilst they deny not any doctrine of christianity , nor divulge any tenet to the prejudice of christianity , nor do any way endeavour to disturb the peace of the government under which they live ; they have a right to a peacable and quiet residence , and ought to be free from any molestation , tho they cannot in every accidental thing attain to the same latitude with others . whoever goes about to disturb and injure , or contract on such as these , fines , or other punishments , because they cannot receive and comply with those super numerary conceits some do too much please themselves with , and press with too much warmth on others , are too lyable to this heavy charge of persecution . and if we only consider what it is they are so concerned for , we may see too much reason , to conclude they have no great portion of commendable properties . wherefore i will now proceed to the second point , which is to account to you some of their characters more particularly , or to shew you what kind of people persecutors generally are . they are commonly observed to be the worst , the most brutish , and degenerate part of mankind . consult others , read histories , or consider what you may learn from your own observation ; you will find them to come generally under some very scandalous , and offensive characters . they are usually taken to be the very pest of society . it is almost as dangerous to live amongst them , as amongst the wild and savage beasts of the desert . they are a sort of tygers and lions , the most ravenous beasts of prey with humane visages . were the pythagorian notion of the transmigration of souls received , the whole world would then conclude them nothing but humane carcases acted with wolvish breath . more particularly they have some or all of these characters and qualities attending them . 1. they are men of a very superstitious , blind and ignorant zeal . and there is no one thing that makes men more formidable and troublesom , than undue and mistaken zeal . it is like fire when it meets with gunpowder and other combustible matter . it devours all before it , and its flames become unquenchable . superstitious bigots place religion in things , that are at best but bare humane inventions , many times , pure diabolical suggestions ; and then sathan to ingulfe them further , doth so excite and irritate them , they contend and strive for these things as if heaven , soul , and eternity were all at stake ; hence it is , they represent all that are not of their way and mind , as the greatest criminals and malefactors . no sooner do men place religion where god placeth none , but sathan obtains a great power and influence over them , and at last hurries them headlong into strange and wild extravagancies in the defence , and for the propagation of those points . these are usually the most fierce and barbarous of all other people . for it is usually observed that superstitious men are very fearful , and that the greatest cowards are most revengful and cruel , if they can obtain an advantage . paul's blind zeal made him a persecutor : he did it ignorantly . and our saviour tells us of some that would kill and murder men , and flatter themselves with a perswasion that they were therein doing god and religion good service . 2. they are men of insufferable pride and malice , there is an absolute necessity , that some degree of that popish conceit of infallibility should prevail in all that are persecutors , to reconcile themselves to their own practices ; for who can be so absurd and foolish , as to endeavour to ruine others , because they will not believe or practise what they themselves do acknowledg , they are not so certain concerning , but that it is possible they may be in an errour and mistake ? those who are persecutors do expect all should yield to them , and take them for oracles , and if they be not thus received , they think the affront is too great to be endured , and therefore must be revenged . malice and revenge hath generally a very great influence on all persecutions . your persecutors are usually people , of a haughty , curst , and poisonous nature , they love to be doing evil : their delight is to hurt and offend them , with whom god is pleased . they are canker'd and ill natured , and never pleased but when they have an opportunity to intrap , and make the innocent fall . they cannot bear contradiction . zedekiah was so impatient of contradiction , he no sooner hears micaiah bring a different messsage from his , and discover how a lying spirit was in the mouths of the other prophets , but he falls upon micaiah , and buffets him . 3. they are men of desperate and broken fortunes , or else great worshippers of mammon . they do commonly take up informing , and swearing , and persecuting as a trade to live by . they scarce know how to subsist but by preying on the wealth , and estates and goods , of those honest , sober , religious people they do inform and swear against . men that are so lazy they cannot work , so luxurious they have not where withal to maintain their lusts , and of so ill and blasted a fame and reputation , none dares trust them . these are indeed a fit sort of people to persecute the righteous : they cannot live unless some or other fall by their means . there are two sorts of most abominable and wicked ways , men have found out to maintain themselves , and feed their lusts by : the one is robbing on the high-way , and the other is informing against , and persecuting the righteous . now those that apply to the latter way , are the most infamous of the two ; for as they are wicked enough , to commit as great villanies as the other dares , so they have not courage to adventure on such dangerous courses , and to expose themselves to so much hazard for a livelyhood as the other do . they think it easier to swear , than hector and afright men out of what they have . the wise man seems to give a very lively description of these people in prov. 4. 16 , 17. they sleep not except they have done mischief , and their sleep is taken away , unless they cause some to fall , for they eat the bread of wickedness , and drink the wine of violence . if there be any persecutors whose fortunes are not altogether so despicable and small , they are such as make a mammon their god ; the hopes of getting wealth doth very powerfully irritate them to what they do : was it not thirty pieces of silver that made judas betray his master ? what is the reason sinners do excite one another to wait for blood , and to lurk privily for the innocent without cause ? is it not because they hope they shall find all precious substance , and shall fill their houses with spoil ? 4. they are extreamly profligate and scandalous in their lives . men that are very loose , prophane , and every way debauched : such as are common swearers , drunkards , whoremongers , and professed enemies to every thing that is serious , holy , and good. men that have prostituted themselves to every lust and wickedness , that have no more of religion than an outward name , being atheists in their hearts , and many times so in their profession . such as think there is no happiness but what agrees with epicurus's conceit , making their belly their god , and minding nothing but the things of this world. your ordinary forsworn , and perjur'd wretches , are the people that do most commonly seek a livelyhood by being suborn'd to swear against them that fear the lord. they that never scruple to tear the name of god in pieces , and to affront their maker on every turn , by taking his name in vain , who emboss every word they speak , with some dreadful oath or other , who dare impudently swear a hundred oaths in an hour , without any provocation , these are the fittest men to inform and swear against , and endeavour their ruine , who have a religious and truly conscientious regard to the name of god , and every thing on which he hath stampt his image . no wonder such as these , should solemnly devore and prostitute their souls to hell , by swearing even falsly against others , when they have the temptation and incouragement of getting wealth and riches , since they are so accustomed to affront their maker , they think they never speak gentilely , unless they set their most high god at utmost defiance , and do in words at length challenge him to damn them . he that sets himself apart to sathan's service by indulging to all the lusts of the flesh , that can boast of his drunkenness , and uncleanness , of his frequent excesses , and every days debauch , that can unconcernedly , or rather with triumph speak of his hopes and desires of being damn'd for ever , that defiles the air he speaks in , and offends all he comes amongst with his prodigious oaths , and execrations : this man is ready prepared if an occasion do offer it self , or can by any means be obtained , to swear a conscientious , religious man out of his right , and himself into it . that man that will ordinarily indanger his soul , and swear for nothing , will much more do so , be it right or wrong , when he hath the temptation of wealth , and it may be the applause and commendation of great men for his incouragement . having given this account of the two first particulars . i shall now inquire whence it is that wicked men are such bitter and inveterate enemies against the godly ? constant experience is an undenyable proof of the truth of it , for no age hath passed , but the worst men have bin contriving and endeavouring to do the righteous some displeasure . we need not consult histories , to confirm what i am now treating of , for we may every where take notice of the deplorable truth and certainty of it amongst our selves . but from amongst the many instances which might be mentioned as having some influence in and concurring to this , i will only name these few . 1. there is a desperate and deadly enmity against godlyness , and so against good men , rooted deeply in the nature of wicked men. ever since we lost the image of god , we are by nature the children of wrath , not only as we are subject and lyable to the wrath and displeasure of god , but as we are of a wrathful , furious , and unreconcilable temper . we are naturally enemies not only to god , but to one another also . and it is to be ascribed principally , rather wholly , to the wise conduct and providence of god , that all men are not constantly up in arms , and always endeavouring the utter extirpation one of another . but this enmity is especially set against all goodness . when man lost holyness , he became a most violent adversary to it . as you observe when a man hath tasted of the good word of god , and the powers of the world to come , if he apostatize , he becomes the most virulent and implacable enemy to it . so it is with man naturally since the fall. the devils that were such pure and holy angels , are now the greatest haters of holyness . wicked men are of a curst , envious , malicious temper , they are of a persecuting nature , and have a great deal of savageness in their temper ; they are against holyness , as being contrary to their nature , and thus become so violent against good men. look at any creature , you will find it hath an aversion to those things , which are of a contrary nature , and if there be any thing of wildness , and cruelty , and savageness intermixed , then it is extraordinary violent against those which are of the contrary nature . but those things which have not such a savageness intermixt , they only testify their aversion by a peacible withdrawing themselves , not at all endeavouring the destruction or hurt of the other . this is very apparent in the wolf and the lamb : they delight not in the society one of another , but the lamb , though of so contrary a nature to the wolf , doth not seek the life or hurt of the wolf ; but the wolf is not satisfied but with the total destruction of the lamb. nor is this only because the wolf doth usually prey and feed on such creatures , for then when the hunger were satisfied , that rapacious and fierce temper would cease . that creature which is of a fierce and ravenous nature , will destroy and kill not only out of necessity , but also for sport and recreation . thus wicked men they are of a contrary nature to the godly , and have much wildness and ravenousness intermixed . they cannot sleep unless they make some to fall ; and therefore they are resembled to and set forth by those creatures which are wholy set upon destroying the harmless and innocent . they lye lurking privily in their den , that they may catch the righteous . if you ask what the reason is that the righteous and holy do not persecute the wicked , as well as the wicked do them , the nature of each being equally contrary to each other ? i answer , the roughness and severity of good mens natures is taken away by that sanctifying and altering grace which is bestowed on them , and for which they are so much hated by the other . the new nature conferred on them , hath the harmlesness of the dove accompanying it . a sanctified nature so far as under the power and influence of sanctification , hath no hatred , nor envy , nor malice , nor any other quality that is hurtful . it dares not hate or hurt an enemy . and the true reason why ungodly men do no more hurt to the righteous , is because god restrains them ; he puts his hook into their nose , and his bridle into their lips , and checks them . contrariety causeth their aversion to the godly , but it is that fierceness which is intermixed , which causeth the violence of the persecution ; as you see tygers , wolves , lions , and bears , do persue , and kill , and devour sheep , lambs , and other innocent and profitable creatures , and as hawks and kites do fly after and prey on turtle doves and pigeons , so do wicked outragious ungodly men persecute and trouble the just and holy. 2. their natural enmity is very much increased and excited into act by very unjust prejudices , which they imbibe and entertain with delight . a wicked persecuting person rejoyceth to hear of any thing , which tends to the defamation , and disrepute of one that is truly religious . he labors to spread and divulge it abroad , and aggravates every mistake , and almost unavoidable infirmity , representing it as an hideous and unpardonable crime . nay he usually attributes the faults of some particular persons to the whole profession . thus the very name of a pious man is odious and insupportable to him ; and he talks as virulently against , and desires as vehemently the utter destruction of every one , how harmless , good , and innocent soever , who comes under such a denomination , as against the vilest miscreant and criminal in the world , tho he never knew or heard of any hurt by the one , or any good by the other . it may not be amiss to take notice now of a sin , that prevails exceedingly at this time amongst our selves ; which is , that we have disputed our selves into so much wrath , such an aversness and enmity to one another , that dissenters , and those who pretend to the church , can scarce indure the names of one another , unless some disgraceful and reproachful term be annexed . too many of them are become such fierce adversaries one against another , that they have not only abandoned themselves from the eminent exercise of that charity and mutual forbearance , common christianity doth very much inforce , but they do with too much appetite listen and inquire after , and instead of mourning for , do rejoyce and almost triumph in the faults which particular persons on either side are chargible with ; and which is yet a greater fault , they are too frequent in applying the guilt beyond its due extent . by this means do those who are corrupt , carnal , and sensual on each side , labor to increase our animosities , and make our divisions wider and more unhealable . but it is most of all deplorable , that the malignity and poison of this course , seems to diffuse and spread it self amongst them who have given undeniable and prodigious evidences of extraordinary learning , and sometimes of very great and deservedly imitable moderation and equanimity : which discovers that when people do apply themselves to advance any party with undue warmth , they forget to observe that decorum , they have formerly commended to the world , and are too easily induced to use the meanest arts in depressing the cause they oppose . it is certainly very unbecoming and unworthy of men of great learning , holyness , and gravity to indeavour to defame all that are of the contrary perswasion , by suggesting to the world evil surmises and opinions concerning all in general , by reporting infamous stories which concern only some few in particular : for besides the injury they themselves do by this means to those that are innocent ; they both countenance the unjust methods the worst of men do use in decrying those they are against , and they furnish them with materials to carry on their design . this hath bin an ancient method , people have used to revenge themselves on the innocent . report say they , and we will report . do but either start any one story that is real , with relation to some particulars , or fraim and coin a story that will appear plausible , and let it once take air , and we will soon help to transmit it further , and by this means we shall take our revenge on them . but what a dreadful blow would be given to chrisianity in the opinion of its professed enemies , should all parties labor to rake together the foul and enormous offences of particular persons amongst those they do oppose , and then publish them to the world , as what the whole party doth either approve , or may justly be charged with ? there is no doubt but this church ( tho it's government and constitution be so pure , justifiable , and consonant to apostolical practice ) would suffer very much , should but the almost ordinary mis-carriages of a great number who pretend to the clergy be exposed to publick view ; with an account of the incouragement they meet with , or at least how free they are from threats and molestations , whilst others who lead better lives , and are more constant and diligent preachers , and do express on all occasions more of that charity and forbearance towards all men , which christianity doth so much commend and inforce , are frowned upon , and left open to the rage and fury of besotted frantick and debauch'd bigots . there is no defence against unjust prejudice . 3. they apprehend , that the strict and holy lives of religious men do very much reproach their lewd and vicious courses . at least they find that their pure and holy doctrines do occasion them anguish and unquietness , disturbance and trouble in the perpetrating of their beloved wickednesses . why could not herodias suffer john baptist to keep his head any longer ? it was because she could not live quietly in her uncleanness with her husbands brother , whilst he was still preaching to herod , that it was not lawful for him to have her . indeed there is not any thing doth more effectually discover the horrid loathsomness of wicked mens lusts and practices , than the chast , holy , and strict conversations of pious men . and therefore they are so much against them , even because their doctrines and lives do so much reprove their wicked works of darkness . 4. holy men are carrying on a different work from that which ungodly lew'd men are designing and acting . they are servants to different masters , and therefore it is not to be expected they should accord very well . the good man's work doth defeat and ruin the sinners , and therefore he is against him , and doth persecute him all he can , because he belongs not to his company , but is labouring to destroy his masters kingdom , and overthrow what he esteems his own greatest interest . if ye were of the world the world would love his own , but because ye are not of the world , but i have chosen you out of the world , therefore the world hateth you . 5. this proceeds many times from a very strong and powerful impulse of satan . as wicked men are his slaves and doing his work , so he doth irritate and excite in a special manner to this very instance of persecuting the godly . the devil thinks he has most work done when the greatest number of righteous men fall : and he concludes that if he could by his instruments absolutely suppress the righteous , he should reign and triumph in the world without any opposition . the devil rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience . and it is worth our observation , that immediately before judas went to the high-priest , &c. to inform against and betray his master , it is said the devil entred into him : so that one main instance , whence it is that wicked people do persecute the righteous , is because the devil is in them . the devil doth as truly possess , act , and govern them that persecute the righteous , as he did those that were called demoniacks , when our saviour was upon earth . and tho he do not cause them now to tear and rent , and torture themselves , as they did then , yet he has a more dreadful influence on their souls , and indangers them much more as to their spiritual and final estate . i am now in the last place to apply what has been discoursed concerning persecution ; and will do it in a few words . 1. for the support and incouragement of the righteous , when persecuted and in distress . take care that the reproaches and violences of the ungodly do not afright you from your uprightness , nor shake your stedfastness . those storms and rufling winds , their threats and menaces , should not break or overthrow you , but should rather have the same influence on you , that blasts and tempests have on firm and thriving trees , whilst they break and overturn those that are rotten and weak , they do only cause the other to take deeper and faster root . this is no more than what you must expect , and what every good man ought daily to prepare for . he that is resolved for heaven must go through many tribulations ; you are warned of such treatment before-hand . our saviour has dealt so plainly with all his followers in this particular , that it is one great part of a christians work to live alway in expectation of those things that so he may not be surprized when they come . we have our every days cross to wait for , and must be willing to take it up , and bear it away with cheerfulness , when ever it comes . we have not the clearest and most unquestionable evidences of the truth , at least the power of christianity in and over us , till we can cheerfully part with and resign up all , yea with triumph bear away reproaches , and fears , and false accusations , till we can lay down our very lives rejoycingly for christ , his gospel , and religion , if occasion be . and if god sees fit to bring you to the tryal ; it is that you may have the stronger assurance of your unfeigned love to him , and unconquerable interest in him . and that you may display the efficacy and beauty of religion unto the world in the most undeniable and constraining instances . the persecutions of the first christians gained christianity a great repute , and made such an entrance for it into the world , as could never be stopt up or hindred , till sloth , carnality , and superstitious conceits had corrupted the minds and lives of it's professors , and this happ'ned after they were burthened and over loaded , with honours , ease , preferments , and a multitude of unnecessary , and superfluous outward accommodations . the saints and people of god have met with the same treatment in all ages . this has been their lot and portion , when they have lived amongst wicked loose people . and we generally find that they took great satisfaction in it . our blessed saviour was used thus himself . how was he reviled , scorned , reproach't , falsely accused , spit upon , buffetted , whipt , and at last disgracefully crucified , by a degenerate inhumane people ? you see the greatest and most absolute innocence is not safe , from the malicious rage , and violence of ungodly men . the apostles presently after , were served in the same manner . and when they were scourged , to render them a publick scorn and reproach they went away rejoycing , that they were counted worthy to be thus used for christ . it is one part of the vocation you are called to , to suffer for christ : phil. 1. 29. the more that wicked men do load you with contumelious language , and oppressive fines and mulcts , or do inflict on you corporal punishments and torments , the more they do to raise you to the likeness of the blessed jesus . and indeed it is not the least matter of rejoycing , that they who persecute you , are only such as are born after the flesh . your enemies , are they that are enemies to god and christ ; worldly , sensual , devillish men , who glory in their shame , who make their belly their god , who are enemies to the cross of christ , and whose end is destruction . it is a much greater disgrace , to be respected and spoken well of , by such as these , than to have them always spitting out their venom , and darting forth their forked tongues and stinge against you : they will speak well of none but such as are infested with their disease . they that are the spawn of satun , will undoubtedly have ill will to the children of god. but what a rejoycing is it , that by this very means , you are so particularly assured of a most glorious recompence : besides the inexpressible consolation , god will secretly communicate at present , he has provided , and in a special manner promised incomprehensible felicities hereafter . mar. 5. 10 , 11 , 12. 1 pet. 4. 14. but then you must be sure that what you suffer for , be the cause of christ . let it be true and real religion , conscience indeed , and not any groundless phancy , unreasonable humor , or unaccountable resolution and stubborness you suffer for . especially beware that none of you suffer as a murderer , or as a thief , or as an evildoer , or as a busie body in other mens matters . these are the faults and characters of persecutors themselves , and for these things men ought to suffer . see that your consciences be clear and well informed . take care to understand the thing you contend for . weigh your opinions and your practices in the ballance of the sanctnary . be sure your cause be good , and then if you are persecuted and do suffer , come under what denomination you will , and let your persecutors be who they will , of how great power and authority so ever , i dare and will pray that peace may be upon you , and upon the whole israel of god. it is the cause that makes the martyr , tho it is not alway the cause that makes the persecutor . 2ly . let this caution you , that you be not guilty of this sin. it will be found at last , a very dreadful thing to be a persecutor ; for by this means you become fighters against god. and dare ye resolutely provoke the lord to jealousie , are ye stronger than he ? did ever any set themselves against god and prosper ? the lord jesus doth take what is done to his followers and disciples , as done to himself . and he will terribly avenge himself of the adversaries and destroyers of his people . you cannot hurt the people of god , but you offend and pierce god himself in the apple of his eye . and will not god ( think you ) avenge his own elect which cry day and night into him ? i tell you be with avenge them speedily . it were better for you , you had never been born or that some fatal , and miserable stroke had ended your lives , as soon as you saw the light , than that you should live to be persecutors . mat. 18. 6. have not persecutors alway come to some fearful end ? if you would not pull down divine vengeance on your own heads , if you would not make your selves and your posterity infamous to all generations , by inheriting the most dreadful curses on your bodies , your estates , and all your interests and concerns , if you would not be the general abhorrence of mankind , if you would not rot away peice-meal whilst you are alive , if you would not be your own unpitied executioners , if you would not be filled with horror and consternation by reason of a wounding , terrifying and accusing conscience , if you would not purchase to your selves the hottest climate and region in the infernal pit , but can be content with an ordinary damnation , if you have no desire to be the worst , the most miserable , the most contemptible , of all that shall inherit everlasting burnings , take heed of this sin. the devil never feasts so deliciously , as when served with persecutors and informers . how variously and strangely has god testified his displeasure and wrath against persecutors ? whole volumes might be filled with bare relations . those judgments have been inflicted on them , to make them a scorn an abhorrence , and a warning to posterity , which were never known , or heard of in the world , till they were punish't and made infamous by them . and if you be persecutors god has the same , and greater plagues and judgments in store for you . i know there are few who apply themselves to this course , but they flatter themselves , and endeavour to satisfie others , with some or other false and pretended excuses . but alas what will these avail you , whilst they are so thin and hollow not only the all-seeing-god , but the ordinary sort of people can see thorough them ? unless the cause be too black and horrid to obtain the patronage of hell , or the actors be sordid and scandalous enough to make the devil ashamed of them , he will furnish with some pretence to palliate and gloss the fact. but it is not enough that you have something to plead and say in your own defence amongst men , unless it be what will be warranted and approved by the judge of all , for if you could so varnish the severity you use to others , as to obtain the favorable opinion of the generality of men concerning it , what will this avail you , if when you appear before the great tribunal , you be found amongst persecutors ? all false colours , and meretricious paint will then disappear . now to secure you from this danger , it will be needful to have a constant regard to these two rules . 1. have nothing to do with hurting , or contracting damages on any serious , upright , conscientious christian . be not accessory for a world to the ruine , or needless prejudice of any one , who stands fast in the faith of christ . those who agree with us in all the substantials of religion , and add no dangerous or destructive tenet to these , who are holy , sober , chast , temperate , righteous , compassionate and merciful , and who no way indeavour to disturb the publick peace , but are vigorous protestants , and resolute opposers of the common enemies of our religion , and civil rights , they ought ( especially considering our present circumstances ) to be so far from being persecuted and oppressed , as to have all the incouragement and countenance that pious christians , and loyal subjects can claim and deserve . do not hurt , persecute , or revile any , whom you have reason to believe the lord jesus will own , approve and honour . will christ ever thank men at the great day for keeping such out form communion with his church , whom he will vouchsafe not only crowns of glory to , but it may be aureolae too , if there be any such thing there ? it had been well for pilate , if he had hearkened to that seasonable message , have thou nothing to do with that just man. 2. take heed of , and avoid the very appearances of this sin. keep at as great a distance from it , as possible . do not cherish in your minds , any thing that may ingage , or incline to it . cast away all unjust prejudices , mortifie wrath and anger : and shut your ears against them that would incense you against those , you differ from , by reporting false and malicious stories of them . supposing it could not properly be called persecution to prosecute , and be severe with people about those things , which you are satisfied in your own minds , god has not concern'd himself about , either by commanding or forbidding them , yet your ruining or making others suffer extremely for these things , whilst they have other apprehensions either of the nature or use of them , will unavoidably look too like persecution ( i think ) for a serious compassionate christian to tolerate himself in . this seems not to have any of that meekness , condescention , and forbearance our religion doth so expressly and so vehemently inforce . nay your addicting your selves to such courses will indanger the indearing of a rough , sowre , and unpeaceable temper to you . and it may be it will at last hurry you , into such exorbitances , as you did not at first either design , or think of ; nay which will amount to inexcusable and down-right persecution . this will certainly make way for your entertaining very unjust prejudices against others . it will lay you lyable to greater transports in your passions . it will expose you to more and stronger temptations , than you are at first aware of , it will lay you open to the wiles of satan , that cunning adversary , and great destroyer of the godly . nay it is probable enough , that when those christian sentiments and resolves , you do at present retain , are a little worn off , and by disuse become feeble , the very desire and ambition of acquaintance with men of power and repute , who are enemies to protestants as such , may ingage you in those practices , which both your deceitful hearts and the better hopes of others , made you believe you should for ever detest . satan very seldom attempts to draw any man to direct persecution at first ; he only leads them at first to the out-skirts , and fleshes them by degrees . but when he has once brought men to take pleasure in seeing others suffer , tho not for real religion , the sweetness of blood , or the satisfaction of getting wealth , or the honour of being caressed by great men , will indanger to qualifie them to undertake with unconcernedness and triumph the most barbarous and inhumane persections imaginable . men know not where they shall stop , if once they give way to satan , or their own corrupt inclinations in matters of this nature . people do sometimes act those things under the alteration of their outward estate and condition , and become so extremely savage and cruel as they could not before imagine , which they could not endure to think of without the highest concernment and indignation . 2 kings 8. 12 , 13. but notwithstanding all this , you may express your , love to , and zeal for the church , its service , and its ceremonies , sufficiently other ways . i disswade not from any methods , which do any way tend to the honour of our church , or to the making of real proselytes : but only from those which indanger its reputation , and are not at all suitable to the matter and occasion of our differences . i would perswade you to be as faithful as possible to the church and its interests , but not to express your zeal in so confused and preposterous away , as will be destructive to humane society , or indanger your washing your hands in the blood of innocents : use all the scripture , and rational arguments you can , to winn upon , and overcome , and convince them that dissent , but beware of extremity and violence . how ridiculous and absurd is it , to hear men talk very gravely at sometimes , that the church hath no weapons but tears and prayers , and yet presently to see the same men using rods , and swords , and axes in the churches behalf ? when the church is in danger of being clouded , eclypsed , and overcome , and supprest by popery , then it is unlawful to endeavour to help ourselves , we must only lie prostrate , and try if we can wash away our sorrow with our tears , or at most , content our selves with lord help us . but when we consider them we have got an ascendency over , it becomes glorious ( and indeed is more than christian ) to swagger and triumph , and tread upon men of the same regligion with our selves , only because they differ from us in some unhappy circumstances . when the church doth stand upon its proper basis , and shines in its native beauty and lustre , there will be no hurting in god's holy mountain . that method which hath most of lenity , forbearance , love , and meekness , doth best comport with the nature and design of christianity , and most answers that temper , our saviour and his apostles commended to the world , both by their practices and precepts . luke 9. 55. 2 tim. 2. 24. 3ly . let me say a few words to you that are persecutors , you that are vilifying and reproaching , fining , and distraining on , murdering and tearing in pieces the members of jesus christ , if you have any shadow of humanity yet remaining , be perswaded to refletect on what you do , consider what your condition is , if you are not become cruel like the ostriches in the wildernese : if your consciences be not feared with a hot iron : if you do not believe that your impieties are a sure and impregnable safeguard and defence against all the thuander-bolts of god's vengeance , if you think they do not make you as impenetrable by the arrows of the almighty , as the scales of the leviathan , render him by the arrows which are commonly cast at him , then deliberate a while , and think seriously , whether one time or other , you shall not be ashamed of , and sorry for what you now perpetrate ? if you believe there is any truth , or any honesty , or any things that are pure , or just , or lowly , or of good report , or if there be any virtue , then consider how contrary to , and inconsistent with all these , persecution is . persecution is a sin that destroys common humanity : it makes you much more fit to be banish'd from all reasonable society , to abide in the wilderness and desert , with the ravenous devouring monsters you resemble , than to be permitted to prey on those , who are as humble as the child , as meek and innocent as the dove . you that are informers and persecutors , be you who you will , of what name , size , quality soever , you are of the worst extraction of all other creatures . ye are of your father the devil , and the lusts of your father , ye will do ; he was a murderer from the beginning , and abode not in the truth , because there is no truth in him. and if you believe not this , you may read the reason of your unbelief in the next verse . because i tell you the truth , ye believe me not . you are at present the reproach of humane race . judgments and curses of the greatest size do await you here , and are ready to be poured out upon you , to make you instances of astonishing vengeance , an abhorrence to all the world , and an insupportable bur than unto your selves . nor is this your whole portion , for more than ordinary wrath , those torments , and horrors , which have peculiar , and most envenomed mixtures in them , are prepared and kept in store , to make your eternity . more amazing and dreadful , than that which will for ever be the punishment of other sinners if depart from me ye cursed , into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels , be the mildest sentence which shall be pronounced on them , who have only with-held their charity , and not administred to the necessities of christ's members ; what a terrible damnation must you expect , who have both hardened your selves against all their tears , and complaints , their groans and entreaties , and added affliction to their affliction ? what will be your doom when christ shall come to be glorified in his saints , and shall charge you in particular with pulling the food out of the mouths , and cloaths from the backs of his dearest children , yea with eating their very flesh , and drinking their blood ? with taking from them their means for subsistence , rifling their houses , devouring their goods , wasting their estates , and haling them to goals and prisons ? you that persecute the righteous , that you may maintain your lusts , and gratify your luxurious appetites and desires , with their wealth and estates , there is a dreadful hand of vengeance ready to appear against you . for all your huffing and hectoring , your swearing and damning , your carouzing and quaffing , your healthing and whoring , for all your seeming jollity and mirth , your countenances will change , paleness shall seize your faces , astonishment and fear your minds : you are at present but acting afresh belshazzar's folly and wickedness : you are drinking the blood of innocents instead of wine , you are feasting your selves with the substance of the righteous . the vessels you use , are purchased with the lives and estates of the just and upright . for these things god will not refrain , but will certainly be avenged of such wickedness . when the divine hand doth write your doom ( as certainly it will ) then will your countenance be changeed , and your thoughts troubled , the joints of your loins will be loosed , and your knees will smite one against another . your making your selves drunk with wine , and your being compassed about with great men and nobles , with your wives and concubines , will not preserve you from these effects . what will you say for your own vindication , when the lord jesus shall appear in all his glory , and particularly charge you , with hurting , defaming , impoverishing , starving , fining , and murthering this and that friend , servant or child of his ? for all your confident domineering at present , tho you look and talk now , as if you would frown , and threaten , and swear them , and all that are advocates for them into goals , nay in to their graves , and were it possible lower than that ; a time is hastening when shame and confusion will cover your faces , and an ignominious silence shall betray your guilt . a day is now approaching when you will think it a kind of happiness , if you might slink privately into the places of eternal torment , and so escape the solemn reprimand and condemnation you must have for this sin in particular , before all the world. i know there are several things you insist on , to justify your selves in what you do . but alas , they are such poor , and thin , and slight excuses , they will be so far from yielding you any relief in the judgment-day , that had you any shame , or grace , and modesty , you would blush to name them at present . and that you may not any longer cheat your selves with a vain pretence , that you have enough to justify you in what you do ; i will briefly name what you principally trust to , and then shew you how foolish and impertinent such excuses be . there are three things generally insisted on by informers , and persecutors for their own vindication : they are these . 1. they say they do no more than what the law doth countenance them in . 2. the persons they prosecute are dangerous , seditious , rebellious people . 3. what they do , is out of love to , and zeal for the church . these things are commonly alledged , and people do depend on them as sufficient and unanswerable . but how unjust these pretences be , when pleaded by foreign persecutors of the protestants , i hope all are satisfied who do heartily approve the reformation . now the prosecution of dissenting protestants amongst our selves , is generally defended by the same arguments . and tho i acknowledge there is a great difference in the things , on the account of which the protestants are prosecuted here , and in other palces , yet all those abatements being allowed for , the generality of our fierce and furious prosecutors cannot be excused from guilt by these instances . this will appear more clearly if we consider the particulars pleaded distinctly , and by themselves . first , you say you do no more than the law alloweth . to this i answer in these following particulars . 1. you do generally understand the law as little as any other people . and often times when the law is on a mans side , as to the matter of what he does , it is against him in the method he observes . this is undeniably evident in the prosecution of the protestants in france . 2. those who have had as good opportunities as any others , to find out the intention and meaning of the laws , do put another interpretation on them than you do . and therefore you had need to have strong assurance you are in the right , before you adventure on those courses you cannot justify , but by such a pretence as in general , is a very blind and imperfect excuse . for instance , if the law condemns seditious preaching , and you will prosecute and undo a man only for preaching , and not prove any thing of sedition , you are certainly so far from having the law to justify you , that this general plea will not excuse you to a conscience that is in any measure sensible of ordinary obligations . 3. the prosecution of these laws hath bin declared inconvenient and hurtful to the protestant religion , by them who understand the nature , the tendency , and the obligation of these laws , as well , or better than any of the violent and outragious prosecutors of them . and tho this cannot repeal or make null the laws , yet the publick opinion of so great , honourable , and august an assembly , should have so much influence , as to check the inordinate zeal some are too apt to lay out in their unnecessary informations and presentments . 4. if you must needs express your zeal for established laws , there are others which you may understand more easily , and the transgressing of which will be more obvious to you , and in the pursuance of which , you may do the church and the kingdom good service , viz. those laws which are made against swearing , drunkenness , prophaning the lord's day &c. have not those laws which are inforced by god as well as men , as great a power and authority over you , as those which are only humane sanctions ? your talking of the law is of no weight , whilst you your selves do resolutely transgress every day , those laws which are of greater and more general life . 2 ly . but you say in the second place , that those you prosecute are dangerous , seditious , and rebellious people . if you can prove this charge against them , in gods name go on and never spare them . but is it not very unjust to say they are rebellious , and not prove any thing of this nature against them ? why do you not inform against them under this notion , and then prove it substantially against them ? but to talk thus , and when all comes to be inquired into , it is nothing but for serving god , when it may be , you were serving the devil , and your lusts in a tavern or brothel house , is the most villianous wickedness imaginable . is not this to write after the most extravagant instance we have in the french persecutors ? nay is it not to out-do what is reported of the intendant of rochefort who suppressed a protestant minister , when the deponent could say no more , but that tho there was nothing to be found fault with in his words , yet he perceived his thoughts were not innocent ? besides many of those you prosecute , have given great demonstrations of their loyalty , having suffered more in the late times of usurpation , for the king , than many , if not all of you have , and contributing much more to the bringing of him back to his crown , and other just rights . those who never did more for the king , than make themselves drunk with drinking his health , are not fit to compare in point of loyalty with them that lost their estates , and hazarded their lives for him . and many of the most considerable dissenters , did even then , when it was not so safe to do it , as it is now , openly declare against it ( i. e. the murder of the late king ) both in their sermons and writings . this is what in justice cannot be denyed them , and many of them were no less active and industrious , and were indeed highly instrumental in the bringing home of his majesty that now reigns . 3 ly . you pretend that all you do is out of love to , and zeal for the church . to which i offer these following considerations , which may discover how false this pretence is . 1. you are not qualified to do the church any service . the church suffers more by the ungodliness , and debauchedness of your lives , than by any one thing whatsoever . all the dissenters in the nation cannot prejudice the church half so much , as you drunken , swearing , prophane informers and persecuters do . indeed the church would be much better without you , than with you . and could she proceed against you in some of those ways , you would have her use against others , she would do herself great right , and very much commend that purity , and holyness and strictness , which would greatly adorn her , and which is by your means very much obscured . can any thing reflect more upon a church , than to have those men countenanced in prosecuting others , who do themselves discover no real love to god or religion , and of whom no good can be said by others , nay who have nothing to say in their own vindication , but that when they are in the height of their debauches , when they are drunk and prophane enough to be the reproach and abhorrence of all society , they do then pretend to admire and applaud the church , and to decry , and rail at , and swear against dissenters ? you do the church an unspeakable injury , you prejudice her almost beyond repair , by pretending either love for , or alliance unto her . for by this means you do what you are able to represent her to strangers , as the only receptacle of , and sanctuary for the most infamous criminals and villains . it is no credit to any woman , be she never so chast , sober , and honest , that the greatest debauches , and lewdest miscreants are incouraged for her service , and claim her patronage . and that which renders you still more unfit for this service . you intrude your selves into , is , that you would make the church consist only of such as your selves , and dare impudently decry all the sober , moderate , and pious conformists , with the same virulence you set your selves against them you call nonconformists . so that were it in your power , you would turn the church into a meer stew , or alehouse , or school of sin and debauchery . there are , god knows , too too many debauchees in the nation , who would be thought great champions for the king and the church , but do infinite prejudice to both , by the mad and frantick expressions of their zeal , who do mighty honour to fanaticism , by charging all with it , that run not with them to the same excess of riot . as to all those who pretend to be of our communion , and yet live scandalous lives , and think that their owning themselves for the sons of the church , will make atonement for their immoralities , it is to be fear'd they have done us more hurt , then ever they will do us good . and unless they would reforme , it may perhaps be wished that we were rid of them . let them declare themselves fanaticks , papists , any thing rather than members of the church of england . it would perhaps be more desirable to live in a mean , low , afflicted condition without such company , than to govern the world with it . 2. this is an old hypocritical pretence with which the enemies of god and religion have usually cover'd their wicked persecutions and barbarous cruelties . this cannot secure you from vengeance . god incourages his people to hope that he would appear for them , and against such as should make this pretence for their persecuting them . hear the word of the lord ye that tremble at his word , your brethren that hated you , that cast you out for my names sake , said , let the lord be glorified , but he shall appear to your joy , and they shall be ashamed . they pretended what they did against them that trembled at the word of the lord , was for the church , and that god might be glorified , but yet god would bring them to shame for their hypocrisie . i am afraid there are many who talk high for the church , who would be glad to see her welter in her own blood , or consumed to ashes with those flames they hope to kindle by their own furious , or intemperate zeal . people who are wicked enough notwithstanding their loud crys for the church , to set her on fire themselves , and then like nero , triumph , and dance , and sing , when they behold her devouring flames , and utter devastation . as some in the late times did very wickedly face rebellion with the name of religion , so it is to be fear'd some in these days do cloak popery , revenge , and hatred to all piety , with the name of the church . all that swear by the name of the lord , and make mention for the god of israel , do not do it in . truth nor in righteousness . 3. your not prosecuting them , who play and drink , or walk & loiter away the lords day , and other times they should alot for the publick service & worship of god , does plainly demonstrate it is not any hearty concernment for religion , or the honour of the church of england , which ingages you in these methods , but rather an invincible detestation to holiness and truth as such . could you with the like impurity , shut up our church doors , and revile our liturgy , and cast contempt on our bishops , and all the other serious and hearty officers of our church , who oppose and contradict you in your lusts and wickedness , it is not much to be doubted , but you would be as severe and tyrannous this way , as you be the other . if you have such love to the church , why are you so mild and favourable , and gentle towards the papists , who are as great enemies to the state as to the church ? why are you not for getting those laws executed which are in force , against field and street walkers , and those that haunt ale-houses , and taverns , and who are playing at cards , or dice , when they should be at church ? and those who are rattling about in their coaches , or other ways conveying themselves from one place to another , on the lords day , and in time of divine service , to perform some idle and sacrilegious visits ? 4. the methods you use are no way becoming the church . they will never do the church any service . force and violence will never satisfie mens judgments . they will not extirpate those unjust prejudices , people have suckt in against our church , but will rather confirm them . these courses will not fairly remove mens scruples . suppose you should force many to come within the doors of our churches , by harsh and severe proceedings , what is our church the better for this ? can you , together with outward compulsion , infuse into their minds an affectionate love to , and unfeigned approbation of our service and worship ? if not , you may make our church fuller of hypocrites than she was before , but not fuller of real and cordial proselytes ; you may turn the places for our publick worship into prisons , if you please , but you cannot by these mean's make the dissenters a willing people in the day of your power . the members of the church must be volunteers , and not press'd men . such as are forced will never do acceptable service . they will embrace the first opportunity to relinquish and bespatter us . it has hitherto been the certain property and character of heterodox , heretical , popish , and anti-christian churches and people , to persecute and oppress others , or to use violent , fierce , and ruining courses to advance themselves and their interests . and it was the way of the pure christian church , anciently , and since the reformation , to use no methods with their enemies , but what were full of reason , scripture , meekness , and christian forbearance . the learned bishop of st. asaph , does determine the question , who are the church of god ? or who are the enemies of it ? by bringing it to this issue . that they who are most given to hate and destroy others , especially those who differ from them in religion , they are not the church of god , or at least they are so far corrupt in that particular . these courses do not agree and suit with the temper and constitution of our church . and therefore i am afraid they who use these methods , or countenance and incourage them who appear boistrous in them , are either ignorant of , and strangers to our constitution , or implacable enemies to our church . instead of doing the church any service , they seem to study to do her all the mischief they can , under a contrary pretence . it is not the genius of our church , she hath no doctrine that teacheth persecution , she hath not practised it , as others , when they were in authority , i thank god for it , and i hope she will alway continue in that temper , which being added to the other marks of a true christian church , may assure no that she is a church according to the mind of christ . it was one thing that did not a little commend the protestant religion to the world , that after it's establishment in these nations , tho popery gained power again in these kingdoms , and influenced it's professors to treat the protestants with all the cruelty and outrage that religion doth inspire men with , or direct them to , yet when in queen elizabeths reign popery was cashier'd , and the protestants had the power and laws on their side , they used no violence , fury , or revenge at all ; tho living in the midst of them , whose dearest friends and relations they had murdered , and tho protestants could say there goes he that burnt my father , or he that murdered my brother , or that brought them to that cruel death , tho the queen her self could say who they were that in her sisters time , dealt most insolently and barbarously with her , yet when she came to be their queen , for ten years , she touched not a hair of any of their heads . notwithstanding bonner had in the preceding reign been a most bloody and barbarous persecutor of the protestants , and had often in his persecution of them exceeded what the law allowed , yet this was not revenged upon him , no , so far were the reformers from doing any thing that might look like revenge that he was suffered to go about in safety , and was not made a sacrifice to the revenge of those who had lost their next friends by his means . it was peace , and love , and mercy , and condescention and meekness , which brought repute to this church formerly , and adorned it in it's most flourishing state : and why should you now change it's ancient methods , if your love to it , be the same , and your zeal as regular , as was that of our first and best reformers ? 4ly . in the fourth place this discovers what ill offices they do ( whether they be of the clergy , or in other places of power ) who are continually exciting people to inform against all dissenters , without making any difference . peoples spirits are apparently over-heated already . they are cast into too violent a ferment ; and therefore rather then use any means to exasperate their passions more , we ought all in our places , to do what we can , to cool these hearts , and reduce men to more calm , and gentle tempers . especially should this be the care and study of them , who pretend they have a right to that character , of being ambassadours , and heraulds of peace . your loud declamations , your passionate and envenomed instigations , and your founding alarms from the pulpit against dissenters in general ; will not please , nor gratifie nor benefit any , but the sensual , debauch't part of your auditors . this will endanger the creating ill apprehensions of the way you pretend to , in the minds of the soberer and more harmless sort . such kind of preaching will be interpreted , but like clapping your hands , and lowing on the dogs , which instead of bringing people into the church , will be apt to drive them out of the church-yard . st. paul directs us to a more christian method , and such an one as will , if generally , faithfully , and diligently observed ( and we are qualified to make use of it ) make thousands of more real proselytes to our church , than common informations , fines , and other punishments will make , 2 tim. 2. 24. 25. 5ly . this calls for your prayers for , and your commiseration , and pity , and what other help and assistance you are able to administer to them that are persecuted . you have this day heard that your neighbour-protestants are in a very afflicted and calamitous estate . this calls for your pity , your prayers , your help , and what relief you can afford them . you know not how soon your own condition may be the same with theirs , if you will resolutely adhere to your religion , and dare not deny christ and his gospel ; you are at present safe , you injoy the protestant religion peaceably , but you have no assurance , this prosperous and shining day will continue long . now if you would find help , and relief from others , when destitute , afflicted , and persecuted , have some regard to , and let your bowels yern over your persecuted neighbours , in this their day of affliction . nature , religion , christianity , all that is good and excellent intreat , and importune your charity . can you deny these sufferers ? can you withhold any thing from christ , imploring and beseeching your commiseration in these his afflicted , persecuted members ? can you eat and drink , and feast your selves , and be merry , and have no concern for christ's wandring , naked , indigent , distressed servants and followers ? ye that put far away the evil day , and cause the seat of violence to come near , that lye upon beds of ivory , and stretch themselves upon their couches , and eat the lambs out of the flock , and the calves out of the midst of the stall , that chant to the sound of the viol , and invent to themselves instruments of musick like david , that drink wine in bowls , and anoint themselves with the chief ointments , but they are not grieved for the affliction of joseph . therefore now shall they go captive , with the first that go captive , and the banquet of them that stretched themselves , shall be removed . but that you may be more duely affected with their condition , i will lay before you the same account , which is given of it , by the most impartial , learned , and celebrated historian of this age . the account is this . those born in the communion of the church of rome are required not to change their religion , which was left free before . schools and colledges are suppressed in most places . the churches which the protestants had in the country or small towns , are generally raised , and all religious meetings in private houses are forbidden . the synods and colloquies of their clergy are fordidden except a popish commissioner is present , the singing of psalms is prohibited . when they are sick , they are forced to admit the popish magistrates to come with witnesses to exhort them to change their religion : no midwives are permitted to practise but papists , that so they may baptise their children , upon which it may be afterwards pretended , if they continue protestants , that they are reliapsed , because they were baptised by a papist , and the punishment of this is terrible . no minister , elder , or deacon may go and visit their flocks , to confirm them in their relgion , when they are wavering in it ; accusations are brought upon the sleightest pretences against the ministers or others that are noted for their zeal in the cause of religion , upon which orders for their imprisonment are easily given out , and they are either forced to fly , or are ruined by a long imprisonment . and the intendants of the provinces oppress them most unmercifully , with design , as may be easily guessed , to drive them into a rebellion , that so a pretence may be given to destroy them all at once . no protestants can be admitted to any charge or employment , how mean soever it be . nor may they be received to any trading or mechanical corporation . and to take from them all confidence , or credit in trade , if any protestant merchant turns papist he cannot be sued for his accounts , or debts , for three years thereafter . and these orders are much heavier in the manner in which they are executed . the present proceedings in poictu shew what the rest are to look for , the mercenary agents of mr. pelisson prevailed so far on the weaknesses and necessities of many , as to draw them to adjure their religion , but not a few of these soon after repenting of that base bargain , by which for a few crowns , they had sold their souls , and openly expressing their horror for it , were clapt in prison , where they lye still in great misery , only their numbers are such that it seems it is not thought fit to proceed to extremities against so many at once . but the intendant of that province , mr. de marilliac , whether directed by secret orders , or set on by the fierceness of his own temper , or by his confessors is not known , is resolved to take a severe revenge of the rest of that religion , for the sake of those unhappy relapses , and has treated them not as peaceable and obedient subjects , but as open rebels , and declared enemies . their goods and their houses are robbed , and their persons violently assaulted , and all that , is done by the intendants order . the soldiers under his command are lodged only in the houses of those of the religion , where they do not only ruin their hosts , by the excessive charge they put them to , and by the contributions they exact from them , but use all the means they can think of to frighten them out of their religion ; tho the horrid oaths and blasphemies they break out daily in , are but ill arguments to perswade men to turn . if they refuse to go to mass they cudgel them , they drag the women by the hair of the head , with ropes about their necks , they torture some with their screws , they bind men of eighty years of age , and abuse their children before their eyes . and such of the souldiers as are not guilty of those cruelties , yet spoil and rob their goods , and sell them publickly , they threaten them often with death , if they will not change , having naked swords in their hands , or holding pistols to their breasts . and if all these means are ineffectual , then they carry them in sheets to churches , and fling holy water on them , and tell them now they are made catholicks , and if they return again to their heresy , they threaten them , they will accuse them as relapsers . and when house-keepers are by these means quite ruined , yet they must not give up their houses , tho they can keep them no longer , but are fined 500 livers if they quit them . and that which has always bin the priviledge of the miserable , is now denyed them , for when they come to complain of these violences to the intendant , he without hearing them , or observing the common forms of justice , sends them presently to prison , and keeps them still there , without framing any process against them , and not content with all this , tho it is scarce to be imagined what can come after it , or rise beyond it ; when he heard that complaints were made of these outrages to the king , he sent upon that , his officers to may of their houses , to force them to sign a denial of the truth of these violences , which they had suffered . and that which aggravates their misery , and therefore renders them more deserving of our commiseration and help , is , that they are a people , who have done extraordinary services for the crown , and could never yet be charged with any undutiful demeanour to the government . and they have the same rights and priviledges with the other subjects , assured to them by as firm edicts , and binding laws , as any by which that nation is govern'd : and yet purely on the account of their religion , without the guilt or charge of any fault , and in direct contradiction to those laws which were made , and often confirmed for their security , are they now persecuted to the degree before mentioned . this shews that neither the best services , the greatest innocence , the highest merits , nor the most sacred and solemn tyes , ingagements or laws can secure a protestant people from being treated as the vilest criminals and rebels , when under the power , influence and authority of a popish bigotted prince : 6 ly , which in the last place calls us all to prepare our selves for persecution . what clouds do hang over us ? what storms do threaten us ! we are none of us ignorant of the attempts which have bin made , and are still carrying on , to supplant and overthrow the protestant religion , and to bring in popery amongst us , as an overflowing stream . and that which greatly threatens our loss of the gospel , and those ordinances we have long enjoyed , is both the great and general increase of wickedness and debauchery amongst us , and that too many of those who have pretended to desire and endeavour our security and reformation , have set up for atheism , or at least have declared themselves enemies to the scripture , the deity of christ , the publick ministry , and all ordinances . and it is not much different whether we have our bibles , our services , and publick administrations in latin , or whether we have none at all . these things do witness against us , and unless we do throughout the nation , set upon a serious and vigorous reformation , we may expect our candlestick will be removed ; and that we shall either be stript of all our present enjoyments , or at most but inherit the name of them . and if such days do come , then all who will live godly , must certainly suffer persecution . nor do i at all doubt , but if either popery , or atheism , or both , have in these nations , the countenance and incouragement of a prince , the very same men who are now violent against protestants , and pious people , will then with greater fury persecute , oppress and destroy all that will either own and worship god , or reprove themselves avowed protestants . let us therefore study the scripture diligently , be thoroughly informed in the christian faith , get our hearts raised to an unconquerable admiration and love of the blessed jesus . let us take heed of placing too much confidence on a natural resolution , or humane strength . let us learn to resign up our selves entirely unto christ ; and pray daily that we may not fear any of those things which we shall suffer , but that we may be so strengthened and assisted by the spirit of grace , that we may approve our selves faithful unto death . thus we may attain to inherit a crown of glory , which god of his infinite mercy bring every one of us unto , for the merits sake of jesus christ , our blessed and only saviour , and redeemer , to whom with the father , &c. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a28594-e190 mr. hunt's appendix to his argument for bps. right in judging in capital causes in parliam . p. 84. notes for div a28594-e880 dr. stillings . pref . to irenic . doct. 1st . 2ly . john 16. 2. 1. king. 22. 24. prov. 1. 11. 13. 3ly . heb. 6. 5. 6. jer. 20. 10. mat. 14. 3. john 15. 19. eph. 2. 2. luk. 22 3 , 4. 4ly . 1 pet. 4. 15. 1 cor. 10. 22. zech. 2. 8. luk. 18. 7. 2. dr. stilling . irenic . praef . mat. 27. 19. js . 65. 25. lam. 4. 3. 1 tim. 4. 2. john 8. 44. vers . 45. dan. 5. vers . 5. vers . 9. 1st . vid. dr. burnet's pref. to his hist . of the rights of princ. &c. vid. res . of house of comm. jan. 10. 80. which seems very consonant with our soveraign . judgm . when at braeda . answ . present state of protest . in france , p. 21. dr. burnets fast serm. on 30 of jan. 1681 p. 16. 3ly . dr. fowler 's assize serm. 1681. p. 29. dr. sharp's serm. before the house of commons april . 11. 1679. is . 66. 5. is . 48. 1. serm. before the house of lords , novemb . 5 th . 1680. p. 8. id. p. 20. id. p. 28. dr. burnets hist . refor . part . 2 d. p. 396. 4ly . 5ly . amos 6. 3. to the 8. v. dr. burnet's praef . to his hist . of the rights of princes in the disposing of * ecclesiastical benefices , &c. p. 54. &c. vid. present state of the protestants in france , and the policy of the clergy of fran. to destroy the protestants of that kingdom . id. p. 59. id. p. 62. 6ly . the wounds of an enemie in the house of a friend. being a relation of the hard measure sustained by miles halhead, and thomas salthouse, for the testimony of jesus: particularly in a long, and sore, and close imprisonment, first at plymouth, and then at exeter in the county of devon, though they have neither offended the law of god, or of the nation. published for the clearing of their innocency from the cloud of transgression, of which they are supposed highly guilty, and by reason of their silent abiding such sharp, and long, and cruell sufferings. halhead, miles, 1613 or 14-1689 or 90. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a96961 of text r2977 in the english short title catalog (thomason e870_7). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 169 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 41 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a96961 wing w3665 thomason e870_7 estc r2977 99872241 99872241 168369 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a96961) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 168369) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 131:e870[7]) the wounds of an enemie in the house of a friend. being a relation of the hard measure sustained by miles halhead, and thomas salthouse, for the testimony of jesus: particularly in a long, and sore, and close imprisonment, first at plymouth, and then at exeter in the county of devon, though they have neither offended the law of god, or of the nation. published for the clearing of their innocency from the cloud of transgression, of which they are supposed highly guilty, and by reason of their silent abiding such sharp, and long, and cruell sufferings. halhead, miles, 1613 or 14-1689 or 90. salthouse, thomas, 1630-1691. [2], 80 p. printed for giles calvert at the black spread-eagle, near the west end of pauls, london : 1656. annotation on thomason copy: "march. 21"; also the last number of the imprint date has been marked through. reproduction of the original in the british library. eng salthouse, thomas, 1630-1691. halhead, miles, 1613 or 14-1689 or 90. quakers -england -early works to 1800. persecution -england -early works to 1800. a96961 r2977 (thomason e870_7). civilwar no the wounds of an enemie in the house of a friend.: being a relation of the hard measure sustained by miles halhead, and thomas salthouse, f halhead, miles 1656 29773 6 0 0 0 0 0 2 b the rate of 2 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2008-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-05 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-06 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2008-06 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the wovnds of an enemie in the house of a friend . being a relation of the hard measure sustained by miles halhead , and thomas salthouse , for the testimony of jesus : particularly in a long , and sore , and close imprisonment , first at plymouth , and then at exeter in the county of devon , though they have neither offended the law of god , or of the nation . published for the clearing of their innocency from the cloud of transgression , of which they are supposed highly guilty , and by reason of their silent abiding such sharp , and long , and cruell sufferings . even the sea monsters draw out the brest , they give suck is their young ones ; the daughter of my people is become cruel , like the ostriches in the wildernesse . lam. 4.3 . have the workers of iniquity no knowledge ? who eate up my people , as they eate bread , they have not called upon god . there were they in great fear where no fear was , for god hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee , thou hast put them to shame , because god hath despised them , psal. 53.4 . the dark places of the earth , are full of the habitation of cruelty , psal. 74.20 . for the oppression of the poor , for the sighing of the needy , now will i arise , saith the lord , i will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him , psal. 12.5 . if he turn not he will whet his sword , he hath beat his bow and made it ready , he also hath prepared for him the instruments of death , he ordaineth his arrowes against the persecutors . psal. 7.12 , 13. london : printed for giles calvert at the black spread-eagle , near the west end of pauls 1656. the wounds of an enemy , in the house of a friend . miles halhead and thomas salthouse being pressed in spirit , to visite the seed of god in captivity in plymouth in the county of devon , left their outward beings , and relations in the north , and passed thitherward as far as hunniton near the city of exeter , where a guard being placed for the apprehending of such persons as were suspected to have had a hand in an insurrection broke forth a little before ( whilst they were on their journey ) at salisbury , and dispersed at southmoulton , in the county aforesaid , they were taken up by them and brought before colonel cappleston , high-sheriff of the county , upon suspition of being cavileeres , and having had a hand therein ; who having examined them , though he confessed he did not believe them to be cavalieres , not any thing appearing upon , or against them , as matter of suspition , yet caused he them to kept close prisoners , at exeter for the space of about fourteen dayes , and then sent them from officer to officer towards their homes . but being come two miles from taunton on the way to bridgwater , the officer that conducted them from thence , fell to the ground , and lying grovelling thereon in the sight of divers people , was able to goe no further , whereupon they returned back to the justice at taunton , and acquainted him with what had befallen the officer he sent with them , and to know what further he would injoyn them , who after some consideration , told them he would have no more to doe with them , and having set them at liberty desired the lord to be with them . hereupon they passed to bristoll , where , and in the country thereabouts , having stayed some time they departed , being moved of the lord towards plymouth againe ; having with them a friend of bristoll , born at exeter , and certificates from the captaine of the fort at bristoll , and of a justice , concerning them , and their good affections to the common wealth ; which before they had not , being ignorant , when they came out of the north , of any such occasion as had fallen out , whilst they were on their way , that might require any such thing . and so , through the hand of the lord , they came to plymouth the sixteenth day of the month called may , 1655. and there had severall peaceable meetings , in the houses of friends , to whom they ministred what they had heard , and seen , and handled of the word of life , and were made manifest with mighty power to that of god in the consciences of many to whom they were sent , who being thereby turned from darknesse to light , and the eye being opened in them , which the god of this world hath blinded , the captives came to witnesse deliverance , even the acceptable time , the day of salvation . the standard of the lord being thus set up , many people flock thereunto , insomuch that the house of john harris , a friend near the town , where a meeting was appointed to be on the first day of the week following , being not able to receive them , they went into his garden , and to them both in the fore and afternoon did they declare the truth of the experience of what they had found of the free grace of god which brings salvation manifested in them , provoking them unto love , and to good works , according to the scriptures of the prophets , and apostles , as the spirit gave them utterance , exhorting them in the words of sobernesse and truth full of plainnesse and simplicity , and tending onely to the advancement of the kingdome of christ amongst men , without using any inveighings against men , or opinions , and were approved of by those that heard them , though severall came onely to hear some new thing . having both of them spoken , and finished what they had to say , george brookes then priest of the nightingale friggot , a man whom they knew not , spake to the people a pretty space of time , wholly in the praise and commendation of what they had said , affirming it to be the eternall truth , and exhorting them to perseverance , from that scripture , take heed that yee receive not the grace of god in vaine , telling them that they must expect to suffer persecution ; but the principle from whence he spake being seen in the light of jesus christ , which changeth not , with which he was comprehended , thomas salthouse said that he had spoken many good words , and faire speeches , but asked him whether he lived the life of what he spake , for that it was he that had the witnesse in himselfe that setteth to his seale that god is true ; and their friend who came with them from bristoll as aforesaid , told him , he had spoken of a trinity in unity , and a unity in trinity , when as no such language was to be found in the scriptures ; which being ended , thomas salthouse spake a few words more to the people , exhorting them in the words of the apostle , let him that stole , steal no more ; and made use of the words of christ , he that entreth not in by the doore into the sheep-fold , but climbeth up some other way , the same is a thiefe , and a robber ; which he directed not to george brookes , or any one in particular : miles halhead having not spoken one word , nor thomas salthouse otherwise then as afore rehearsed , and so the meeting ended . but the persecution raised against them , then began ; in which the priest aforesaid , to fulfill the words himselfe had said , ( to wit ) that they must expect to suffer persecution , was instrumentall ; and on what was then said to him , being in truth no otherwise then what have been said , as ten honest men of plymouth , then present , have attested under their hands , which is hereunto annexed , is laid the pretended ground of the long and cruell sufferings , which they have , and doe still undergoe , hereafter mentioned . for on the third day of the week following , being the 21 of the month called may , the day before they intended to depart the town , miles and thomas being at a meeting of friends in robert caryes house in the town ; the counstables came thither with a warrant from john page mayor , out of which they took them , and their friend of bristoll , and them having apprehended , they brought before the mayor at his house , who after a few words spoken to them , sent them to prison at the gild-hall , without signifying any crime they had committed , that might deserve a restraint . the next day they were brought from prison before the mayor , magistrates , and counsell , and the priest of the town , and severally examined , the doores being shut and all who were their friends turned out by the constables , not one being suffered to be present at their examination , who any wayes favoured them , to testifie in their behalfe ; and having examined them after this manner for the space of about three hours , they released their friend of bristoll , and returned the other two to prison . in which having continued them some dayes , a friend applyed himselfe to the mayor , and desired of him to know for what they was committed , who positively answered , that they were detained for denying the trinity , and that there had been oath taken before them , for that purpose ; to which accusation though they had fully answered at their examination , yet that their innocency might more clearly appear , they wrote a letter to the mayor , declaring what they held therein , according to the scriptures , against which they excepted not . after the perusall of which , the friend aforesaid went to the mayor againe , to know whether that had given him any satisfaction , and if so , to know what further he had to say against them ; to which the mayor ( finding nothing of exception in their letter , concerning the trinity , which would beare any weight ) answered , that they were detained for refusing to take the oath of abjuration , and upon suspition that they were jesuites ( though many who are any ways ingenious , freely declared they had no such thoughts of them , as indeed they afforded no matter for any such suspition , being plain husband-men , and such as had never been out of this island ) whereupon they sent the mayor a second letter , wherein they set down more plainely the grounds wherefore they could not sweare , then they were admitted to manifest at their examination , though for refusing to take the oath of abjuration the proclamation that inforceth it gives no power of imprisonment , nor injoyns any such thing . notwithstanding all which , having kept them then prisoners for the space of a week ; the mayor sent them in custody the 28 of the same month to the common goal in the castle at exeter , with a warrent under his hand ; wherein he chargeth them , not with the denyall of the trinity or refusing to take the oath of abjuration of popery , the causes as he before said of their imprisonment : but as being apprehended as disturbers of the publick peace , and for divers other high misdemeanours against a late proclamation prohibiting the disturbing of ministers , and other christians in their assemblies and meetings , and against an ordinance of his highnesse the lord protector , and his counsell , lately made against duels , and challenges , and all provocations thereunto : and for refusing to give sufficient suretyes for their personall appearance at the next generall sessions of the peace , to be held for the county of devon , and in the mean time to be of the good behaviour against his highnesse the lord protector , and all his leige people , as by the copy of the warrant at large appeareth : when as they disturbed not the peace in the least , nor them whom they call ministers , nor other christians in their assemblies and meetings , for they were with none of them , nor were any other whilst they had been in the town ; but disturbed they were in their meetings by the mayor , who by his constables and warrant took them out from their meetings , and imprisoned them without a cause , and contrary to the said ordinance , and to the government , which article 37 saith in these words . that all that professe faith in god by jesus christ , though differing in judgement from the doctrine , worship , and discipline publickly held forth , shall not be restrained from , but be protected in the profession of the faith , and exercise of their religion , so as they abuse not this liberty to the civill injury of others , and to the actuall disturbance of the peace , on their parts . provided that this liberty be not extended to popery , prelacy , and to such as under the profession of christ hold forth and practice licentiousnesse . nor challenged they any to duells , or gave any provocation thereunto : the principle by which they are guided , leading out of strifes , debates , and quarrellings ; and the root from whence they proceed ( to wit ) the spirit that is in men , that lusteth unto envy ; and with all men have they peace as far as is possible . and for that clause , for refusing to give sureties for their good behaviour , &c. it would be a matter of admiration that the mayor did not blush to give such a notorious untruth under his hand , when as he knowes two sufficient able men , as to the outward ( to wit ) robert cary , and arthur cotton of that town , were bound before him in such a recognizance for their appearance , as he required , though the next day he made it voyd , were it not that his illegall and oppressive proceedings , and the manifest other lyes with which the warrant is filled , renders him as one that will know no shame . all which more at large appeareth in their answer to this warrant , and the testimony of eleven honest men of that town , who were eye and ear witnesses of these passages , delivered under their hands to major generall disbrow , before the sessions hereafter mentioned , to the truth of their said answer . and for the divers other high misdemeanours , they are yet to mention , and therefore there needs nothing in reply ; for all men who understands the law , know , that a generall charge requires no particular reply , and is as much as nothing . only this may be observed , that he who had so contrary unto law imprisoned them , and kept them for the space of a week , and during that time had shifted from one thing to another as the cause thereof , as hath been said , and then sent them to exeter prison , with this warrant full of other abominable falshoods , there being not one true assertion therein , would no doubt have formed something or other in relation thereunto , had it come within the reach of his invention , which had created and expressed so many therein , known to himself to be so contrary to truth ; and also in his , and his brethrens filthy flattering letter to generall disbrow , in excuse of their unjust proceedings against these innocent servants of the lord , made up with other abominable untruths , by which they endeavoured to beget in him a good opinion of them , for so doing , and to continue his favour to their town , as by a copy of their letter , and miles and thomas answer thereunto , added to this relation , at large appeareth . but being brought to exeter upon the warrant aforesaid , there they continued in the common goal , lying on the ground , untill the generall sessions of the peace of the county held there the tenth of the month called july following , on the 12 day of which month , they were brought before the sessions , to whom the clerk read a bill of indictment exhibited against them upon the ordinance for preventing of duells , wherein was expressed : that they the said thomas and miles not fearing or regarding the same ordinance , and the penalties therein contained , did the 20 of may , 1655. at plymouth in the presence and hearing of divers honest persons then and there being , use diverse disgracefull provoking words and gestures to george brooks clerk in the nightingale friggot , he being then opening and declaring to the same persons a certain place of scripture , wherein he spake something of the holy trinity ( viz. ) thou ( the said george brooks meaning ) lyest in saying there were three persons in the trinity , we deny it , there is no such thing ; but thou art a deluding spirit come to draw away the hearts of the people from god . and further , they did farther speak to the people then present , that they should not hearken to the said george brooks , for that he was a thief , and was come with a lye in his mouth , and had stoln what he had from others , and had it in his hand , pointing to the bible which was then in the said george brooks his hand open . and further did say it was a lye which the said george brooks had brought , and other harms to the said george brooks then and there did contrary to the form of the said ordinance , and against the publick peace . how utterly untrue in every particular this indictment is , both as to the matter and manner of the accusation charged therein , is clearly manifested in the relation aforesaid , of the passages at the meeting , the truth of which is testified under the hands of diverse honest men at plymouth which were present as aforesaid , and the testimony of many more could be had , were not those enough , and in the answer of miles and thomas thereunto , added to this relation ; but having wronged the innocent in that high manner as is expressed , it concerned them , at least , to have something , how false soever , to pretend as a colour in law , as the cause of their so doing . miles halhead spake not a word at the discourse , upon which occasion is taken , and the ground of this indictment laid , and he that saith nothing cannot be made an offendor for a word , though there be that make a man an offendor for a word that is none indeed : nor doth that ordinance require , or any law , that if one man transgresse it ( were it so that thomas salthouse had so done ( which is denyed ) two should suffer , that were to destroy the righteous with the wicked , unto which the law is a terror ; and yet hath miles halhead been imprisoned and indicted , & suffered hath he though he was altogether silent , and without so much as any thing that might be a pretence of offending in the least that ordinance , or any other law of god , or the nation . nor did thomas salthouse speak one word to george brooks in particular , as to what the indictment chargeth ; true it is , after george brookes had spoken so largely in the praise of what they had declared from the lord , saying , it was the eternall truth , and exhorted the people to take heed that they received not the grace of god in vain ; thomas salthouse comprehending the principle from whence he spake , in the light of jesus christ which changeth not , said unto him to this effect , thou hast spoken many good words , and faire speeches , but doest thou live the life of what thou speakest ? for it is he that hath the witnesse in himself , that setteth to his seale that god is true : which were savory words , and feasonable for the directing of his mind , and the hearers also , to see that they witnessed indeed what they spake and professed , and to speak and professe no more then they witnessed , that so he and they might not be deceived with the subtilty of the serpent , in thinking they had that which was eternall life , when in the day of tryall it would appear to be no such matter . this was love to his soule , though in requitall he hath made it matter of persecution . had they come in wayes of craftinesse to deceive , they would have cherished his testimony to the truth of what they had spoken , and not have questioned it with such expressions . allow the dragon but a place in heaven , and he shall cry out , these are the servants of the most high , which shew us the way to salvation ; but cast him out into the earth , his proper seat , and then he makes war with the lamb , and those who have the testimony of jesus . he also exhorted the people , in the close of all , after the end of the discourse aforesaid , in the words of paul , let him that stole steale , no more , and made use of the words of christ , he that entreth not in by the door , into the sheep-fold , but climbeth up some other way , the same is a thief , and a robber ; but directed them not to george brookes , as the indictment hath falsly charged it , nor to any one in particular ; but had they been directed unto him , or to any other in particular , are those words of paul , and of christ , and the language of scripture , disgracefull words , provocations to duells , let that of god in every mans conscience speak , and judge ? therefore behold , i am against the prophets , saith the lord , that steale my words every one from his neighbour , that use their tongues , and say , he saith . had jeremiah lived in these dayes , and spoken these words now , the false prophets now who smite with the fist of wickednesse , would certainly have indicted him upon the ordinance for preventing of duells , and were christ jesus and paul who spake as aforesaid , and all the prophets and holy men of god , now alive in this nation , testifying as they did to the generations in which they lived , of which the scripture bears record , the same would they receive from the priests , and men of this generation ; and yet we find not that the false prophets of old , did indict them for so speaking , as provocation to fightings , nor did they pretend to any law as a cover for so doing ; so far doe the priests and men of this generation , who in works pretend to the prophets , and christ jesus , and the apostles , and the holy men of god , and the scriptures , outstript their fore-fathers in a sottish and malicious persecuting of the truth ; for till this example , the like hath not been heard of since the foundation of the world , and is voyd of understanding , and ridiculous amongst all rationall men . on this foot , he that tells an envious person that he is a murderer , and he that looks on a woman to lust after her is an adulterer , and the covetous person , that he is an idolater , and he that speaketh a divination of his own heart for the word of the lord , useth witchcraft , and he that knowes not , nor speakes from the mouth of the lord , is a dumb dog that cannot bark ; and he that saith when the lord saith not , is a devourer , the murderer of soules ; and he that biteth with his teeth , and prepareth war when men put not into his mouth , is a greedy dog , and those who are in the nature and generation of the pharisees , who professe what they are not , and persecute and murder the life of what they professe where it is manifested , are serpents , generation of vipers , with such like : would be indicted as offendors against the ordinance for preventing of duells . he that taketh what is none of his as to the things without , the things of this world , is a thief , and truly is so judged and accounted of . he that taketh the words of the prophets , and christ jesus , and the apostles , which they spake from the life , and useth his tongue , and saith , the lord saith , when the lord spake not to him , having not the life that spake them forth , taketh that which is none of his , and is a thief , as to the things which are within , the things that are spirituall , and truly is so judged and accounted of . he that steals without hath an outward law to passe upon him as a transgressour ; he that steals within hath the law of christ jesus by which he shall also be judged ; for further then the outward , the law of man hath no power , and this is agreeable to that of god in every mans conscience ; also to the ordinance against duells , which they , and all the children of light own in its place , as a bearing of the sword against fightings , quarrellings , evill speakings , and such like , as evill doing , which the principle of light which is jesus christ discovers , and witnesseth against , and the root from whence they proceed ( to wit ) from mens lusts that are within them . and he that said , let him that stole steale no more , was the minister of god , who addeth the law upon the transgressour ; and he that said . he that entreth not in by the doore into the sheep-fold , but climbeth up some other way , the same is a thief and a robber , is the law-giver , the prophet whom whosoever doth not hear in all things , shall be cut off from his people ; and he that said , i am against the prophets that steales my word every one from his neighbour , is the lord of glory who shall judge the quick and the dead by the man christ jesus , the law-giver , and minister of god , at his appearing and coming . but the priests have gotten a new weapon against the lamb ( to wit ) the ordinance against duells , and with it they will fight against his battle axes and weapons of war , ( to wit ) his witnesses , and none shall testifie against their deceit with a spirituall weapon ; but they will have it to be a carnall one , and will take an ordinance of man to fight against it , and judge it by , which never intended it . but their weapon formed shall not prosper , the overflowing scourge shall sweep away their refuge of lyes , and their coverings are ripping off , nor can the rocks and mountaines hide them from the wrath of him who sitteth on the throne , and judgeth righteously . and whereas something is mentioned in the indictment , of the trinity , one of them said , i know no such scripture that speaks of three persons in the trinity , but the three the scriptures speak of , the father , the son , and the holy ghost , these three are one , and that baptism , by one spirit , into one body , and the father , the word , and the spirit , the scriptures declare to be one , and he that hath the son , hath the father also , and this we own ; he that can receive it , let him . and this was spoken as to what g. brookes said of a trinity in unity , and a unity in trinity , which as he was told the scriptures no where spake . court . to this indictment they were demanded to answer guilty , or not guilty ? answer . we are not guilty in what is there charged upon us . court . by whom will you be tryed ? answer . by you whom the lord god of power hath set in authority , to judge righteously between man and man , and to put a difference between the precious and the vile , and set the oppressed free , from whom we doe expect justice and equity . court . will ye be tryed by god and the country ? answer . we are willing to be tryed by this bench , and desire that our accusers may be brought in , and that we may have liberty to speak for our selves , and make our defence against the false accusations laid to our charge . court . will ye be judges of your own case ? jaylor , take them away , which was done immediately . when they were first apprehended , and brought before the mayor and magistrates of plymouth , many honest people , who were present at the meeting aforesaid , and were ready in the hall to testifie the truth of things , were all turned out , and not a man or woman that favoured them permitted to stay , notwithstanding which , and the keeping fast of the doores of the common hall , that so none of them might returne in , did they in the presence of near one hundred of other people , desire openly , that if either man or woman , had any thing to lay to their charge , they would speak : but no man or woman appeared to speak , nor ever were their accusers brought face to face , that they might see them , or hear them speak . and now after seven weeks imprisonment , being brought before the sessions , and such an abominable pack of falshood , and lyes , in an indictment exhibited against them , unto which they pleaded not guilty ; and declared againe and againe in answer to what they required of them , ( to wit ) by whom will ye be tryed ? that they were willing to be tryed by the bench , whom the lord god of power had set in authority , to judge righteously between man and man , &c. as aforesaid , and desired their accusers might be brought in , and that they might have liberty to speak for themselves , and make their defence against the false accusations layed to their charge ; because they spake it not in the form of words which they would have , though they both pleaded , and submitted to a tryall , as aforesaid , and a jury might they have called , and tryed them by , or otherwise as they pleased ; they asked them whether they would be judges in their own case ? when as they desired no such thing , but to be tryed by them who were in authority , and turned them aside for a thing of naught , and called to the jaylor to take them away , which command of theirs was presently executed . and here let all that are sober , and who calmnly weigh things in the balance of equity , judge , whether innocent men in a case of this nature , wherein without a cause , and contrary to the law of the land they were imprisoned , and so hardly dealt withall , and wickedly indicted , and stood before enemies , having largely experienced that neither law nor justice had took place in their behalfe ; but oppression and cruelty as hath been mentioned , should , for their parts , being demanded by whom they would be tryed , make in reason , equity , and justice , any other answer , then by those whom the lord god of power hath set in authority to judge righteously between man and man , and to put a difference between the precious and the vile , and to set the oppressed free , from whom they expected equity and justice ; or to put themselves on any other issues without being guilty of a manifest wilfull throwing away of their innocency , and of a continuation of sufferings by their own consent : if those in authority will have a tryall by other manner of men , that they cannot help , and of their sufferings that might follow thereupon , they are not accessary , nor will it by such men be judged a contempt of authority in that they submit to a tryall . a man will in reason chuse to have right taken away from him by force , rather then to put himselfe upon an issue , from which he can expect no other , and so as it were by his own consent to give it away . and to that of god in the consciences of those then present , and of all others , who seriously observe , with what rage , and malice , these innocent people are prosecuted , and how contrary to law , and justice , proceedings are every where had against them ; as if they were fit onely to be destroyed , yea , even to that of god in the consciences of their enemies themselves , doe i appeal , whether righteous judgement can be by them expected from those , whom the lord god of power hath not set in authority to judge righteously between man and man , and to put a difference between the precious and the vile , in things relating to the kingdome of jesus christ , which can onely be seen and judged in his light , to whom all judgement is given both in heaven and in earth ; and the children of light can give consent to no other judgement , and tryall ; nor , from any other can they expect right , and judgement , but where that is . but to put this matter out of doubt , and to manifest how instead of seeking judgement , and relieving the oppressed , which the lord requires who is a god of judgement , the needy are turned aside from judgement , and the righteousnesse of the righteous taken from him . those who understand the law , know , that as to all indictments of trespasse ( of which nature this is pretended to be ) of misdemeanor , and breach of the peace , to answer not guilty , or to put in a traverse is a sufficient legall plea ; and the clerk of the peace is to record it , and joyne issue , and is punishable , if he doth it not : and that onely in cases of life , the law or custome of england requires the person indicted to joyne this issue of saying , by the country , when after he hath pleaded not guilty , it is demanded of him , by whom he will be tryed ? and here all people may take notice what measure of injustice these innocent servants of the lord receive , who are sent to prison instead of being heard in their just defence , and their accusers brought forth , when after they had legally pleaded these things were by them lawfully demanded : and how contrary to law , and justice , and to the libertyes of englishmen lately vindicated with so much blood , is this proceeding ? how plainly doth it speak as if no other thing were intended in bringing them to the bar , then to asperse , and destroy their innocency , as their libertyes had been before injured by above seven weeks imprisonment ; and by arraigning them as abominable offenders in the face of the country , to endeavour to render them odious to the people who had heard so much of their oppressions , and thereby amongst them to seek to beget a beliefe that their sufferings were just , from which least they should clear themselves , and in so doing their long sufferings come to an end , ( which to lengthen and make grievous to the purpose resolutions were had ) to prison they are sent , and the benefit of the law denyed them in a tryall . what greater injustice can there be then this , and oppression ? what higher violation of law , and liberty ? of these things the roman heathen were not guilty , and to be so dealt withall the worst of their adversaryes would cry out against ; were it his own case , as justly he might . yet this is the measure which the witnesses of the great and living god receive from this adulterous generation , and who is there that regardeth , or layeth it to heart ? though it is every mans concernment , and may become the condition of others , how soon they know not . to close this particular , let the wise in heart judge , whether amongst those a man is found whom the lord god of power hath set in authority to judg righteously between man & man , & to put a difference between the precious and the vile ; who , thus , turne aside the needy from judgement , and take the righteousnesse of the righteous from him ? and whether they had not cause to say , being asked by whom they would be tryed , that they desired to be tryed by such whom the lord god in power had set in authority to judge righteously , as aforesaid . about the space of an houre after they were called in again . court . it is thought fit that you take the oath of abjuration because of your contempt of authority , which accordingly was to them tendred , and a bible holden to them , that they might swear . answer . in the presence of the eternall god , and before all this people , we doe deny with as much detestation , as any of you doth , the pope , and his supremacy , and the purgatory , and all therein mentioned , and declare freely against it ; and we doe not deny to swear because of any guilt that is upon us , but in obedience to the command of christ , who saith , swear not at all ; and we will not come under the condemnation of an oath for the liberty of the outward man : after which they were returned to prison . the mayor of plymouth when he first apprehended them , tendred them this oath , which when they had refused , and given the reasons of their so doing , he sent them back to prison , and afterwards signifying that as the cause of their detainment to a friend , they sent him in writing more fully their answer there unto , then they had liberty to expresse , when they were examined ; but there still continued them prisoners : and now after seven weeks further durance , it was tendred them againe , and they refusing are returned againe to prison . christ jesus the onely a beggoten son of god , by whom the b world was made , the c light of the world , who d lighteth every one that cometh into the world , who is greater then e solomon , who is f davids g root , and lord , whose day h abraham saw , and rejoyced ; whom i the angels of god are commanded to worship ; who is the k end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth : l the surety of a better testament ; the m mediator of a better , of the n everlasting , new covenant : the o prophet whom moses said the lord their god should raise up like unto him , whom they should hear in all things whatsoever he should say unto them , and it shall come to passe , that every soule that will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from amongst the people : he who p said heaven , and earth , shall passe away , but my word shall not passe away : who q came not to destroy the law , of the prophets , but to fulfill : who is r the oath of god , the ſ end of contention and strife where he is witnessed , the amen , the faithfull and true witnesse , t the judge of all , whose u sheep hear his voyce , saith , you x have heard it hath been said by them of old time , thou shalt not forswear thy selfe , but shalt performe unto the lord thine oathes ; but i say unto you , swear not at all , but let your communications be yea , yea , and nay , nay , for whatsoever is more then these cometh of evill . then which there is no command in scripture more plaine , and positive , either for obedience to magistrates , or forbidding to doe that which is evill . and the apostle james saith , but z above all things my brethren swear not , neither by heaven , neither by the earth , neither by any other oath , but let your yea be yea , and your nay , nay , least ye fall into condemnation . and yet how are his sheep the children whom the father hath given him , and who in obedience to this his command , dare not to swear at all , but are come to the yea and nay in their communications , imprisoned and cruelly dealt withall throughout this nation , for refusing in conscience to swear at the will of man ; who calls himselfe a magistrate of god , and requires obedience as to the minister of god to this his command , which is contrary to the command of the higher powers , jesus christ by whom a kings reigne , and princes execute justice , to whom b all power belongeth , unto whom the father hath committed all judgement , and at whose c name every knee shall bow , of things in heaven , and things in earth , and things under the earth , and every tongue shall confesse , and who will render d tribulation , and anguish upon every soule that doth evill , to the jew first , and also to the gentile , for there is no respect of persons with god . and yet those who swears , where they forbid , them they punish , and thus doe they exalt themselves above all that is called god . the bloody persecutors in the times of popery , thought not their other persecutions of the poor protestants to secure the papacy against them ; but the sacrament of the altar they had by a law , whereupon to examine them , by which they sought to destroy their consciences , or their bodies in the fire ; and many of their lives they had in witnesse of the truth against it : upon whose examinations the next question usually was , what say you to the sacrament of the altar ? and where they suspected a man to be a heretick ( as they called then the witnesse of the lord ) and had malice against him , presently was tendred the sacrament of the altar . the bishops of late who in words denyed the sacrament of the altar , and cryed out against the papists , for shedding of the blood of the martyrs , who testified against it , were not satisfied with what dispersions they had made of the tender conscientous puritans the witnesses then , against them , in , and out of these dominions ; but that their kingdome might be established , and remaine unmoveable , an oath , et caetera , they had , for every one to take , who should be admitted priest , to uphold the government by arch-bishops , bishops , &c. whereby to catch , and work out of the priesthood , and their beings , and lively hoods , the residue of those non conformable factious men , ( as they called them ) whom by no other device they could reach , or attach ; and at length the sword they drew , and joyned with the papists in a war against them . these carrying the war against the bishops , and papists , a part of them climbing up into the chaire of presbytery to affect , and establish the authority they intended over the state , and the consciences of their brethren in the three nations , had a covenant , and neither in church ( as they called it ) nor state ( and how universall as to others time had manifested , as it was by some timely foreseen , and understood , and prevented ) was any to be intrusted : but such as should subscribe to that , and as many of those as they could ( though never so deserving in the wars for the nations interest , of liberty , and justice , and faithfull ) turned they out of imployment , who in conscience scrupled it , as hereticks , and schismaticks , though above any of them they affectually answered the just and righteous ends thereof : but what use these men of the presbitery made of it against the libertyes of england , and what a snare it proved as to that , is not yet forgotten ; and when they saw they could not submit the army thereto , who were made the sword of the lord ; for the ending of the wars against the papists , and the bishops , they drew the sword against them , and their poor wasted countrey , and not prevailing in a first war , many of them joyned with the papists , and the bishops , and the then neighbour nation of scotland , and the rebells in ireland , and the common enemy yet to accomplish . and now an oath of abjuration of popery is found out , and tendred to them to swear , as suspected papists , upon the penalty of the sequestration of their estates , if they refuse , who have been known throughout their time , to be constant witnesses for the truth , and most faithfull to the common wealth , and its army , and have born the brunt and heat of the day in the late wars , with the perill of their lives in the field , and the losse of their estates , against the popish , prelaticall , and presbyterian party , and have been known all their time to be most contrary to popery , and now in life above any , witnesse against all popish and formall religion , who dare not in conscience to the command of christ , swear at all . and these are the men in severall parts , who are summoned by prelaticall , malignant , and presbyterian justices so called to abjure popery , or their names and habitations to be taken , and returned into the exchequer , for the sequestration of their estates ; and these are the men who are taken up in the country as they are upon their lawfull occasions , against whom there being no accusation in law , this oath is put to them , which because they refuse to take out of conscience to an oath , not daring to swear at all , because of the command of christ jesus the great law-giver , are imprisoned , where many of them have a long time layn , and doe yet lye , though contrary to law , not unknown to the chief in authority , some of whom have personally pressed it . and not only is this exercised upon men , but on women also , who till this day since the times of popery , were never known to be so used , but have been forborn , as that which hath been accounted below the dignity and spirit of a man to exact . and the next word now to any one who is reproached with the name of quaker , who are known out of conscience , not to dare to swear at all , is usually , give him or her the oath of abjuration of popery , though he be their neighbour , whom they know to be , and their consciences tells them , is far from any such thing ; and there they are sure to catch him , and to have their revenge on him for witnessing the truth as it is in jesus : when otherwise they cannot get him into the compasse or pretence of any law , and having fast here , there he may lye for the eternall truth for which he suffers , seeks not to man for deliverance , and those who should regard care little for the matter , and the cry of their oppressions seldome enters into their ears . thus in all ages hath error sought to support it self against the truth , and to ensnare the consciences of those of her children with oaths , when other manner of persecutions have not reached , that so she might be secure , and never know sorrow : which oaths , as they are out of the doctrine of christ , so a curse have they proved , instead of a defence , and the beginner and certaine fore-runner of the destruction and finall overthrow of that kingdome , as these and former generations have witnessed , though before in never so promising and flourishing condition , and seeming in its own eye to want nothing , but oaths to establish it . and now the witnesse of god is drawn forth against this , and all manner of swearing , and it is witnessing in sufferings , at the hands of those on whom was pressed the oath , &c. and the covenant , and who in their time suffered by , and testified and fought against those who imposed and sought to establish both ; and also against the bishops oath ex officio , which required a man to swear against himself ; and whether the imposing of an oath upon a man to abjure what is supposed to be his conscience wherewithall to worship god , upon the penalty of loosing his estate , if he refuse , be lesse , let the wise in heart , judge ? and whether upon the same ground , and by the same rule , the like oath may not be imposed as to any other thing , and exacted upon the same penalty ? the witnesse of god hath its time of raigning as well as suffering , and will as certainly raigne , as it doth suffer ; it was ever so in all ages , these later , above any , have known it so , and so it will be in this , and in the ages to come : let those whom it concerns , who have had a time of suffering and reigning , and now cause others to suffer , consider before it be too late , the judge standeth at the door , and according to the greatnesse and majesty of the truth that is witnessed , and the sufferings that attend its testimony , and the condition of those who cause it to suffer , as having been witnesses and sufferers themselves , and the sword of the lord upon that which hath caused to suffer , and have known his presence and mighty power therein wonderfully , and his strange overturnings , whereby to cause to raigne what hath been so testified unto by sufferings , will be the judgement , except they repent . you only have i known of all the families of the earth , therefore will i punish you for your iniquities , saith the lord . whilst they are the sufferings of sion , who is there that considereth or layeth them to heart ; but the rod of the wicked shall not alwayes lye on the back of the righteous ; there 's a time when the testimony of the truth in sufferings will be finished , and other men will have their day , who have cryed aha , and nagged the head , and stamped with the feet , and helped on their sufferings , and caused them to suffer , and looked on their brethren in the day of their distresse , wherein the lord will mock at their calamity and their sorrowes which shall come upon them , as on a woman in travell , and they shall not escape , whilst the righteous who have mourned in sion , joy in the lord , and rejoyce in the god of their salvation , having beauty for ashes , the oyle of joy for mourning , and the garments of praise for the spirit of heavinesse ; for god is judge . the next day they were brought before the bench again . court . will ye confesse that you wronged g. brookes , in calling of him thief , and be sorry for it , and make him satisfaction ? answ . one of us did not speak one word to him , and therefore i deny to make him satisfaction , or to be sorry for it , and what was spoken was no such thing ; therefore we will not lye for our liberty , nor confesse that we are sorry for that which we never spoke . court . you are fined five pound a piece , and must goe to the house of correction till payment , and to find sureties for your good behaviour ; and for refusing to take the oath , we shall take course to send to the north to seize on your estates , according to the proclamation . and so to prison were they returned , and what followes entred as the record of their proceedings . a calender of the prisoners tryed and delivered at the generall sessions of the peace publick holden at the castle of exon. july 10. 1655. thomas salthouse and miles halhead , for provoking words against george brooks , clerk , who refused to be tryed by the countrey , fined 5 l. a piece , committed to bridewell , till payment , and finding sureties for their good behaviour . and thus as the day before they were returned to prison , instead of being admitted to a tryall according to law , after the indictment against them was read , and they had made a sufficient legall plea thereunto , and desired their accusers might be brought in , and they liberty to speak in their own defence ; as aforesaid , so now judgement is given against them without a tryall , or hearing , or bringing in so much as one accuser , and yet the record saith , a calender of the prisoners tryed . have such things as these before these dayes been heard of in this nation ? is it not hereby manifest , that nothing but to cause the innocent to suffer is sought after by them , who to help those to right , that suffer wrong , and to relieve the oppressed , are entrusted by the law ? and is not the justice and relief of the law hereby made voyd , and of none effect , and trampled under foot by those who are in commission to execute justice ? what is become of liberty , of liberty for tender consciences ? if things must be so , talke no more of law , let not liberty come forth of your lips . when they were first imprisoned at plymouth , the mayor said they were detained for denying the trinity , then for refusing to take the oath of abjuration , then he sent them to the common goal at exeter , and charged them with disturbing of the peace , and other high misdemeanours against the act prohibiting the disturbing of ministers and other christians in their peaceable assemblies , and against the ordinance for preventing of duells , and for not finding sureties for their good behaviour . at this sessions they are indicted for disgracefull provoking words spoken to g. brookes , calling him thief , &c. that being read , they are had a way , and being brought again the oath of abjuration of popery was tendred them , after which they are returned to prison , and the next day are demanded to confesse that they had wronged g. brooks , in calling him thief , and to be sorry for it , and to make him satisfaction . ( what turnings are here , and falshoods traversed to destroy the innocent ? ) when as one of them spake not a word to him , and the other no such word , nor to any such purpose , as is contained in the indictment , as is already manifested , and as in their answer to the warrant by which they were committed , and the attestation of ten honest men at plymouth , delivered to generall disbrow , and in another declaration of theirs all hereunto annexed , at large appeareth ; and notwithstanding no accuser was ever brought to their faces , and thy heard in their own defence , or to speak for themselves , though both at plymouth , and this sessions they demanded it ; and because they denyed to make him satisfaction for what they never did , and to be sorry for words which they never spoke , and so to lye for their liberty . a legall tryall is denyed them , and without a tryall , or hearing , judgement given against them , wherein they are fined 5 l. a piece , and committed to bridewell till payment , and finding sureties for their good behaviour , after their having been kept prisoners for above seven weeks before , and in that manner as aforesaid , by those who had broke the law upon them in taking them from their peaceable meeting waiting on the lord , when as they had transgressed no law . and to make sure work have they cast them into a place which is no prison in law , and therefore a remove cannot be had out of it by a habeas corpus to the upper bench , nor falls it under the consideration of the judges in their circuits . doth our law judge a man before it hear him , and know what he doth ? and indeed well might they avoyd it , and be ashamed of their cause and proof , for besides a cloud of witnesses which could have been brought , and divers that were then present ready to give testimony to the contrary , as hath been mentioned , and of the innocency and harmlesnesse of that meeting , and what was said therein , upon which is grounded as is pretended the cause of all their sufferings . peter pepham one of the witnesses which were ready to swear against them , was heard to say the day before his going to exeter to this effect , i am going to swear against the quaker , and if swearing will doe it , i will make them to suffer soundly : he being a known cavaliere , and sometime a servant to duke hamilton . and besides g. brookes and his two witnesses , there is not one to be found of these many who made up the meeting , of whom divers came out of novelty to testifie what they affirm ; but the contrary for what they spake was generally well approved of . and to mention only one particular , one who had been a captain in the kings army , very well known in plymouth , did freely declare to a friend , that having a scorn and contempt of the men and their way , his end in coming to hear them , was to see what he could catch from them , to render them odious ; but having heard them , he confessed that he thought them to be harmlesse , innocent , honest men , and he would not lift up a finger against them , if he might gain thereby ten thousand pounds . and he freely declared to both the witn●sses with whom he was very well acquainted , that if they swore any evill against them , they would be perjured men . also that he never was so much convinced of the evill of his wayes , and the power of god , by any minister that he had heard for many years before . and for g. brookes himself , he is one whole conversation stinks in the nostrills of those who savour of civility and honesty , who know him and his conversation . there needs to this no further instance then of his beastly & wicked behaviour in the nightingale friggot , of which he was then priest , which was such , that even some of the seamen of that ship , justified one who reproved him to his face , of the vanity & madnesse , of his conversation , about three weeks before the meeting aforesaid , and told the said george brooks , that they should not be so wicked in their wayes , were it not for his example . and the steward of the ship aforesaid , in the presence of two or three witnesses affirmed , that he was had and wicked enough before the said george brooks came into the ship , but since , he was ten times worse ; and that he , and some other in the ship , could not endure to hear him preaching or bauling ( as he called it ) yea a friend of the said priests , who manifesting some dislike in the garden at the meeting aforesaid , that his friend g. brooks should be questioned by what spirit he spake , at length confessed , that his life was not conformable to his doctrine . and so abominable was his filthinesse , that in the same frigot was he made a publick example for his drunkennesse , having a quarter canne hanged about his neck , and is since for that and his other wickednesse set on shore , or turned out or the said ship , as appeareth by the certificates of the captain of that friggot , and two other captaines of friggots hereunto annexed . and yet in the cause and behalf of this son of belial , so full of lyes and falshoods in every particular , are the innocent servants of christ oppressed and afflicted , as if they were not fit to live , and after almost two months imprisonment lying on the ground , because they refused to confesse and be sorry for calling him thief , which they never did , nor was there any one that made proof thereof to their faces , after their long and hard bonds , as aforesaid ; for provoking words to him the said g. brookes ( as it is falsly alledged ) without a tryall , are they fined 5 l. a piece , and committed to the house of correction , till payment , and finding sureties for their good behaviour . and not only so , but for refusing to take the oath of abjuration out of conscience to the command of christ jesus ( none appearing to testifie to their faces that they suspected them to be papists , or popishly affected ) as an addition to the former , as if what hath been already expressed had not been enough suffering , they are told by the bench that therefore to the north would they send to have their estates sequestred , according to the proclamation ; and so in prison they are judged to lye , till they pay five pound a piece , where they owe nothing , and their estates to be sequestred , out of which they can only have money where withall to discharge it ; and whether this intended any other then a perpetuall imprisonment , let the reasonable judge . and that the abominablenesse of these illegall and oppressive proceedings may seem to have som cover in the record of the judgement given against them , without a hearing as aforesaid ; 't is inserted , who refused to be tryed by the country , when as they pleaded to the indictment not guilty ; and although his answer was enough in law , yet being demanded further , by whom they would be tryed ? they answered again and again , by you , the bench , whom the lord god of power hath set in authority to judge righteously between man and man , and to put a difference between the precious and the vile , and to set the oppressed free , from whom we doe expect justice , and equity , and desire that our accusers may be brought in , that we may have liberty to speak for our selves , and make our defence against the fals accusations laid to our charge . and upon what issue they pleased might the court have put them ; for though they being asked by whom they would be tryed , gave no other answer then hath been expressed : and for the reasons aforesaid , could they be in law , or equity , expected any otherwise to doe ; yet plead they did , and to tryall they submitted , by the bench , whom they owned to be set in authority by the lord god of power to judge righteously between man and man , &c. and desired that their accusers might be brought in , and their liberty to speak in their own defence , and had witnesses in their own behalf ready , and from them expected an issue , according to equity , and justice , and refused not to be tryed by the country , but submitted to be tryed by those whom god had set in authority to judge righteously , and such judgement is the lords , for god is judge , and no other judgement can the children of light put themselves upon , but his upon which as it rules man they put themselves , but not on the wills and lusts of men , as added or equall unto god , or joyned with him ; for man not guided by the ligh● of jesus christ , is blind , and dark , and erres in judgement , and is as the beast that perisheth , though even the wills and lusts of men in imposing sufferings upon them in their bodies , they doe not resist , as all parts of the nation sadly testifie , and particulary the town of plymouth , and city of exeter , and county of devon , the black habitations of cruelty , and persecuting of the just . nor is this the end , but rather the beginning of their sufferings , for the 16 of the said fifth month called july , being removed from the common goal in the castle of exeter , to bridewell in thomas parish near exeter , over and above the order of sessions , a guard of souldiers under the command of col. coppleston high sheriff of the county , who was formerly a commander for the late king in the wars against the parliament , was placed upon them , with strict warrant in writing , signed by one joyce a captain , to detain all such prisoners who came to visit them , whom in the warrant he in scorn calls quakers ( giving the prisoners aforesaid no other name therein ) especially such as they should suspect to be such ; who having shut them up in a close dark room , where they lay on the ground many dayes , kept them close prisoners , and with much violence intreated , and detained prisoners , those who came to visit them , whether of the town , or country , and to relieve them with necessaries , though they were strangers in that place , and above two hundred miles from their outward habitations ; yea such as looked in but at a hole where they lay , did they so use . and whereas there was a friend in the town who came to see them , him they imprisoned , though he knew not of any order for their close restraint ; and notwithstanding that he was then a constable of the parish , and a man known alwayes to be faithfull and active for the common-wealth , and its army , and of a godly and sober conversation ; whom also they sometime afterwards imprisoned again , for coming in to them , though he was there upon the perswasion of the officer , who when he asked for them , being unwilling to goe in , told him he might see them freely without danger , and went in with him , and stood between the souldiers and him ; but being there , private notice presently was sent to an attendant of the sheriffs , who ordered his detainment , and being kept in prison that night , the next morning he prevailed with the souldiers to bring him before the sheriff , who at first ordered him to prison again , but having heard him , released him with threatnings , what he would doe unto him , if he came there once more . and a woman of totnes in the same county , they kept two dayes and two nights on the guard , for coming to see them . and though upon the cry of these their sore oppressions , several friends , to the truth from divers parts of the nation came to see them , and to search whether , after all the blood that hath been shed , such sufferings could possibly dare to be exercised , amongst whom was some , who had been members of the army , and in places not of the least trust , and eminency in the nation , men of activity , and service , and of unspotted integrity , and of considerable estates , as to the outward in the world , yet have they received the same uncivill , and barbarous usage , some of them have been threatned to be taken into prison ; for being in the outward court , and speaking to them , others detained on the guard , and to their inns hath the mayor of the town sent his officers to know their names , as if they were some dangerous persons , and when they have asked , to see his warrant , when his officers have required them to come before him , a company of butchers was got to bring them thither by force , in case they had refused , though when they came before him , he had nothing to say unto them , wherefore they were thus dealt with ; and some have been had up to the castle , and kept in custody there , and searched , and others detained in their inns , as they have lodged there passing into the country , and searched , and their papers taken from them , though onely of private concernment ; and when any friends have obtained liberty to see them , the souldiers stand by to hear what they say . and lately seized them on all the papers of those two prisoners , and took them away . and to this day are they continued prisoners , and the guard of souldiers upon them , who imprison friends as aforesaid , according to their pleasure , though divers of them confesse that what they doe is against their conscience , and that they know no law for what they doe , and that it is contrary to the liberty they have fought for , but they must obey the orders of their superiour officers , or they shall be turned out of their places , and livelyhood : and even , when those cruelties have been exercised upon them , the cavaliers in the same prison , in custody upon the late insurrections , have had no guard upon them , nor their friends hindered from visiting them , and bringing them necessaries , and out of the prison have they leave to walk to friends houses without any one to attend them , onely those two innocent servants of the lord , who have been constant faithfull friends to the common wealth , are thus guarded , kept close prisoners , and dealt withall as is aforesaid , beyond the example of the highest offenders , whether of thieves , robbers , or murderers , in that county , of which particulars could be instanced were it not too large for this short relation . nor during the time of their long imprisonment ( to wit ) for near seven months under this close restraint , and above seven weeks before at plymouth , and the castle of exon , have their persecutors administred unto them , or caused any to take care that they had those accomodations that were necessary for men : but as if nothing else were intended , but the starving of them , and causing them to wear , and wast , and to dye in a miserable languishment , far from friends , and reliefe in the heat of summer , and sharp cold of winter , such hath been the cruell dealing with them , as hath been rehearsed without naturall affection , or common humanity , and contrary to all law , and justice , and liberty , and the righteous ends for which the late blood hath been shed , and the many and solemn ingagements made before , and to god , and this nation . and had not some broke through their violence , and other difficulties , and resolvedly watched all opportunities to relieve them , nothing had been expected as to men , but that they had long since perished with famine , and necessity . if a man hath broken the law it is something to him that the law is to be known and the punishment that it inflicteth for the breach thereof , by which he understanding the extent of the law , and having satisfied what it requires , may come to the end of his trouble . or if a man suffer being innocent upon a pretence of a law which he hath not offended , it is something to know what that law is , and what it requires of those who offend it : but neither to have offended the law of god , or the nation ; but to have both broken on him even by those who are in commission , as ministers of the law , for the protecting of the innocent , and punishing of the guilty , who thereby become themselves transgressours of the law , and lyable to the penalties thereof ; and yet neverthelesse being innocent to be by such punished as guilty beyond the direction of any law and contrary thereunto in long and cruell imprisonments ; and when brought before the bench to be denyed hearing and tryall according to law , and yet judgement to be given , wherein are exactions of such fines of other performances , for such causes expressed , as are utterly untrue , and the imprisonment to continue till there be a satisfying thereof ; and such an imprisonment as from it appeals cannot be had to the higher courts for justice , as house of correction are , which are no prisons in law , and therefore without the cognizance of the judges in the circuits , or the vpper bench by habeas corpus , and which to satisfie a man cannot without an acknowledgement of guilt , and giving away the righteousness of his cause , which is to be prized above all things , will be accounted very hard , and grievous , even by every man , who seriously makes it his own condition , as indeed it is every mans ; for what is done to the injury of one mans liberty , is done unto all : but to have hereunto added guards of souldiers , who have fought for liberty with whom , and in the same cause of liberty and justice a man hath ingaged his life , and what is dear to him , in the time of peace , after that cause hath prevailed , by such as have drawn the sword , and been in command against it , and by souldiers who formerly were the reliefe of the oppressed , to be oppressed , and kept close prisoners from friends and accomodations ( contrary to the law ; for in no case whatsoever doth it require a close imprisonment , but provides against it ) in a strange place some hundreds of miles from his outward being for many months together , in heat , and cold , of which he can understand no end , as he can know no reason for their so doing , and during all this time , having not so much as an accuser brought to his face , nor he heard in his own defence , against the manifold false accusations , and shiftings from one lye to another , as the pretence of his sufferings , and such friends as come to visit him , whether from far , or near at hand , citizen , or stranger , violently to be intreated , and detained in prison , yea for but looking in at a hole where he lyes : and if any obtain leave to see him , not to be permitted to speak with him without a souldier by to hear what is said , and to have his friends searched , and his , and their papers , and letters of private concernment only taken away , as if there were some dangerous treason by him designing , though he stands onely a prisoner of innocency , and never had any such thing layed to his charge , when as at the same time , and at the same prison those in custody , who have been cavaliers , and clapt up , as having had to doe in the generall insurrection , have had no guard upon them , but liberty of friends , and accomodations , and of going forth to their friends houses , without so much as a keeper ; and during this long and close imprisonment to have none appointed by those who cause him so to be kept to take care of him , and to administer the reliefe that is fitting to a man , nor to have any reliefe to be administred to him , by such , or in such a way , would be esteemed highly oppressive , and unsupportable , even by the chiefest of their persecutors , were it , or did he make it his own condition , and the soule of every english man , would it greatly afflict who retaines the sence of another mans condition , as of his own , and is not blinded with prejudice , and hurried with rage , and madnesse by the prince of the aire , who rules mightily in the children of disobedience , beyond bowells and naturall affection . and this is the case , and this is the condition of these two innocent servants of the lord , who having all their dayes been seeking after the lord , and walking in that which is called good conscience , and godlinesse , and having at length through the riches of that free love of god in jesus christ , come to find what they had so diligently sought for , even eternall life , which is in the son , and to witnesse it in their measures , and in the light of jesus christ , by whom the world was made to comprehend and see where all professions and people are , who know not nor believe in the light , ( to wit ) jesus christ the light of the world , who lighteth every one that cometh into the world , nor doe witnesse the life of jesus made manifest in them , as by the light they have been brought to see it in their owne particulars ; and knowing the terrours of the lord , out of bowels of love to the precious soules of people , which are eternall , and at the command of the lord have left their country , and relations as to the outward in the north , and travelled for their sakes to shew unto them what they had found , and tasted , and seen , and handled of the word of life , that so their soules might be saved in the day of the lord jesus ; and being come thither , did no other thing , then to meet in the fear of the lord , with friends to wait upon him , and to declare the truth of the experience of what they had found of the free grace of god , which brings salvation , manifested in them , provoking them unto love , and to good works according to the scriptures of the prophets , and apostles , and exhorting to holinesse , and the things that are eternall , as the day approacheth from the measure of the life of god , which they had received , as the spirit gave them utterance ; out of which meetings they were taken contrary to the practice of the church of christ , and the example of the saints in the scriptures , and the instrument of government ; and dealt withall as hath been mentioned : and which indeed is hardly to be believed ; but hath been said , is true , for no other thing , but as aforesaid , have they done , or that is not according to the righteous law of the holy god , which shall be answered with that in every mans conscience . and to make appear truly to the contrary , are all men here openly charged , who can , even their greatest adversaries , because of whose cruelty , and oppression , and to manifest what it is , this relation is undertaken . neverthelesse through the power of the lord , in whom is everlasting strength , whom they witnesse , and for whom they suffer , they glory in tribulation , and stands over the heads of their greatest enemies , who puffe at them , knowing , that he who shall come , will come , and will not tarry , when their testimony in sufferings is finished , for the seeds sake , and the glorious gospel of our lord jesus , for whom they suffer in bonds , and are ready even unto the death , from the hands of those , who professe him as dying at jerusalem , and yet crucifie him in his truth , & members , and have the generation of their forefathers from the beginning : and then neither guards nor gates shall be able to keep them ; for our god is king over the whole earth , and his kingdome is begun to be set up , and to him whom man despiseth , to him whom the nation abhorreth , to a servant of rulers kings shall see and arise , princes also shall worship , because of the lord who is faithfull , and the holy one of israel which hath chosen him , saith the lord , the redeemer of israel , and his holy one , who commandeth deliverance for jacob ▪ and kings shall be thy nursing fathers , and their queens thy nursing mothers , they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth and lick up the dust of feet , and thou shalt know that i am the lord , for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me . the sons also of those that afflict thee , shall come bending unto thee , and all those that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet , and they shall call thee , the city of the lord , the syon of the holy one of israel . whereas thou hast been forsaken , and hated , so that no man went through thee , i will make thee an eternall excelency , a joy of many generations . thou shalt also suck the milk of the gentiles , and shalt suck the breasts of kings , and thou shalt know that i the lord am thy saviour , and thy redeemer , the mighty one of jacob ; for thus saith the lord , even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away , and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered : for i will contend with them that contendeth with thee , and i will save thy children , and i will feed them that oppresse thee with their own flesh , and they shall be drunken , with their own blood , as with sweet wine , and all flesh shall know that i the lord am thy saviour , and redeemer the mighty one of jacob . and the nation , and the kingdome , that will not serve thee shall perish , yea , those nations shall be utterly wasted . therefore hear now this thou afflicted and drunken but not with wine , thus saith thy lord , the lord , and thy god that pleadeth the cause of his people , behold i have taken out of thy hand , the cup of trembling , even the dregs of the cup of my fury , thou shalt no more drink it againe ; but i will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee , which have said to thy soule , bow down that we may goe over , and thou hast layed thy body as the ground , and as the street to them that went over . a testimoniall of severall honest men of plymouth , concerning the meeting aforesaid , and the passages thereat , upon which is laid the pretended ground , and cause of the sufferings of miles halhead , and thomas salthouse , at which they were present . forasmuch as we are concerned in the sufferings of our dear friends thomas salthouse , and miles halhead , who have been kept close prisoners in and near the city of exeter almost six months contrary to equity , and justice , they having not broken the least clause of any law , we think it necessary to give a briefe relation of the state of their sufferings . after some trouble , and difficulty , which the said thomas salthouse , and miles halhead indured in coming to plymouth , may 16. 1655. they came safe to plymouth , where then had severall meetings with most of us , and the first day of the week following , we had a meeting which was appointed by us at john harris his house , a little out of the town , where both our friends spake in the forenoon , and afternoon , and were approved of by those that heard them , there being no lesse then thirty persons of the company in the afternoon , that came out of novelty to hear them , amongst whom was one george brooks a priest belonging to the nightingale friggot , who is since turned out of the said friggot , for his deboyst conversation , who ( after miles halhead and thomas salthouse had left speaking ) took upon him to speak to the people , highly approving of what our friends had spoken and exhorted the people to perseverance , telling them they must expect to suffer persecution ; he began with this text ( as they call it ) take heed that ye receive not the grace of god in vaine , but he being comprehended and seen in the light , after he had spoken , & ended without any interruption thomas salthouse entred into some discourse with him , telling him , that he had spoken many good words , and faire speeches ; but asked him , whether he lived the life of what he spoke ; and one standing by told him that he had spoken of a trinity , and there was no such scripture ; but he obstinately persisted , affirming that it was the scripture phrase : and after their dispute was ended , thomas spake againe to the people some few words , in which he used this scripture , let him that stole , steal no more ; and this also , he that entreth not by the door , but climbeth up some other way , the same is a thief and a robber : but the other of our friends namely miles halhead spake not one word to the priest , either about the trinity , or any thing else , who yet lyes in prison under colour of disgracefull provoking words he should speak to the same priest george brookes at the same meeting . now we testifie to all to whom these may come , that we have here truly declared , and manifested the very utmost that was spoken , or acted by our said friends , while they were in plymouth that might occasion to say , that either they denyed the trinity , that they gave provoking language to g. brooks , or any other , or that they disturbed any ministers or christians in their assemblies : but we rather judged our selves disturbed in our meeting by such a deboyst person , as the priest was known to some of us to be . the third day of the week following , may 21. we had another meeting appointed by us at robert caryes house in the town , where the constables came , and by a warrant from the mayor of the town took our said friends miles halhead , and thomas salthouse , and a friend of bristoll , and carryed them to the mayors house , who after a little talk with them , sent them to the prison at the guildhall , where they were kept till the next day , and then were brought forth before the mayor , magistrates , and counsell , and severally examined , and all that were their friends were drawn out from the rest of the multitude , and by the constables turned out of the hall , & not one suffered to be present , at their examination ; after they had examined them about three houres , the friend who spake not to the people was set free , with charge to be gone home , and the other two were again committed to prison , where they kept them near a week , and sent them to exeter goal , where they remained untill the sessions and were afterwards removed to bridewell in thomas parish , without the city , where they now remaine close prisoners . now whether their actions above truly related , have deserved such hard measure , let all who have understanding judge , to whom we shall leave it : but as for our parts , we are fully satisfied that these their sufferings have turned , and yet more abundantly shall turne to the furtherance of the gospel , it being known to most of the inhabitants of plymouth that this here related is the utmost for which they are imprisoned , & how many are ashamed of the injustice of it , we shall not now further mention ; but subscribe our names . nicholas cole . richard smith . ralph fogg . john harris . anthony todde . edward dyer . arthur cotton . robert cary . john martindale . richard lepincote . plymouth , 12. of the 9 month , or nov. 1655. the testimonies of the captaines of the nightingale friggot , and of the nantwich , and of the constant warwick , concerning the deboyst , filthy , and drunken conversation of george brooks priest , or clerk , with the reasons wherefore he was put on shore , or turned out of the said friggot . i having been formerly desired to relate upon what account that mr. george brooks chaplin of the friggot , and under my command was put on shore ; because he was a busiy body , and disturbed the whole ships company . secondly , being on shore , it was his common practice to abuse the creature in such sort , that he was drunken , voyd of good reason , that he would abuse any one that came in his company by ill language , besides the abuse of himselfe and the good creature , daily complaints coming unto me both aboard , and on shore . therefore knowing him to be a deboyst fellow , and not fit for that imployment , therefore i put him on shore , and i dare own it , who shall ever call me to question , witnesse my hand . robert vessay . mr. brookes being formerly with me in the nightingale i found him to be very idle , and continually drunk , which once made me to put a quarter can about his necke , whereunto i suscribe . john jeffery , captain of the nantwich . the person above mentioned i have seen drunk at shore , in testimony whereof i have set my hand . richard potter , captaine of the constant warwick frigot . a true copy of the warrant by which they were sent to the common goal in exeter , from the prison at plymouth . devon . john page , merchant , maior of the burrough of plymouth in the county aforesaid , and one of his highnesses justices of the peace within the said burrough . to the keeper of his highnesses goal at exon castle , or to his lawfull deputy in that behalfe , greeting . i send you herewithall by the bearer hereof , the bodies of thomas salthouse late of drugglibeck in the county of lancaster husbandman , & miles halhead late of kendal in the county of westmorland , lately apprehended here , as disturbers of the publick peace , and for divers other high misdemeanours against a late proclamation prohibiting the disturbing of ministers , and other christians in their assemblies , and meetings , and against an ordinance of his said highnes the lord protector and his counsel lately made against duells , challenges , and all provocations thereunto , who have refused to give sufficient security for their personall appearance at the next general sessions of the peace to be held for the county of devon , and in the mean time to be of good behaviour against his highnesse the lord protector , and all his liege people . these are therefore in his said highness his name to will , and command you that when the bodies of the said thomas salthouse and miles halhead , shall be unto you brought , you them safely detain , and keep them untill by due course of law they shall be thence delivered , hereof fail not at your perill . given under my hand and seal of plymouth aforesaid , the 28 day of may , in the year of our lord god 1655. john page , mayor . the answer of thomas salthouse , and miles halhead , to the above written warrant . a true copy of a miltimus , by which we thomas salthouse and miles halhead are committed to the goal at exon. by john page mayor of plymouth , with answers in defence of the truth , to the false accusations cast upon us , to make truth odious ; but for sions sake we cannot hold our peace , and suffer lyes to goe for truth . first accusation . disturbers of the publick peace . answer . the accusation is false , for we have not disturbed the publick peace , nor have we fellowship with any such as break the peace , but have freely declared the way that leads to peace , and doe desire that grace and peace may be multiplyed publickly to the ends of the earth , and that all the occasion of strife and envy may be taken away , and that the feet of them that are running on in the broad way that leads to destruction , may be turned into the way of peace . the second accusation . for divers other high misdemeanors against the late proclamation , by his highnesse the lord protector , prohibiting the disturbing of ministers , and other christians in their assemblies and meetings . answer . the breach of this proclamation we charge upon thee , who when we were assembled , and met together in a friends house to wait upon the lord , as hath been the practice of all christians in former ages , and which the law of this nation doth allow . thou sents the constables with a warrant from thee , and fetchest us out of the house from among our friends , and broughts us two before thee , and thou saidst thou hadst not time then to examine us , but sents us to prison . here let all people that love the light , whose eyes are open , judge , whether we or our accusers have broken and transgressed this proclamation , which we , and our friends claim our priviledge in , we being free born men , and friends to the common-wealth , and have disturbed none in their assemblies , nor were we at any publick meeting that thou canst charge upon us , but amongst our own friends , as many can witnesse for us if they may be heard . and here we charge upon thee that which thou callest misdemeanours , for we are clear in the thing , and what is charged upon us here , is false , as many can witnesse that our demeanour hath not been disorderly , nor contrary to the lawes of god , nor the lawes of this nation . and although the word diverse be mentioned , yet none in truth can be laid to our charge , nor proved against us . the third accusation . against an ordinance of his highnesse the lord protector , and his counsell , lately made against duells , challenges , and all provocations thereunto . answer . this accusation against us , is falsly charged upon us ; the act we own , and the magistrates sword of justice we own , which is for the punishment of evill doers , and the incouragement of them that doe well . our weapons are not carnall , but sprituall , nor have we challenged any man , nor done violence to any , nor provoked any , nor used any other language then scripture holdeth forth , as thee and thou to a particular person , whether he be king , priest , or prophet , judge , or justice ; and if any be offended by this , or provoked by it , let him speak , or write the unlawfullnesse of it ; for against fightings , quarrellings , challenging , and provoking one another to wrath by corrupt communications , doe we declare freely , knowing the ground of it ; for where envying and strife is , there is confusion , and every evill worke . the fourth accusation . whereas thou sayest , we have refused to give sureties for our personall appearance at the time and place mentioned . answer . let the light of christ in thy own conscience judge thee , and witnesse against thee , for us , and for our friends that can bear us witnesse that sufficient security was proffered to thee for our appearance ; but to make thy selfe manifest , and thy counsellors , how hast thou written these lyes in the name of the lord protector , and strengthned thy self to accuse the innocent , by using his name ; but to the children of light is thy deceit discovered and laid open . the fifth accusation . and whereas thou sayest , in the mean time to be of the good behaviour . answer . we doe affirm before thee , and all the word , that we are of the good behaviour , and seek to be at peace with all men ; and we know that in the truth you cannot charge us with any evill behaviour , or that we walked disorderly amongst you , wherefore be witnesse against thy self , for out of thine own mouth thou shalt be judged , for that thou hast charged upon us , we are not guilty of , as many can witnesse for us . and under these lyes , and false accusations doe we lye in prison at exon in devon . whose names are thomas salthouse . miles halhead . whom the world scornfully calls quakers . the copy of a warrant aforesaid , with the answer above written to it was given in to the hands of general disbrow , at plymouth , with this following testimony to the truth thereof . we whose names are hereunto subscribed doe testifie , that the severall particulars in this answer made by our friends , are true ( to wit ) that they did not at all disturb the publick peace . nor were they at any other meeting ( but that which was appointed by us ) to disturb any ministers , or other christians , in their assemblies and meetings ; nor are they guilty of any challenges , duells , and provocations thereunto in the least measure , whilst they were amongst us . and as for their refusall to give security , two of us , whose names are robert cary , and arthur cotton , had given security to the mayor , by entring into recognisance for their appearance at the next sessions , the day before their sending to prison , but that the town clerk made it void the next day , pretending it could not be according to law . ralph fogg . arthur cotton . robert cary . richard smith . anthony todde . john harris , the younger . thomas faulkner . nicholas cole . john martindale . richard lepincote . john harris , the elder . the copy of a letter from the mayor of plymouth , to generall disbrow , concerning miles and thomas . plymouth , 1 june , 1655. right honourable ; captain hatsell hath communicated to me what you rote him in reference to those two men thomas salthouse and miles halhead , of whom and of their imprisonment your honour had heard something from some persons of this place , and received a copy of a letter which they sent me . by the inclosed copies of their examinations your honour will see some part of the cause of their confinement , which was on their refusall to give bayle for their appearance the next generall sessions to be held for the county of devon , they being as i conceive , offendors within the late ordinance of his highnesse the lord protector and counsell , made against duells , challenges , and all provocations thereunto , and also his highnesse his late proclamation against quakers , and they still refusing to give bayle for their appearance as aforesaid , went from hence to the goal at exon. on tuesday last . indeed sir , their carriage here was not becoming men , much lesse christians , and besides their contempt of authority , and all the while they were in prison , they never sought god by prayer at any time , nor desired a blessing on any creature they received , or gave thanks for them ; and these very men were about two months past , taken up by collonel coppleston high sheriff of our county , and after 14 dayes restraint were sent away by him for taunton , from tithing to tithing , as by their own examination , and they shew no occasion they have to come to these parts . they are by profession quakers , but husbandmen by their calling ; one of them is a lancashire man , the other of westmorland , and they left their families , relations , and callings about three months since , as they say , and doe net work , nor employ themselves in their callings , to procure themselves a livelihood : but wander up and down in all parts , to vent their wicked opinions , & discover their irregular practises in the breach of peace , & disturbance of good people . indeed sir they hold many sad opinions , destructive to the true religion , and power of godlinesse . i have hereby according to my duty given your honour an account of what passed here in reference to these men ; i could say much more in reference to their examination , and discourse with them , but i fear i have already trespassed upon your honours patience , in the perusal of these lines , and humbly desiring your excuse for giving you this trouble , and doe most thankefully acknowledge your honours continued favours to this place , and for which we stand very much obliged , desiring your honour still te retain such an opinion of us , as those that desire to doe nothing unbecoming christians , and persons that desire the welfare and peace of this common-wealth , and government , and shall ever labour to appear your honours very humble servant . john page , mayor , for my self , and brethren . this is the second time this mayor hath affirmed this abominable lye under his hand and seal , notwithstanding that two sufficient men of the town of plymouth had entred into a recognizance before him for their appearance , which the next morning he denyed to give under his hand as he had promised , and voided the recognizance , the town clerk saying it would not stand in law , and sent them to prison . and here as he twice chargeth them for refusing to doe that which they had done before him , and which he had refused to deliver them under his hand according to his promise , and made voyd as the cause of their imprisonment , so he committed them to prison for refusing to doe that which the town clerk said would not stand in law , and so according to what he affirmed , was contrary thereunto . canst thou who doest such things as these blush ? is it not hereby apparent that cause is sought for , and made where there is none to destroy the innocent ? what the measure wants of filling , with false accusations , that the indictments meaning , and this mayors conceiving shall make up to cause the righteous to suffer . where is that late proclamation intituled against quakers ? there is one against disturbing of christians in their peaceable assemblies , and there is the 37 article of the government , which saith , that all that professe faith in god by jesus christ , shall not be restrained from , but be protected in the profession of the faith , and exercise of their religion , &c. both which thou hast broken , in sending thy officers , and taking them from their peaceable meetings of christians waiting on the lord , by thy warrants . the law forbids the reproaching of any , and all evill speaking , as evill doing , yet this mayor who calls himself a minister of the law , reproacheth the servants of the most high god , who fear before his presence , and tremble at his word , as the holy men of god have done from the beginning on record in the scriptures , with the name of quakers , and intitles the generation of those who seek the face of the lord , with the name of quakers ( which he so reproacheth ) by profession . what difference is there between a calling and profession ? is coming to plymouth in obedience to the movings of the lord , to visite friends , and to speak to them the words of eternall life , to preach the everlasting gospel , and to exhort them to love , and good works , according to the scriptures of truth , no occasion ? shewed they not this as the occasion of their coming thither ? and is it not a lawfull one ? and have they not there many seals of their ministry , who by it are turned from darknesse to light , and from the kingdome of satan unto god ? how can they employ themselves in their callings of husbandry , when kept in prison ? how can they return to their families , relations , and callings , when thus detained , as they were at first hindred in their journey on their lawfull occasions , and are still by thee ? doest thou complain of them for not doing that which by imprisoning of them thou hast made impossible ? did they want a livelihood before they were laid hands on , or do they now , though it 's neer nine months since the time of their commitment by thee ? did they ask any thing of thee , or of any one else ? wast thou or plymouth burdened , or made chargeable by ? or had not the town the advantage of their expence for themselves and horses , and the friend that was with them ? how knowest thou that they want a livelihood ? or hast thou or thy generation administred to them , or to their families , and relations during near nine months of restraint , and six of them in a close imprisonment without a cause , in a strange place 200 miles from their outward habitations , whereby they are kept from imploying themselves to procure a livelihood for themselves , families , and relations ? is riding the strait road from bristoll to plymouth , lying at the best inns , and paying for what they have for themselves and horses , a wandring ? thinkest thou what the law calls wandring , is not known , and how much thou hast broken the law upon them , and what penalties thou art under for so doing , and art thou sure thou shalt never be called to an account , deceive not thy self ? may not a man travell where he will in times of peace , paying for what he hath , and behaving himself peaceable ? what if they had come onely to see the town of plymouth ? make it thy own case , wouldst thou not judge it hard measure for them to doe to thee , as thou hast done to them ? art thou not ashamed of lying , to say they wandred in all parts , when they travelled the direct road ? or callest thou the going about to preach the gospel , a wandring ? did not the apostles and holy men of god doe so , and yet were they not as hardly thought of , and reviled by those of thy generation then , as these are now by thee , and those of the same generation , and as wickedly persecuted , by reason of whose cruelty they wandred in desert , in mountaines , in dens and caves of the earth , being destitute , afflicted , and tormented , of whom the world was not worthy , as these doe by thine , suffer imprisonment and as is afore mentioned . what are their wicked and sad opinions , destructive to the true religion and power of godlinesse , that ( as thou sayest indeed sir ) they hold and have vented in all parts ? what are their irregular practises in the breach of peace and disturbance of good people , that they have discovered ? they are yet to name that are indeed so . but thou hast in this letter , and thy warrant , and thy whole carriage towards these innocent servants of the lord vented , and manifested thy sad opinions , conceivings , and actings , and discovered thy irregular practises ( though thou art in commission to doe justice , and wouldst be esteemed as a magistrate ) in the breach of the peace , and disturbance of good people , to give an account hereof to generall disbrow , thou doest not blush to say to him , it is thy duty , on whose patience and justice , as bearing the sword of god against evill doing , thou mayest well fear thou hast trespassed , and beg excuse for thy trouble , and for thy self and brethren desire by thankfully acknowledging his former favours , to retain such an opinion of you , as those that desire to doe nothing unbecoming christians , and persons that desire the welfare and peace of this common-wealth , and government , when under thy hand , and as aforesaid , against the innocent thou hast so plainly manifested the contrary , and yet for thy self and brethren art not ashamed of him to desire it , who is in justice , you have obliged to visit the more your transgressions upon your heads by reason of the ill use you have made of his former favours , in acting contrary to the welfares and peace of this common-wealth , and government , and so unbecoming christians , in disturbing good people , and oppressing the innocent , and in belying and slandering them when you have so done ; and in considerations of his favours ; and neverthelesse to his face , when you have so offended , to wipe your mouth , as if you had none iniquity , & in confidence to entreat him to understand you as aforesaid . now to that of god in thy conscience , and in the consciences of thy brethren , and of all who shall read this relation , whose carriage was not becoming men , much lesse christians , theirs , or thine , and thy brethren , and who contemn authority , and despise dominion , and discover their irregular practises in the breach of the peace , &c. thou , and thy brethren , who being intrusted as ministers of the law , thus break the law , or those who being innocent have the law thus broken upon them by thy self and brethren . the magistrate of god is a praise to him that doth well , & a terror to the evil doer , rom. 12. and he that breaketh the righteous law , on him the law is added , as a contemner of authority , and a transgressor , and transgression , especially such as this is , tendeth to the destruction of the nation , and is a reproach to any people . and who hold many sad and wicked opinions destructive to the true religion and power of godlinesse ; they are thee , who doest thus act and write , and art not come so much as to the bridling of thy tongue , and so all thy religion is vain . and if thou wilt not yet take shame , behold these lyes and false accusations in this one letter of thine , to murder the innocent , set in order before thee . on their refusall to give bayle for their appearance the next generall sessions to be held for the county of devon . one — and they still refusing to give bayle for their appearance as aforesaid , two — indeed sir , their carriage here was not becoming men , much lesse christians , three — and besides their contempt of authority , foure — all the while they were in prison , they never sought god by prayer at any time , five — nor desired a blessing on any creature they received , six — nor gave thanks for them , seaven — and they shew no occasion to come to these parts , eight — but wander up and down in all parts , nine — to vent their wicked opinions , ten — and discover their irregular practices in the breach of the peace , and disturbance of good people , eleven — indeed sir they hold and vent many sad opinions destructive to the true religion , and power of godlinesse , twelve — and let these convince thee , and give judgement against thee , that thy tongue is bent like a bow for lyes , and art not valiant for the truth upon earth , but proceedest from evill to evill , and knowest not the lord : and all lyars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death , rev. 21. and the devil is the accuser of the brethren , rev. 12.10 . and false accusers are they who make the dayes perillous , 2 tim. 3.3 . and the lord shall cut off all flattering lips , psal. 12.3 . and he that respecteth persons committeth sin , and is convinced of the law as a transgressour , james 2.9 . and the wages of sin is death , rom. 6.53 . and woe unto them that call good evill , and evill good , and put darknesse for light , and light for darknes , isa. 5 20. and blaspheme that worthy name by which the children of light are called , james 2.7 . and of these things are thy letter made up , and these things are found on thee , and the judgement cannot be avoyded , for the lord is righteous , and not one jot or tittle of his word shall passe away , and thy soule is precious . therefore turn within , and consider thy condition , and repent whilst thou hast time , before thou goest into the pit , and it be sealed on thee , out of which there can be no redemption . the answer of miles halhead , & thomas salthouse , to the accusations in the aforesaid letter . john page mayor of plymouth . we have seen a copy of a letter , which we hear you sent to major general disbrow , in reference to us , thomas salthouse , & miles halhead , wherein thou hast manifested thy self to the children of light to be of the same generation , by thy flattering of him in feigned humility , and thy rayling accusations against us , we say , to be of the spirit of tertullus , acts 24. who accused and informed the governour against the apopostle paul , to be a pestilent fellow , &c. and so thou hast laid open thy ignorance , in imprisoning ; us , because thou conceivest we are offendors , which indeed is nothing but thy conceiving ; and thou sayest , the cause of our confinement is because we refused to give bayle to answer at the sessions . here be witnesse against thy self , and for us , that we refused not to give bayle , but had sufficient men , robert cary , and arthur cotton , which thou wast content to take , and we were willing to appear upon thine own conditions , that if we were any way disabled to come , either by sicknesse , or any other restraint , we being to goe out of the county , thou promised us , that a certificate from the next justice of the peace , where we were so disabled , should set our recognizance void , and clear us , and our friends were willing to ingage for us . and the next morning when we came to receive it under thy hand , according to thy promise , thou there refusedst to give it , and the town clerk said it would not stand in law , which is like to thy letter thou sentest us to exon prison , and so because thou conceivest we are offendors , doe we suffer ; but thou makest thy conceiving a law , to imprison us by . and further thou hast manifested thy enmity , and persecuting spirit in what thou witnessest falsly against us , that all the while we were in prison , we neither sought god by prayer , as thou sayest , nor desired a blessing of god on any creature that we received , nor gave thanks for them . here let thy mouth be stopped , and for shame proceed no further in thy false accusations , to render us , and the truth odious ; for besides the witnesse of god which is true , and greater then the witnesse of man , many in plymouth can witnesse against thee in this thing , that joyned with us in spirit , being moved severall times in prison , and out of prison , to goe to prayers , and to give thanks for the blessing of god that we received . and further thou sayest , we wander up and down in all parts , to vent our wicked opinions , to the disturbance of good people . here thou hast vented forth thy malice , out of the spirit of bitternesse against us , to make us appear odious to good people , if they will lend an ear to thee , for wicked opinions we doe deny . and we have not disturbed any good people , neither have we wandred in all parts , as thou sayest , but came the straight road from bristoll to plymouth , and were chargeable to none in our journey , but lay at the best inns where we came , and paid for what we had need of , for both our horse , and our selves . and again thou sayest , indeed sir they hold many sad opinions , destructive to true religion , and power of godlinesse . we say indeed , if thou hadst the true religion , thou would have power over thy tongue , but thou hast manifested thy religion to be in vain , and thy ignorance both of the true power , and also of the form of godlinesse , for godlinesse is a mystery , and he that hath the form , and not the power , from such we turn away ; and with such as have the power and life of what they professe , have we fellowship in the light , which hath no fellowship with darknesse , neither with such as walk disorderly , and contrary to the light of christ , who bringeth peace on earth , and good-will towards man . and we never contemned thy authority as a magistrate , neither doe we slight the generall disbrow , whom thou desirest to have a good opinion of thee , who hast made thy conceivings , and thy will a law , to imprison us by , though we have transgressed no law , but to the children of light thou art discovered , and thy deceit laid open . he that hath understanding let him read . and this we have written to thee , in reference to that thou writest to general disbrow , for thy self , and thy brethren , not rendring to thee , nor thy brethren , rayling for rayling , but in the spirit of love , and meeknes , we exhort you all to repent , and fear to offend the lord , and the least of them who believe in his name , lest he come in a day when you are not aware , and cut you off in a day when you are not aware , and cut you off , and you be numbred amongst the transgressors , and have your portion amongst them which make war with the lamb , and the saints and servants of the most high god . this is the day of your visitation , while you have time prize it . from us who are friends to your soules . thomas salthouse , miles halhead , prisoners in exon gaol . a copy of an indictment exhibited against , and read to them at the sessions . the jurors for his highnesse the lord protector of the common-wealth of england , scotland , and ireland , and the dominions thereunto belonging , upon their oaths doe present , that whereas by an ordinance of his highnesse the lord protector , and his counsell , bearing date the 29 day of june , in the year of our lord , one thousand six hundred fifty foure , for preventing of duells , and all occasions of challenges and quarrells , and using any disgracefull provoking words , or gestures tending to that effect , it was ordered , that no persons whatsoever should from and after the publishing of the said ordinance , use any provoking words , or gestures , whereby quarrells or challenges may arise , as by the said ordinance may more at large appear . neverthelesse thomas salthouse late of druggly beck in the county of lancaster , husbandman , and miles halhead of kendall in the county of westmorland , husbandman , not fearing nor regarding the said ordinance , and the penalty therein contained , after the publishing of the said ordinance , to wit , the twentieth day of may , in the year of our lord , one thousand six hundred fifty and five , at plymouth in the county aforesaid , in the presence and hearing of divers honest persons of the common-wealth of england there then being , did use divers disgracefull provoking words , and gestures , to george brooks , clerk in the nightingale friggot , he being then opening and declaring unto the said persons , a certain place of scripture wherein the said george spake something of the holy trinity , to wit , thou , the said george brooks meaning , lyest in saying there were three persons in the trinity , we doe deny , there is no such thing , but thou art a deluding spirit come to draw away the hearts of the people from god . and farther they the said thomas salthouse , and miles halhead did further speak to the people then present , that they should not hearken to the said george brooks , for that he was a thief , and was come with a lye in his mouth , and had stollen what he had from others , and had it in his hand , poynting to the bible which was then in the said george brooks his hand open . and further did say it was a lye which the said george brooks had brought , and other harmes to the said george brooks then , and there did , contrary to the form of the said ordinance , against the peace publick . thomas salthouse , and miles halheads answer to this indictment . being that we were not permitted to speak for our selves , when this indictment or bill was read to us in the open court at the generall sessions , holden at the castle of exon. upon the 12 day of the fifth month 1655 , but by the justices there in commission , the goaler was commanded to to take us away . so to make our defence for the truths sake , we are constrained to write something in answer to the substance of it : the sum of it is , to make us offendors in an act made against duells and challenges , and the like , by the lord protector and his councell ; and you say , we not fearing or regarding the said act , and the penalty therein contained , did use divers disgracefull and provoking words to george brooks clerk of the nightingale frigot . to which we answer . the fear of the lord which is the beginning of wisedome , hath taught us to regard and honour all men in the lord , and that act we own , which is made against quarrelling , and fighting , and cursed speaking , which is the fruit of the flesh , and that the magistrates bear not the sword in vain , but adds the penalty to the transgression of it , and not to add the law where there is no transgression proved . and we doe declare , and many can witnesse , that unlesse you call the scripture disgracefull words , there was none spoken to him by us . and we doe affirm , that one of us did not speak one word to him , and yet we are both accused and imprisoned , and if this be the penalty of the act , that if one man offend , two must suffer , let all that know the law of england , with moderation , judge ? and whether discoursing of the scripture be a transgression of that , yea or nay ? for what was spoken , many of our friends of plymouth , which you confesse to be honest people ▪ that are friends to the common-wealth of england , did hear us , you say . yet might they not be permitted to hear us examined before the mayor and magistrates of plymouth , upon the 23 day of the third month , in the common hall in the presence of neer one hundred people ; and all our friends that heard the discourse , and know the truth of it , were put forth of the hall , and the door kept fast . and we desired , that if either man or woman had any thing to lay to our charge , they might then speak . but we never had our accusars brought before us , that we might see them , or hear them speak . and for that george brooks spake concerning the three persons of the trinity , these words was spoken by one of us , i know no such scripture that speaks of the three persons in the trinity ; but the three that the scripture speaks of , the father , the son , and the holy ghost , and these three are one . and the baptism by one spirit , into one body , and the father , the word , and the spirit , the scripture declares to be one ; and he that hath the son , hath the father also . and this we doe own , he that can receive it , let him . and no such word was spoken by us , as calling him a deluding spirit , and therefore the accusation is false : neither did we say that he came to draw away the hearts of the people from god , as you say ; for he stood up , and vindicated what we had declared , to be truth , and that of god in his conscience will witnesse against you in this thing . and in that you say , we spake to the people not to hearken to him , and that he was a thief , and pointed to the bible which was then in his hand , and other harms to the said george brooks , against the peace publick . here under a cloak of maliciousnesse have you made lyes your refuge , but with the light you are comprehended , and your works of darknesse brought to it , and reproved , for we did neither call him thief , nor say he had stollen the bible that was in his hand , which you say , we pointed at . and you speak of other harms against george brooks , and say , we meaned that he lyed . and here you make use of meanings , as if here were not false accusations sufficient to drive on your design of persecution ; you might have mentioned those other harms you speak of , if you knew of any ; but it 's like you have mentioned the worst you heard of , which we declare to be false , as many can witnesse that heard the discourse , that are inhabitors of plymouth , and friends to the peace of englands common-wealth . so all yee that take your oaths , and give informations , consider what you doe , for because of oaths the land mourns , and the lord god will come near to judgement , and will be a swift witnesse against the lyar , and the false swearer , that are out of the doctrine of christ who saith , swear not at all , but in all your communications , let your yea be yea , and your nay , nay , for whatsoever is more , is evill . and every one of you in particular , take heed to the light of christ in your consciences , and there is your teacher , loving it , that will keep you from accusing any man falsly , and lead you out of all controversie and strife , up to jesus christ who is the end of the law for righteousnesse , to every one that believeth on him , who brings peace on earth , and good will towards men , who is the prince of peace , of whose government there shall be no end , who is god over all blessed for evermore . this we have written in answer to the bill of indictment against us thomas salthouse and miles halhead , prisoners for the truths sake in bridewell in thomas parish neer exeter , in devonshire . record of the sentence given against them at sessions . devon . a calender of the prisoners tryed and delivered at the generall sessions of the peace publick holden at the castle of exon. july 10. 1655. thomas salthouse and miles halhead , for provoking words against george brooks , clerk , who refused to be tryed by the countrey , fined 5 l. a piece , and committed to bridewell , till payment , and finding sureties for the good behaviour . the answer of miles and thomas thereunto . to you justices by whom we are committed , we answer as we did when we were before you , and doe affirm that one of us spake not a word unto him george brooks , and to satisfie all such as may hear this thing , under which we suffer as if we were thieves , or murtherers ; we shall lay open to the view of all people , the ground of the discourse . we being met together at a friends house neer plymouth , to wait upon the lord , there being more people then the house would contein , we went into a garden , and after we had spoken some words of exhortation to the people and had declared the truth of the experience we had found manifested in us , of the free grace of god that brings salvation , provoking them to love , and to good works , according to the scriptures of the prophets and apostles , as the spirit gave us utterance at that time . then george brooks unknown unto us , stood up and spake to the people , with the words of paul to the corinthians , and said , take heed that yee receive not the grace of god in vain , with many words in vindication of what we had spoken , witnessing that it was the eternall truth which we had spoken . so after all was ended , some began to enter into some discourse with him , and one of us asked him whether he could witnesse what he had spoken to be from the life and power of it saying , thou hast uttered many scriptures and good words , but it 's he that hath the witnesse in himself , that sets to his seal ; that god is true . then directing my speech to all that were there , by way of exhortation . i spake the words of paul to the ephesians , let him that stole steal no more , with many other words of truth and sobernesse , which was not to any one in particular . if these be provoking words , and worthy of such bonds as we suffer , let all men that have moderation bear witnesse . and in that you say , we refuse to be tryed by the country . oh! how dare you give such things under your hands , when you your selves , and all people that were in the court , can bear us witness , that we did not refuse to be tryed , but did appeale to the highest power that was there , unto whom many in the country came for justice , and from whom we expected righteous judgement ; for you know we said , we were willing to be tryed by the bench , to whom all the court was in subjection , to whose power we were and are subject to , for conscience sake , and did not resist your power ; but for the ▪ ve pounds that is demanded of us , we answer , we owe nothing to any man but to love one another , therefore we deny to pay so much money for naught ; but if any man will come to us and say that we have wronged him , we will make him satisfaction , and pay him the utmost farthing . and as for sureties for the good behaviour , they that walk in the light of christ , who is the surety of a better covenant then mans covenant , whom we witnesse , teaching us to deny the customes , and fashions of the world , and all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts , and to doe to all men as we would they should doe unt● us . and we are tyed to the good behaviour by the righteous law of god , and dare not lye , nor swear , nor be drunk , nor use any deceit , pollicy , shifts , or double dealing , nor respect mens persons for the liberty of the outward man , or any other advantage , to that in all your consciences doe we appeale , whether we be wo thy of such bonds as these , where none of our friends nor acquaintance must come at us , or speak with us , but they must be imprisoned : is the law of england so exact against us , such as have been alwayes faithfull in that which hath been manifested , and in the states service , and desires nothing else but to worship god in spirit and truth , according to what is manifested and witnessed in the light of jesus christ , who is the way to the father , that when we were locked up in close prison , the souldiers kept john gannyclife who is a constable , in their custody , for coming to speak with us , and another person who did spy in at a hole of the door where we were ; this they did by an order from captain joyce , who hath given it under his hand to take into their custody all such as they suspected to be of us whom they called quakers . but this they doe that the scripture may be fulfilled , which jesus christ spake to his disciples , they shall hale you before magistrates , and rulers , who shall cast some of you into prison , and the time shall come if they kill you , they shall think they doe god good service . but here is our confidence in his promise , that he that endures to the end shall be saved ; and if we suffer with him , we shall also reigne with him ; for whose sake we are made willing by his eternall power to suffer the losse of all things , that we may receive an inheritance with them that are sanctified , and witnesse against all deceit , and abomination , to the laying down of our lives , if it be required , who are prisoners for the testimony of jesus in thomas parish neer exon , in bridewell . thomas salthouse . miles halhead . a copy of their letter sent the mayor of plymouth , after their first apprehension . friend , seing the lord god of power , who is lord of heaven and earth , hath entrusted thee with the power of a magistrate , to bear the sword of justice , which is for the punishment of evil doers and the encouragement of those that doe well , and to rule for him who brings peace on earth , and hath good will towards men , even jesus christ , the mediator of the new covenant ; who is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth ; who was supposed to be the son of joseph , but was the son of god ; and he that hath the son , hath life ; and he that hath not the son , hath not life ; and we know that the son of god is come , and hath given us an understanding , to know him who is true ; and he that hath the son , hath the father also ; and he that hath the witnesse in himself , hath set to his seale that god is true ; he that hath understanding , let him read ; he that loveth not , knoweth not god , for god is love ; and if any man say , i love god , and hate his brother , he is a lyar , for his commandement is love ; and he that rules in love , rules with authority , and not as the scribes and pharisees . the law of god is perfect , and endureth for ever ; he is our judge , and law-giver , before whom all must appear , to give an accompt for all the deeds done in the body , when every man shall receive according to his works . now friend , to thee for justice doe we call , that the truth may be freed from scandalls , and false reports , and the oppressed set free , which is pure religion ; that we may have that favour at thy hands , which the law doth afford , to bring our accusers to us , that have any thing to lay to our charge worthy of bonds , that things may be tryed by the light , and actions weighed in the ballance of equity ; that truth may spring up out of the earth , and righteousnesse may run down as a mighty stream , and peace and justice may kisse each other ; for know assuredly , although we are counted deceivers , yet are we true ; and nothing doe we desire from thee , as thou art a magistrate , but to have the truth cleared by the light , and truth set at liberty ; and if there be any that knoweth the onely true god , and jesus christ whom he hath sent , and hath eternall life abiding in him ; we desire to be tryed by him , even him that is guided by the spirit of god , and as many as are led by the spirit of god , are the sons of god . and whereas some ignorant men say , that we deny the trinity , and the god-head , which is false ; for god is a spirit , and as many as are led by the spirit , are the sons of god , and the father son and spirit are one ; and this we witnesse according to the scriptures , and this god is but one , in whom all things live , move , and have their being , who is above all , and in all , and through all , god blessed for ever . and for the word trinity , there is no such scripture as speaks of a trinity ; so in tendernesse of conscience , and love to the spirit of truth , which gave forth the scriptures , we dare not wrest them nor speak any other language , nor add nor diminish from them . so friend , to the light of jesus christ in thine own conscience , and the measure of the spirit of truth , doe we exhort thee to take heed that the spirituall man judge all things in righteteousnesse and truth . so we remain prisoners of the lord , not as evill doers , our conscience bearing us witnesse in the presence of the lord in whom is everlasting strength , who are friends of the truth , and of the common-wealth of england . known to the world by the names of thomas salthouse . miles halhead . for the hands of john page mayor of plymouth . the copy of another letter to the mayor of plymouth , concerning swearing . john page mayor of plymouth ; forasmuch as it hath pleased thee to cast us into prison , and hast examined us , and hast found no breach of any law , by which thou can'st lawfully punish us ; but under a pretence hath tendred us an oath to swear against the supremacy and purgatory . we doe in the presence of the lord god of heaven and earth , deny the pope , and all things therein mentioned , with as much detestation as thou thy self , or any in the world can , or doth ; our consciences also bearing us witnesse , in the presence of our god , who is able to deliver us , although we are cast into a prison ; nay , if we be cast into a den of lyons , and a fiery furnace , with the three children , as you may read in daniel , that would not fall down to worship the image , neither will we disobey the command of jesus christ , who saith , swear not at all ; and the apostle james saith , above all things , my brethren , swear not , neither by heaven , nor by earth , nor by any other oath , but let your yea be yea , and your nay , nay , lest you fall into condemnation . and all that doth the will of god , shall know of the doctrine of christ ; and whosoever transgresseth , and abideth not in the doctrine of christ , hath not god . he that abideth in the doctrine of christ , hath both the father , and the son . if any come unto you , and bring not this doctrine , receive him not into your house , nor bid him god speed ; and this we doe affirm , that swearing is out of the doctrine of christ , although you may alledge many scriptures for swearing , as in the first covenant ; and that an oath among men for confirmation , is to them an end of all strife ; but he that is made the surety of a better covenant , who hath put an end to all strife , where it is witnessed , saith , swear not at all ; although that you may alledge that the angels swore , yet know this , that when he bringeth his first begotten into the world , he saith , let the angels of god worship him : so we lay it upon thee to witnesse for us , or against us , whether yea or nay is not to be preferred before swearing , by all those who professe religion , seeing that jesus christ hath commanded not to swear at all ; and he saith , if yee love me , keep my commandements ; and if we suffer imprisonment for keeping the commandements of christ , it is not grievous to us ; for we refuse not to swear , for any guiltinesse that is in us , or that can be charged upon us , for we are against all false wayes , false worships , false lawes , but we deny swearing , because jesus christ hath commanded us , not to swear at all . so if we be kept in prison , let it never be said by you , that it is for any thing , but because we dare not swear , knowing , that to disobey the commandements of christ , is the way of cain , who was driven out from the presence of god , and became a fugitive , and a vagabond ; and this some of you would charge upon us , to be vagabonds , who in tendernesse of conscience , and in the obedience to the light of jesus christ , and in love to him , our lives are not dear to us , to lay down , if it be required , for the confession of him before men , and the keeping of his commandements ; for to this end are we called ; and our rejoycing is in this , that in simplicity , and godly sincerity , our conversations hath been , and is honest , as many can witnesse for us against those , who in their wisedome goe about to entrap and ensnare the innocent : and this we write , not to justifie our selves but for the sake of the simple ones , who have heard many lyes and false reports of us ; of this doe we put thee in mind , not that thou art ignorant that all the glory and honour belongeth to the lord god , who hath said , he will not give his glory unto another ; and vengeance is mine , and i will repay it , saith the lord , who will ease himself of all his adversaries , and recompence tribulation to them that trouble , afflict , or offend one of the least that believe in his name . so in love to thee , and all people , for the eternall good of all , doe we heartily wish , that grace and peace may be multiplied ; so we rest in the will of our father , to doe or to suffer , that he may be glorified by us , to whom all glory belongeth for evermore ; and pray , that the sin of persecution may not be committed by thee , nor any that professe to be the friends of englands , whose names are known to be thomas salthouse . miles halhead . for the hands of john page , mayor of plymouth . hear ye this o priests , and hearken ye house of israel ; and give ye eare o house of the king , for judgement is towards you , because you have been as a snare on mizpah , and a net spread upon tabor : and ye revolters are profound to make slaughter ; though i have been a rebuker of them all . hear i pray you o heads of jacob ; and yee princes of the house of israel ; is it not for you to know judgement ? shalt thou reigne , because thou closest thy selfe in cedar ? did not their father , eate , and drinke , and doe judgement , and justice , and then it was well with him ? he judged the cause of the poor and needy ; then it a as well with him , was not this ; know me saith the lord . and hear yee rulers , who hate the good , and love the evill , who pluck the skin from off the people of the lord , and their flesh from off their bones ; yea who abhor judgement , and pervert all equity ; who turne judgement into worme wood , and leave off righteousnesse in the earth ; who decree unrighteous decrees , and write grievousnesse which ye have prescribed : woe unto you ; for judgement is turned away backward , and justice standeth afar off , for truth is fallen in the street , and equity cannot enter ; yea truth faileth , and he that departeth from evill , maketh himselfe a prey : a man is made an offender for a word ; a snare is laid for him that reproveth in the gate ; the just is afflicted , and turned aside , for a thing of nought , and the poor in the gate from their right : the righteousnesse of the righteous , is taken from him ; he that rebuketh in the gate , is hated ; he that speaketh uprightly is abhorred ; iniquities are conceived , are travelled withall ; are searched out ; a diligent search is accomplished , the inward thought , and the heart is deep , they dig as low as hell , the pit is made into which to cast and destroy the innocent , the workers of iniquity make insurrections , they whet their tongue like a sword , they bend their bowes , and make their arrowes keene , and ready on string , and shoot at the perfect , at the upright and fear not ; there are who incourage themselves in an evill matter , that commune of laying snares privily , that lye in waite in the lurking places of the villages , in the secret places , as he that setteth snares to murther the innocent , that set a trap that catch men ; as a cage is full of birds , so are their houses full of deceit : therefore , are they become great , and wax in rich , they are waxen fat , and shine ; yea , the deeds of the wicked are over passed : the rod hath blossomed , pride hath budded , violence is risen up into a rod of wickednesse , sion is built up with blood , and jerusalem with iniquity ; the stranger is vexed , and oppressed ( which the lord hath commanded shall not be , but be beloved as a mans selfe , for the lord loveth the stranger ) and turned aside from his right , and dealt wrongfully withall , his judgement is perverted , and upon him is violence , and cruelty , exercised : the people of the lord are sould for nought , and there are none that inquire after their blood , they are eaten up as one would eate breath ; they whom the lord hath smitten are persecuted , & the spoyled is not delivered out of the hand of the oppressour : the lord is not feared ; this people are broken in pieces , and his heritage afflicted : yet they that doe these things , say in their hearts , the lord shall not see , neither shall the god of jacob regard it ; god hath for gotten , he hideth his face ; he will never see it ; god is contemned ; they say , he will not require it ; yea every one in the darke , in the chambers of his imagery , saith the lord seeth us not ; the lord hath forsaken the earth ; how doth god know , is there knowledge in the most high ? thou hast seen it o lord , for thou beholdest mischiefe , and spight , to requite it with thy own hand ; the poor committeth himselfe unto thee ; thou art the helper of the fatherlesse . ) vnderstand ye bruitish among the people ; and ye fools , when will ye be wise ? he that planteth the eare , shall not he hear ? he that formed the eye , shall he not see ? he that chastiseth the heathen , shall not he correct ? he that teacheth man knowledge , shall not he know ? surely , the lord seeth it , and it displeaseth him that there is no judgement , and he sees that there is no man , and wonders that there is no intercessor ; therefore his arme is bringing salvation unto him , and his righteousnesse it sustaineth him ; for he is putting on righteousnesse as a breast plate , and a helmet of salvation upon his head , and he is putting on the garment of vengeance for a cloathing , and is clading with zeal as with a cloak ; he will awake as one out of sleep , and go forth as a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine ; he will stir up jealousie like a man of war ; he will cry , yea roare ; he shall prevaile against his enemies ; he hath a long time holden his peace , and he hath been still , and refrained himselfe ; he will cry like a travelling woman ; he will devoure and destroy all at once ; he he will make wast mountains , and hills , and dry up all their herbs ; he will make the rivers islands ; and he will dry up the pools , and according to their deeds , accordingly , will he repay , fury , to his adversaries , recompence to his enemies . for these things , shall i not visite saith the lord , shall not my soule be avenged on such a generation as this ? shall not god avenge the sufferings , the blood of his elect , who cry night and day unto him , how long o lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? though he bear long with them : i tell you , he will avenge them speedily . and hath he said it , and shall he not doe it ? hath he spoken it , and shall it not come to passe ? he hath avenged their blood , from the dayes of righteous abel , to the times of this generation , and shall he not avenge it on this generation ? hath this generation witnessed this word of the lord to be true above many generations before whose eyes ; and by whose hands the righteous god hath executed his dreadfull judgements on the enemies of his elect ; and shall this generation who have exceeded what hath been done by their fathers go unpunished ? hath he despised the image of the king , and princes , and nobles , and the great ones , and many of the people of these nations , and their pomp and glory , and powred forth their blood as water on the earth , and made them a fearfull desolation , in the cause of his people , and of justice , and equity , and shall those whom he hath made the rod of his anger , and the staffe of his indignation , upon these ; doing the same things , for which he judged , and cast them out , escape ? hath all this blood been shed , that unrighteousnesse may reigne , and oppresssion ? hath not god spared the glory , and beauty , and excellency of these nations , and the goodlinesse of them , but in the iniquities that they have committed , and in the sins wherewithall they have sinned , hath cut them off , and made them the dreadfull examples of his vengeance , to make way for others to rise up , and to commit greater abominations ? was persecution of tender consciences unjust in the bishops , and is it righteous now in them , who suffered by the bishops , for the tendernesse of their consciences , and shed so much blood for a secure provision therein , and put it to this issue , by the sword either they and theirs not to be or not to be without it ; to outstrip the bishops ; yea the latter ages , in a cruell and barbarous persecution of their brethren , because of the tenderness of their consciences ? was the infringement of liberty , the endeavouring to subvert the fundamentall lawes of the nation ; and the violation of right ; unrighteous in the king , and strafford , and canterbury , and that generation ; and judged tyrannicall , and trayterous , and justice executed upon them , for so doing , and the kings family rooted up , and thousands of families destroyed , and the three nations made fields of blood , and hazarded in many years fierce and cruell wars to bring it to passe , and is it just now in inferiour ministers , who are in commission , and sworn to execute the law , to preserve liberty , and to defend right , as saith also the instrument of government ; to exceed them all in the violation of law , and the destruction of right , and liberty , as if so be the cause and the justice of the wars were to destroy one generation , for another to exercise the same , and far greater violences and oppressions , upon those who were instrumentall in the destruction of the other , when lost their liberties , or by what law , contract , or conquest ? have they lost them in suffering and fighting for them , and having had to doe in obtaining the victory , or in fearing the lord , and being peaceable in the land , and living in the principle that leads out of transgression , and not resisting evill with evill , but bearing all things , and suffering all things , both from those who have been friends and enemies , though contrary to law and liberty , and common humanity , and the righteous ends of the wars are their sufferings ; leaving vengeance to the lord , whose it is , and who will repay it ; and laying their bodies as the ground , and as the street to them that say bow down thy body , that we may goe over ? and wherein consists the vertue , merit , or prerogative of the other by which they may in equity or right claim such a priviledge ? is law , and justice , and liberty , and right changed in the ending of the wars , for them into peace , that those must be denyed either , and the contrary inflicted on them , in such a manner of cruelty , that the presidents of former times , have not parallel'd , whose lives in the field , and whose all hath been so often engaged , for the effecting thereof ? is this generation delivered to commit greater abominations and cruelties , then those who for these things sake , and by their hand have been so lately destroyed ? is the weight of the blood of these nations a small matter ? and all the garments rolled in blood , the mangled and dead carkasses of so many thousands , the plundering , burnings , devastations , ruines of multitudes , the barbarous and the unheard of cruelties and murthers executed especially in ireland , the cryes of the great companies of fatherlesse and widowes , for liberties and justice , a pleasant sight ? that men so lightly gird it to their loynes , and goe over their graves , in acting higher wickednesses then what were the causes of those miserable destructions ? god is not unrighteous , so severely to punish offences in some , and to let others goe free , who transgresse in the same , and act more wickedly . shall not the judge of the whole earth doe right ? god is true , and every man a lyar ; and at his hands every man shall receive according to their deeds . if he spared not the angels that sinned , but cast them down to hell , and delivered them into chaines of darknesse , to be reserved unto judgement : nor the old world , bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly ; nor sodome and gomorah , but turned their cities into ashes , and condemned them with an overthrow , making them ensamples to them that afterwards should live ungodly ; nor the kingdomes of israel and judah , in whom the iniquities and mighty sins afore-mentioned were found , but suffered for those things sake ; sion to be plowed as a field , and jerusalem to become heaps , and the mountain of the house as the higher places of the forrest , and removed them both out of his sight ; and upon whom the wrath is come to the uttermost . and if he spared not those in these three nations , upon whom some of these things were found , but hath spread them before this generation , as the remarkable and sad examples of his vengeance & justice , who renders to every one according to his works ; then what can they expect , who having all these examples before their eyes , and having bin the instruments of his indignation , upon those of their age , doe not only the same things , but over-passe their deeds in afflicting the just , and persecuting the witnesses of the living god , the god of their mercies , who hath wrought all their wonderfull deliverances , whom of their brethren he hath raised up and sent amongst them to turn their feet out of the wayes of destruction , into the path of peace , and to direct them to that , which if hearkned unto , will guide them out of all deceipts and subtilties , and power of darknes , up to the kingdom of his son , whose throne is for ever and ever , and the scepter of whose kingdome is a righteous scepter , which is the substance of what the late wars were a figure , & the principle from whence alone justice shall spring up from the earth , & righteousnes shall slow down from heaven ; who shall rule the nations with a rod of iron , and break them in pieces as a potters vessel , whose kingdome is begun to be set up , which shall never have an end . i say , what remaineth for such , but a fearfull expectation of the revelation of the righteous judgements of god , which shall destroy the adversary , and bring upon themselves swift destruction , beyond the measure of those that have gone before them , except they repent . for , god is not mocked , as men sow , so shall they reap , and those that follow their pernicious wayes , their judgment lingreth not nor doth their damnation slumber ; the testimony of his elect in sufferings is finishing , & the measure of the iniquity of their persecutors is filling up apace , and the judge standeth at the door , & judgement hastneth , and vengeance is preparing her self , and destruction is making ready , and woe unto you , ye potsheards of the earth , who strive with your maker . what will ye doe in the day of visitation , and in the desolation that cometh from far ? to whom will ye flee for help , and where will you leave your glory ? can your hearts endure , & your hands be strong , in the days when the lord shall deal with you . be wise therefore , o yee kings , be instructed o yee judges of the earth ; serve the lord with fear , and rejoyce with trembling . touch not his anointed , and doe his prophets no harm . kiss the son lest he be angry , and yee parish from the mid way ; when his wrath is kindled but a little ( and it is kindling ) blessed are all they that trust in him . but sing o heavens , and be joyfull o earth , and break forth into singing o mountaines , for god hath comforted his people , and will have mercy on his afflicted . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a96961e-400 g : hughes . government . art. 37. acts 16.17 . ephes. 4.8 . john 10.1 . jer. 23.10 . a john 3.16 . b joh. 1.3 , 10. c john 8 12. d john 1.9 . e luke 11.31 . f psal. 110.1 . mat. 22.43 , 45 g rev. 27.16 . h john 8.56 . i heb. 1.6 . k rom. 10.4 . l heb. 7.23 . m heb. 8.6 . n heb. 13.20.12.24 . o deut. 18.15 . acts 3.22 , 23.7.37 . p mat. 24.35 . q mat. 5.17 . r luke 1.73 . ſ rom. 2.8 , 9 , 10. t rev. 3.14 . u acts 10.42.17.32 . 2 tim 4.1 . rom. 2.16 . x john 10.17 . mat. 5 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37. z james 5.12 , a prov. 8.15 . b psal. 62.11 . c phil 2.10 , 11. d rom. 2.9 . a close imprisonment is directly contrary to the 23 : h : 8. cap : 2. which provideth that prisons shall be in the most eminent and populous townes where is most resort of people , that the prisoner may be the oftner visited , and relieved . and though the statute of westminster 2. provides for a safe imprisonment , yet for a close imprisonment there is neither that nor any other law : and above all things doth the law value the liberty of a man . loe hear what a filthy worker of iniquity this priest is , for denying of whose spirit before the people these long and cruell sufferings are inflicted on the innocent ? what a defiler of the flesh is this in whose behalfe these men make war against the lamb ? is not this priest who not onely prophecies of , but fills himselfe with wine and strong drink , a fit prophet for these people ? what think you ? had they a spirit of discerning who comprehended this priest , and his root and principle and denying his spirit before the people , though he spake so high in the praise of what they had said ? would not these men , plead barabas his part against jesus , were he on the earth ? devon . a relation of the death of the primitive persecutors written originally in latin by l.c.f. lactantius ; englished by gilbert burnet, d.d., to which he hath made a large preface concerning persecution. de mortibus persecutorum. english lactantius, ca. 240-ca. 320. 1687 approx. 185 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 84 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a48024 wing l142 estc r234919 12425431 ocm 12425431 61829 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a48024) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 61829) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 944:14) a relation of the death of the primitive persecutors written originally in latin by l.c.f. lactantius ; englished by gilbert burnet, d.d., to which he hath made a large preface concerning persecution. de mortibus persecutorum. english lactantius, ca. 240-ca. 320. burnet, gilbert, 1643-1715. 167 p. printed for j.s., amsterdam : 1687. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. errata: p. 167. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng persecution. 2003-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-11 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-12 tonya howe sampled and proofread 2003-12 tonya howe text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a relation of the death of the primitive persecutors . written originally in latin by l. c. f. lactantius . englished by gilbert burnet , d. d. to which he hath made a large preface concerning persecution . amsterdam , printed for j. s. 1687. the translators preface . among all the discoveries that have been made in this age , of the books that had been esteemed lost , there is none , since that of the epistle of st. clemens , that has been received with more joy than this of lactantius's book of the death of the persecutors , for which the world is beholding to the happy industry of the most learned baluzius , who having found this treasure , not only communicated it to the world , but enriched it with his learned notes : by which he has added a new essay , to the many that have already appeared , of his great sincerity , his profound learning , and of his solid judgment : it has been since that time reprinted at oxford , with shorter notes ; in which there are many happy conjectures , made both for supplying some of the words that were worn out of the manuscript copy , and for correcting some passages , which the copyer perhaps writ wrong , and it is upon that edition that this translation is made . the importance of this book will be easily apprehended , by those who consider that lactantius was the politest writer of his time , in whom one finds somewhat very like augustus's age revived ; he had also particular opportunities of being well informed of his subject , by the post to which he was advanced in constantine's court , of being his son's tutor . it is true , his eloquence carries him often into strains that become an orator , better than a historian : for he has a heat of stile , that ought not to be imitated by one that would write history . but he seems to have designed this book to be a mixed sort of writing , between a discourse and a history ; so that the figures that agree not to the one , may be allowed to the other . the account that he gives of saint peter's coming to rome , cuts off the fable of his being there for five and twenty years : but if what he sayes of things at so great a distance from his own time , is not thought so authentical , and if his authority seems not strong enough to cut off all those persecutions that are said to have risen between domitians reign and decius's , since he represents all that interval as a time of a long peace to the christians ; yet we must at least suppose him , to have been much better informed of that which ▪ fell out during the last persecution ; so that the beginning ▪ which h●… assigns to it cuts off all those legends of martyrs , that ( as is pretended ) suffered before that year , and as we cannot doubt of the time in which he tells us the persecution began , so no more ought we to call in question the limits that he sets to it ; and therefore since he tells us , that constance ordered only , that the churches in which the christians held their assemblies , should be pulled down , and that he would not carry the persecution further against the christians themselves ; and since he excepts the gaules out of those provinces that felt the fury of those edicts , we see what a number of legends there are to be cut off . for the truth is , that very soon after this persecution was over , some that loved either to make ( or at least to report ) very tragical stories concerning it , seemed to give no bounds to their invention upon a subject that was fruitful enough of it self , and so needed not to have been swelled up by such additions . the destruction of the records that the christians kept , which were so carefully searched after during this persecution , gave some colour for those pretended discoveries ; for it served turn to give them credit , to say , that such relations had been preserved from the searches of those inquisitors , and so that they were by accident found out in some corner , where very probably those that forged them , both laid them and found them : and the matter would no doubt have been received with more credit , if some dream or vision had been pretended , as that which had made the discovery . of all those legends none is more copious , nor less credible than that of the thebean legion , and that upon many accounts ; but as the silence , not only of eusebius and sulpitius severus , but of all the other writers of the fourth century , gave a just prejudice against a story that begun not to appear till the middle of the fifth century ; so the positive testimony of lactantius , who excepts the gaules from the persecution , puts an end to the fable . for tho he shews so great a disposition to speak well of constance , that this may seem to lessen the authority of one , who to make his court with the son , would naturally raise the father's character ; yet so remarkable a transaction as that was , could not have been supprest with any sort of decency , by one that must have certainly heard of it if it was true . the false appearance of a greatness of mind , that was inferred from diocletian's resigning the empire , is also taken off by this relations ; since it is plain , that both diocletian's brain was turned , and that he was forced to it ; so that his resignation was not the effect of his philosophy , but of the unnatural ambition of his son in law maximian . the subject of this discourse , and the application to which a translation of it tyed me , together with the present seene of affairs , led my mind very naturally into more general thoughts . ●… the characters of those ancient persecutors , such as these , that they had delivered themselves up to all the brutalities of sensual pleasure , that they had ruined their subjects by severe impositions for maintaining vast armies , that they had in their wars , shewed more care than was decent in preserving themselves out of all danger , that they were weak to the most excessive flatteries , the profuseness of their expence in the raising of costly buildings , their great success in a course of many years , their superstitious and fearful tempers , and to crown all , the cruelty that they practised in the persecution , to which they were uneasily drawn , and in which they begun at first with requiring all to abjure , besides many other particulars ; all these , i say , insensibly carry ones thoughts to make parallels between some modern persecutors , and those that are here set forth : but if the respect due to their sublime character , makes one drive away those less decent sallies of his mind , to which he is carried before he is aware , yet the importance of this matter leads to speculations that are more general , and by consequence less offensive . and since the melancholy state of things at present carried me in those intervals in which i discontinued the dry work of translating , to consider the grounds on which those cruel and persecuting doctrines and practices are founded , together with the motives from which they rise , the characters that accompany them , and the effects that follow them ; i thought i might be forgiven a little , if i took the liberty to swell up the bulk of this small book with a preface of some length ; in which my design is not only to expose this ill natured principle , and to shew , that where-ever it is authorised , it is a more infallible mark of an antichristian church , than all the other characters are of an infallible church , to which those pretend , that have died themselves so red in the blood of others ; but likewise to form in the minds of those who hate persecution , perhaps only because they either feel it , or are affraid of it , such a notion of this matter , as may preserve them from falling into the same excesses if a revolution in the state of affairs should put it in their power , to use others as hardly as they have been used by them . it has been often observed , that tho a plea for moderation is the sanctuary of all the unfortunate , yet their fortunes came no sooner to be changed , but that they insensibly got into that principle which was so much decried by themselves , when their affairs were in an ill condition : as if the only quarrel that they had to persecution , was because they had not the managing of it themselves . i will treat this subject with all the closeness that the matter deserves , or that i am capable of ; and will avoid the serving up what i am to propose with the garnishings of the fine sayings of others : for as that would carry me too far , so a good reason is so much a better thing , than a round period , or a laboured sentence , that the mind finds it self satisfied with the one , whereas the fancy is only pleased with the other . all persecution rises out of an impatience of spirit , which makes a man less able to bear contradiction . there is a tyranny in most mens nature , which makes them desire to subdue all others by the strength of their understandings : and such men have an implacable hatred to all that do not render themselves to their reasons ; and think that they are affronted when other men refuse to submit to them : so that he who would strike at persecution in its root , must begin here , and endeavour to soften men , especially towards those who differ from them in matters of religion . this imperious temper , when it works upon subjects of religion , finds somewhat to raise its spleen , that was of it self impetuous enough before : and that which is called fury and rage , when it is imployed in other disputes , comes to be called zeal when it is turned towards the theories that relate to another world. but when we consider what a sublime thing divine truth is , and what a poor low thing the mind of man is , we shall see cause to blunt a little the edge of our spirits , if they are too sharp in such matters . man is much governed by fancy , and fancy follows the texture of the animal spirits , which renders many more capable of apprehending objects that are some way proportioned to them , and more disposed to follow them ; so that temper prepares men for some opinions and prepossesses them against others . with th●… reater part of mankind , education is so powerful , that they are scarce able ever to overcome it ; and if education and temper have hit together , it will require a very extraordinary elevation to rescue a man from their force . men likewise receive with their impressions of religion such a respect for them , as makes them look on every thought that calls them in question as criminal : and when persons are bred up to disquiet themselves with scruples , if they have so much as made a doubt of their religion , it is not hard to see them adhere so firmly to the principles of their education , which stick so fast to the worst sort of men , that even atheists themselves after all the pains they take to get rid of them , cannot shake them off so entirely , but that they will be apt to return oft upon them . men that think much , and that reason well , that are freed from the biass that interest , honour , kindred , and custom , do give them , and that have leisure to examine matters carefully , may indeed get above all these : yet there are so few that can do this , and there are yet so much fewer that will do it ; that it is rather a wonder to see so many change their perswasions , than to see so few do it . and indeed it is so sublime a theory to think on god , and his attributes and works , or to think of another state , and of the way that leads to it , that till god furnishes out a new mission of apostles with a measure of those extraordinary gifts , which he poured out on the great pentecost , it is not easy to imagine how the conversion of heathen nations should be made . for tho the idolatry of some of these is extream gross , yet their priests have such symbolical significations for all these rites , that they do much diminish the horror which is raised by the first sight of them in the minds of strangers ; and since the chief grounds , upon which we prove the christian religion , are taken from the prophecies in the old testament and their accomplishment in the now , from the evidence that was given concerning the miracles , the death , and the resurrection of christ , which we confirm from the collateral proofs of the state of that time , of the writings of the enemies of this religion , and of that succession of authors that in all the ages that have past since , have mentioned those matters , and cited the books which we hold to be divine . all this is so evident to those who can make the enquiry , that it is strange to find how any one can withstand it ; but to barbarians , who know nothing of it , and who have no way of informing themselves concerning it , all this can signify nothing . so that in order to the convincing their understandings , ( for i do not treat of gods secret methods in touching their consciences ) i do not see how we should expect that they should yield easily , unless there were a new power of working miracles conferred on those who labour in this work . and what noise soever the missionaries may make with their miracles in those remote parts , it is plain , these are all impostures ; for the most necessary of all other miracles for the conversion of strange nations , being the gift of tongues , with which the apostles were so wonderfully furnisht at first , and since they all are forced to acknowledge , that this is wanting to them , we have all possible reason to conclude , that god would not change his methods , or qualify men to work wonders , and not give them that which is both the most sensible and the most useful of all others , towards that end for which he authorises them . but to return from this digression , a man is scarce the master of his own thoughts : habit , constitution , and other things do so concur , that he cannot open his eyes to new objects , nor see them in a new light other than that in which he has been accustomed to view them ; and a man can no more change his notions of things , because a set of new opinions would accomodate him better , than he can change the relish that his senses , his ear or his tast has in their objects ; a man may prevaricate , but he still thinks as he thinks ; and cannot think otherwise , because he would have himself do so : but if a man is not the master of his own mind , much less is any other man the master of it . no man has that superiority over any other mans reason , as to expect , that it should alwayes accomodate it self to his : and the severest exercise of tyranny must still leave the thoughts at liberty : the forcing a man to say , or do otherwise than he thinks , by threatnings , the execution of which is above his force to endure , is only the delivering over such a person to the rack of his own conscience here , and to all those miseries hereafter , which must be the portion of hipocrites , and of dissemblers with god or man. nor is there such an infallible distinction in one mans nature from another , that the one is more like to be in the right than the other : since therefore , among all those that differ , some must be in the wrong , those that have the power in their hands , may possibly be of the wrong side , and in that case all their severity is turned against the truth , and those who believe it . and since god makes the sun to shine , and the rain to fall on the just as well as the unjust , gideons reasoning may be applyed to this matter if baal is a●… god , let him plead for himself ; and the force of gamaliels argument , that if it is of men , it will come to nought ; and if it is of god , we must not fight against him . as it silenced an assembly of very fierce persecutors , so it is full as strong now , as it was then : for reason is eternal , and changeth not . it seems also plain , that those actions which concern humane society , belong indeed to the authority of the magistrate ; but that our thoughts , with relation to god , and such actions as arise out of those thoughts , and in which others have no interest , are gods immediate province ; and can belong to no other jurisdiction . god only knows our thoughts , as he alone can change them ; so that a magistrate by encroaching upon them , breaks in upon gods propriety , and upon that essential right of humane nature , of worshipping god according to our conviction , which is in us antecedent to all humane government , and can never become subject to it . but if the general theories from the nature of man , give a very favourable view of what is now advanced , the characters of the christian religion , and the many express texts that are in it should determine this matter more positively . the religion revealed by moses consisted in temporal promises , an earthly canaan , and all the blessings of this life ; so that since the iewes had all these things by vertue of that covenant , it was very reasonable that a violation of that law should infer a forfeiture of all those rights , that the iews held by vertue of it ; and therefore it was as just , that a iew should have been put to death for the violation of those laws , as it is lawful for us to put a man to death , that coins or clips money : yet as for opinions the case was different , even among the iews : and therefore , tho the doctrines of the sadducees struck at the foundations of all religion , the pharisees , when they had the upper hand , never carried the matter so far as to proceed to extremities against them . but what severities soever might have agreed with the mosaical dispensation , they seem to be all out of doors under the christian religion ; which gives us no earthly canaan , no temporal blessings , nor the rules for civil society : but having found the world in the possession of their temporal rights , it only came to superadd to those the doctrines and rules of a divine discipline , upon which the happiness or miseries of another state do depend . now it seems to be an uncontested rule in justice , that in whatsoever society one is engaged , the violation of the laws of that society can only inser a forfeiture of all that one had or might have expected by vertue of it : but this cannot be carried so far , as to make one forfeit all that he holds by vertue of any other society , to which he belongs ; and therefore , since we hold our temporal estates and liberties , not by vertue of our christianity , but as we are the members of the state or kingdom to which we belong , our doing any thing that is only contrary to our religion , may well make us forfeit all that belongs to us by vertue of our baptismal covenant ; but this ought not to be carried so far as to cut off those rights that we have antecedent to our christianity , as we are men , and the subjects of a civil government . our saviour confirmed all this by saying , that his kingdom was not of this world ; that he came not to destroy , but to save ; and by giving this rule of justice , of doing to others that which we would have others do to us : which would soon let all persecutors see how differently they act to it : but above all , our saviour has made the doctrines of meekness and charity , such main ingredients in his gospel , that he has made them the characters by which his disciples may be every where known ; and this spirit of love is so diffused thro the whole writings of the n. testament , that how hard soever it may be to understand some of the other passages that are in them , yet there is no ambiguity at all in those that set this forth ; we are not only restrained from ruining those who differ from us , but we are required to love them , to bear with them , and to deal with them in the spirit of meekness : there are some of the epistles that do not mention several of the duties incumbent on christians , yet there is not one , how short soever , in which this of love is not proposed , in terms that are both strong and tender ; and while the church of corinth was almost rent asunder by a variety of opinions , and by the different parties that followed the several teachers that had been among them ; st. paul does not enter much into the grounds of their disputes , but recommends love and charity to them , in terms that shew how much he himself was inflamed while he writ them ; and he is carried into all the raptures of a divine eloquence that so transporting a subject could inspire : s. iohn , lived so long as to see a great deal of the first fer vour of the christian religion slacken ; but when he writ to revive that spirit , the argument upon which he dwells chiefly , is to persuade all to love one another , and he does that in the softest and most melting terms that can be imagined . the controversy concerning the obligation that lay on the gentiles for obeying the mosaical law , was judged by the apostles against the iudaisers , and the inferences that depended on that controversy were such , that saint paul shews , they went so far as to make void the death of christ ; yet the same apostle is gentle to those that without seeing the extent of these consequences , were carried away by those iudaisers ; so that he acknowledges , that in their observing them from a good motive , they were acceptable to god ; and that as the kingdom of god , or the gospel , consisted not in those scrupulous distinctions of meats and of drinks , but in righteousness , peace , and ioy in the holy ghost ; so he adds , that every man was to endeavour to be fully persuaded in his own mind , and was not to judge his brother in such matters , but to leave him to the judgment of god. this way of managing a controversie , that was of such importance , and that was maintained with so stiff an opposition , even to that extraordinary authority that was lodged in the apostles , ought to have been the measure upon which all the succeeding ages of the church , ought to have formed themselves ; and when the apostles , that had an infallible assistance , and so might have spoken in a strain of a higher authority than any that have come after them , yet thought fit to treat of those matters in such an humble and softning stile , those who cannot pretend to such a direction , ought not to take upon them to dictate , and to threaten and destroy those who differ from them . it is indeed an amasing thing , to see how much the christian church has departed from that pattern : and when one considers the first beginnings of the christian and the mahometan religion , he is not a little surprised to see the changes that have befallen both . the blessed author of our holy religion , as he was a pattern for humility and charity , so he was made perfect thro sufferings : and his religion , as it contains precepts suteable to the example that he gave , which are set down in the plainest and most persuading expressions possible , so it gained its first glory in the world , and obtained its chief triumphs over it , by the meekness and gentleness , and the love and charity of those who embraced it : on the contrary , the mahometan religion began in the person of that impostor , with all the fierceness of rage , and was carried on by the sword , by which mahomet pretended that he was sent of god to convert the world : the nations that have received the mahometan religion , are by their constitution rough and barbarous : and yet how shameful a reverse of the first beginnings of the two religions is but too visible to the world : the mahometans in a course of several ages are so much softned , that instead of that cruelty with which their religion appeared at first , they are now so gentle , that those of a religion , which believes theirs to be only an imposture , live secure under them , and know the price that the liberty of their conscience must rise to : and that being payed , they enjoy in all other respects the protection of the government , together with the publick exercise of their religion : whereas on the other hand , that part of the christian church , that pretends the highest , has so far departed from the meekness of its author , and of his first followers , that notwithstanding all the polishings of learning and civility that are in it , it is now the cruellest and the most implacable society that has ever yet appeared in the world : if there were no other evidences but this single one , it is enough to demonstrate , how much that body has departed from its first institution : and if our saviour has given us a short abridgment of the character of the devil in these two qualities , that he is a lyar and a murderer , then any body of men , that has decreed , that faith is not to be kept to hereticks , and that has also decreed the murder of so many innocent persons , who have done nothing against that civil society to which they belong , that deserves a forfeiture of their lives ; such a body , i say , if we may take our saviours character for a rule , looks more like the followers of that fallen spirit , than the body of which the lamb of god is the head. and when we consider the plain and express words , in which the great duties of a holy life are delivered in scripture , but most particularly those of love and charity , and the darkness that are in many other passages of which the meaning is more disputable , it looks like an unaccountable perverseness to see men , who still pretend to make that book their rule , yet to be so visibly faulty in executing the one , and so excessively severe in imposing the other , of which i shall content my self to give one single instance . pope leo the tenth in the reformation that he set out , with the concurrence of the lateran council , order'd a severe prosecution to be made of all hereticks , and that all the laws against them should be put in execution : but at the same time , he order'd such slight punishment against those that should wilfully and publickly blaspheme god and christ , even tho they relapsed in it over and over again , that it is plain he had no mind to deter men with too much severity from the practice of that which was so common in his own court : a small fine , or the forfeiture of the profits of a benefice , is all the punishment that he laid on the one , even when clergy men relapsed in it . this may serve to shew , that tho naturally one is apt to think blasphemy a much more heinous crime than heresy , yet a pope , together with a council , which they pretend was general , made a distinction in the punishing of them , which is very little for their honour . the christians did , during the first ages , declare highly against all cruelty on the account of a difference of persuasion in matters of religion : and tho their interest naturally led them to this , yet we pass a very hard judgment on those times , if we think that they were only of that mind , because the power was then in the hands of their enemies . when the empire turned christian , the very heathen worship was not only tolerated for above a whole age together , but the heathens themselves continued to be in the chief imployments of the empire : and it is pleasant to see how the heathens , that had so long persecuted the christians , and that had contrived the severest of all the persecutions under iulian , which very probably had been put in execution , if he had returned victorious from his persian expedition , saw the state of things no sooner altered , than they began to imploy all their eloquence in the behalf of toleration ; as if liberty of conscience had been an essential right of mankind , from which they ought never to be cut off : and they carry'd this so far , as to pretend , that a difference in religion tends more to the honour of god , than a uniformity in it could do : and so they fancied , that a variety in it was acceptable to god. the first severity that christians practised upon one another , was the banishing of arius , and a few of his followers : it must be acknowledged , that this seems to be the utmost extent of civil authority in those matters : for certainly a government may put such persons out of its protection , that are enemies to its peace , and so banish them upon great occasions , giving them leave to sell their estates , and to carry away with them all that belongs to them ; yet this being all that any humane government can claim , it ought not to be applied too easily nor rashly , till it is visible , that all other remedies are ineffectual , and that the publick safety can be no other way secured : but tho this severity against arius had no great effects , yet the arians had no sooner the power in their hands , than they put in practtice first all the contrivances of craft and fraud , together with many less crying violences , under constance , and they carried this afterwards to a more open persecution under valens : and after that , both in spain and africk it appeared , that a cruel spirit was so inherent in that party , that it shewed it self as oft as ever they had it in their power : but while valens persecuted in his division of the empire , it is observed , that valentinian his brother thought it was enough to support the orthodox , without persecuting the other ; gratian carried the matter further , and tolerated both almost equally . and in the happy turn under theodosius , at what pains was s. gregory nazianzene to restrain the orthodox from retaliating upon the arians the ill treatment that they had suffered from them : and not only the novatians , but even the arians , continued to have their churches in the imperial cities . the first instance of the imploying the secular arm against hereticks , that was set on by any of the orthodox , was under the reign of that bloody tyrant maximus , and it was managed by two such scandalous bishops , that their ill lives is no small prejudice against every thing that was carried on by such instruments . this was condemned by the best bishops of that age , and the ill effects of that severity are very copiously marked by the historian . one is unwilling , for the sake of those ages , to reflect on the rigour that appears in some laws that are in the code ; yet the mild behaviour of atticus , proclus , and some other bishops , is marked with the praises that were due to it : and it is probable , that those laws were rather made to terrify , than that they should be executed . the donatists , after a contest of above 120 years continuance , that was managed at first more gently , grew at last so fierce and intolerable , that not being contented with their own churches , they broke in upon the churches of those of the unity : and committed many outrages on the persons of some of the bishops , putting out the eyes of some , and leaving others for dead : the bishops upon that consulted , whether they ought to demand not only the emperour's protection , but the application of the laws made against hereticks to the donatists . s. austin and some bishops opposed this for some time ; but they yielded at last : and these laws were so severely executed , that not only the donatists themselves complained heavily of them , but s. austin in several letters that he writ to the magistrates upon this occasion , made the same complaints ; he interceded very earnestly for the donatists , and said , that it detracted much from the glory of the church , that had received so much honour from the sufferings of the martyrs , to see others suffer upon the account of the church : and he told them plainly , that if they did not proceed more moderately , the bishops would suffer all that could come upon them from the rage of the donatists , rather than complain any more to those who acted so rigorously . yet tho s. austin condemn'd the excesses of the civil magistrates in some particulars , he set himself to justify severity in general , when it was imployed ▪ upon the account of religion , and all the moderate pleadings for liberty , that are to be found either in tertullian , cyprian , and more copiously in our author lactantius , with relation to heathens , and the like reasonings that are to be found in athanasius , hilary , and lucifer , with relation to the persecutions of the arians , were in a great measure forgot ; saint austin had a heat of imagination , that was very copious , which way soever he turned it : and this was imployed chiefly in allegorising scripture , so as to bring together a vast number of proofs for every cause that he undertook ; without troubling himself to examine critically what the true meaning of those passages might be : and he is so apt to run out in all his reasonings into excessive amplifications , and into all the figures of copious and uncorrect eloquence , that it is no wonder to find that passage of our saviour in the parable , compel them to enter in , with some other places misapplyed on this occasion . with that father the learning of the western church fell very low , so that his works came to be more read in the succeeding ages , than the writings of all the other fathers : and in this , as in other things , men that knew not how to reason themselves , contented themselves with that lasie and cheap way of copying from him , and of depending on his authority . the incursion of the northern nations , that overthrew the roman empire , and those polishings of learning and civility that fell with it , brought on a night of ignorance , that can scarce be apprehended , by those who have not read the writings of the following ages : superstition grew upon the ruins of learning , and eat up all . the fierce tempers of the northern people being mufled up in ignorance , and wrought on by superstition , were easily leavened with cruelty : perhaps the holy wars , and what they observed in the rage as well as in the successes of the saracens , heightned this further : at last heresy came to be reckoned the greatest of all crimes ; and as it condemned men to everlasting burning so it was thought that those might be well anticipated by temporary ones of the inquisitors kindling . it is true , the church pretended that she would shed no blood : but all this was insufferable jugling : for the churchmen declared who were obstinate or relapsed hereticks ; and the secular arm was required to be ever in readiness to execute their sentence . this was not only claimed by the bishops , but it was made a part of their oath at their consecration , that they should oppose and persecute hereticks to the utmost of their power : nor were they contented to proceed by the common rules of justice upon accusations and witnesses ; but all forms were superceded , and they by vertue of their pastoral authority , ( as if that had been given them to worry their sheep , and not to feed them ) objected articles to their prisoners upon suspition , and required them to purge themselves of them by oath : and because bishops were not perhaps all so equally zealous and cruel , some of them being persons of great quality , so that some remnants of a generous education , and of their lay pity , might still hang about them ; that bloody man dominick took this work to task , and his order has ever since furnished the world with a set of inquisitors , compared to whom all that had ever dealt in tortures in any former times were but bunglers . so far has this melancholy speculation of the degeneracy of the church of rome carried me : they at last came to extol a zeal against heresie as the highest act of piety towards god : and since heresie is reckoned by s. paul among the works of the flesh , it seemed as just to punish it in the severest manner , as it was to punish any of the other works of the flesh : and since all hereticks , were looked on as persons damned , all tenderness towards them , and pity for them , was as far exinguished as it was possible . for a false religion will not easily have the better of good nature so entirely , as to root it quite out ; tho it must be acknowledged that the roman religion has done more towards that , than any other that has ever yet appeared in the world. all the room that was left for good nature , was the favourable definition that was given of heresy : by which obstinacy was made its peculiar character , that distinguished it from error , which lies in a more innocent mistake concerning divine matters : and as many have explain'd this obstinacy , it amounts to a continuing in errour after one is convinced of it . this notion of heresy , which has been received by many of the greatest men even in the church of rome it self , seems to agree well with that of st. paul's ranking heresy among the works of the flesh ; for if it is meerly a mistake in the judgment , in which one continues , because he cannot overcome his persuasion , nor see reasons that are strong enough to oblige him to change his mind , such an adhering to error may be called any thing rather than a work of the flesh. but if a man from a principle of interest , pride , or discontent , either throws himself into ill opinions , or continues in them after his mind is better enlightned , so that he stisles and denies that inward conviction , then the reason is very plain , why such an ill temper of mind should be reckoned a work of the flesh , because it plainly arises out of a depraved nature . i will not here enter into so troublesome an enquiry as it would be , to examine how far an erroneous conscience acquits one before god ; for that must be left to him , who will judge every man according to his works , and who best knows how far he will accept of a general repentance of unknown sins , and of a general act of faith , even of truths that are yet unknown ; but as for the judgments of men , certainly when the other parts of ones life make it clear , not only to a judgment of charity , but even to that of discretion , that he is sincere , and that he means well , it is hard to know when he is obstinate , and when his errors become heresies , that is to say , works of the flesh. so far have i been led upon the consideration of the spirit of persecution , that is not only warranted by custom , and a long continued practice ; but is by the authority not only of popes , but even of general councils , established into a law on the church of rome . i am carried next into a scene of thoughts that are more particularly suted to the doctrines of the reformed churches : and here it must be acknowledged , that persecution is a more justifiable thing according to the principles of the church of rome , than it is according to our tenets ; for the church of rome , that pretends to be infallible , has a better right to demand a blind submission from all its subjects , and to treat those roughly who refuse to grant it , than a church that pretends to nothing but a power of order and government ; and that confesses , she may be mistaken . our being subject to error , is unreasonably urged , when men would carry it so far as to make us doubt of all things : yet it ought at least to have this effect on us , as to keep us from being too ready to judge hardly of those who are of another mind , or to use them roughly for it ; since it is possible , that they may be in the right , and that we may be mistaken ; at least , they may have very probable reasons for their opinions , which if they do not quite justify their mistakes , yet do very much excuse and lessen them . it is likewise visible , that all severe proceedings upon the diversity of opinions , how effectual soever they may be on base-minded men , who will alwayes make shipwrack of a good conscience , when it comes in competition with the love of this present world , yet work quite contrary wise on men of awakned understandings and generous souls ; instead of gaining on such persons , these inspire them with horror at a sort of men who go about to ruin companies of people , that never did them hurt . it is from this , that those violent hatreds arise among men of different persuasions . every man is not capable to understand an argument , or to be much disturbed at it : and tho divines , that carry their speculations further into the consequences of opinions , whether real or imaginary , grow hot and angry at one another upon those heads , yet the people understand them little , and feel them less : but every man feels an injury , and nature makes her inferences very quick upon it : and concludes , that those who use us ill , hate us : and there must be a great degree of regeneration to keep men from hating those that hate them : upon this arises all the animosity that is among the several parties : for every one reckoning himself a member of that body to which he associates himself , thinks that he is obliged to resent all the injuries that are done to his fellow-members , as much as if they were done to himself in particular : and by the same natural logick , he casts the guilt of the wrongs done his own party , not only on those individuals of the other party , from whom they did more immediately arise , but upon the whole body of them : and so here a war is kindled in mens breasts , and when that is once formed within , it will find some unhappy occasion or other to give it self a vent . those who are ill used , are in a state , like that of a mass of humours in the body , which roul about less perceived , till some unlucky accident has weakned any part of it ; and then they will all discharge themselves on the part that suffers . men that are uneasie , naturally love changes : for these are like the shifting of postures , they give some present ease , and they slatter the patient with the hope of more to follow . the advice that the old man of samnium sent his son , was certainly very wise ; he had intercepted the whole roman army in the hills , shutting up the passages so that they could neither go backward nor forward : the father advised him first to dismiss them all without any injury , since that would probably oblige the romans ; or if that were not followed , to cut them all off ; for that would weaken them considerably : whereas the middle method , which the general took , of letting them all go , having first put a publick affront on them , enraged the romans without weakning them . according to this advice it seems evident , that all considerable bodies of men , that are in any state , are to be set at ease , or to be quite rooted out ; and there is nothing wise in this severe method , but an extream and an unrelenting persecution , and in this point , if the church of rome has forgot the innocence of the dove , yet it must be confessed , that she has retained the wisdom of the serpent . persecution is not only hurtful to those that suffer many hard things by it , but is likewise mischievous to them , by the aversion that it inspires in them to those at whose hands they suffer , by the ill habit of mind into which it throws them , and by those violent projects and convulsions which do very naturally come into the heads of those , who as they feel much , so they fear yet more . those that do persecute , tho they seem to triumph for a while , with the spoils of their enemies ; yet will soon feel how this sinks their credit extreamly among those that were more indifferent spectators , while the debate was managed with the pen or tongue ; but they will certainly take part at least in their compassions with the miserable ; and will be disposed to think ill , not only of those men that are heavy upon their harmless neighbours , but even of the cause it self , that is supported by such methods . the multitude even of the lowest order of men has a remnant of good nature left , which shews it self in the sad looks that all put on at the executions even of malefactors : but if a false religion has not quite extinguished humanity in its votaries , this will make a more sensible impression , when men that have done nothing amiss , and are only in fault because they cannot help thinking as they do , are made sacrifices to the rage of others , that perhaps have little more to say for themselves , but that they are in possession of the law ; which in the next revolution of affairs that may fall out , will be an argument so much the stronger for using themselves in the same manner , because it is a just retaliation on them for that which they made others to suffer . the men of persecution do also naturally engage themselves into the intrigues of courts , and all the factions of parties : they enter into dependances upon ministers of state , who drive them on to execute all their passions , and to serve all their ends : and who have too good understandings themselves not to laugh at the officious forwardness of those who are perhaps more eager than is intended , in the doing of that for which those very persons , whose blind instruments they are at one time , will reproach them at another . in short , persecution does extreamly vitiate the morals of the party that manages it . the worst men , so they are furious and violent , are not only connived at , but are even courted : and men otherwise of severer morals , will insensibly slacken , by reason of their engagments with vicious men , whom they will find themselves forced to cherish and imploy : and if those who have persecuted others , fall under a reverse of fortune , and come to suffer themselves a little of that which they made others feel , as their ill behaviour will deprive them in a great measure , of those compassions that would otherwise work towards them , so it will raise within them many uneasy reflections upon their own actings , which will prove but melancholy companions to them in their afflictions : and these will force them to conclude , that because they shewed no mercy , therefore they now meet with the requital of iudgment without mercy ; which how unjust soever it may be , in those by whom they suster , yet they will find it meet to look up to god , and to confess , that just and righteous are all his wayes : and it may be reasonably apprehended , that it may have contributed not a little to fill up the measure of the sins of a church , and to bring down severe strokes upon them , when the visible danger , which was apparent from a formidable enemy , could not turn their thoughts to that side , but that instead of using legal and just precautions for their own security , they let themselves loose to all the rages of a mad prosecution of some poor undiscreet and deluded people ; and all this to gratify their own revenges , or to insinuate themselves into the favours of those who do now justly laugh at them , when the turn that they intended is served by their means : and those who would prepare themselves for those hard things which they have reason to expect from a church that has alwayes delighted to bath her self in blood , ought seriously to profess their repentance of this fury in instances that may be as visible and edifying as their rage has been publick and destructive . but there remains yet one point , without which i am sensible that this discourse will appear defective ; i know it is extream tender in our present circumstances , yet that does not defer me from venturing on it ; it is , how far protestants ought to tolerate papists . it seems at first view the most unreasonable thing in the world , for those to pretend to it , who we are sure must destroy us , as soon as it is in their power to do it . i say , they must do it ; since by those councils , which they themselves hold to be general , the extirpation of hereticks and the breaking of faith to them , has been so formally decreed , that it is a foolish piece of presumption to imagine that they can ever lay down those principles . infallibility is the bottom upon which their church is built , and she must be as infallible in the rules that she gives of morality , as she is in her decisions in points of faith : for all the reasons that are given for private persons depending on the church for the rule of their faith , do bind as strongly to depend likewise on the church for the rule of life and manners . if we are in danger of forgetting , what was decreed in that church so long ago , they take pains from time to time to refresh our memories , not only by their cruelties in the last age , for which there was so much more to be said , than for later barbarities , because the reformation was lookt on as a revolt then made from established laws : and if persecution can be at any time excused , it is in the first beginnings of heresies , before the evil has spread it self into greater numbers of men : the heats that were raised in the first formation of that breach , may some way take off from the guilt of the sacrifices that they made : for men in the first surprises of anger do seldom reason true , or act wisely ; but when a whole age has passed , and those first heats are in a great measure laid , and when all the securities that could possibly be demanded have been given , and while these have been enacted into the most obligatory laws that could be contrived , which were confirmed by solemn well to my self ; yet the body of the people , that are bred up to the other points of popery , and that know nothing of these , which their priests keep as mysteries from them , and either deny them quite , or disguise them so that they shew in other colours to those who believe implicitly , and who do not give themselves the trouble to enquire into such matters ; but think it is safer , as well as easier , to take things upon trust ; they i say , are not so formidable as to raise our fears and jealousies to so high a pitch : and secular priests are naturally a softer sort of men , who have not the sourness that seems to belong to all the orders that are among them ; nor are they so far possessed with the ill-natured and dangerous opinions that belong to that church , as to be past cure : and as a softning of rigour towards such , would lay the apprehensions that self-preservation does naturally raise in all people , so it would at least make the utmost degree of severity , that seems reconcilable to the common principles of humane society , or of christianity , appear more justifiable , if a restlesness under such easie circumstances should afterwards drive a government to it . but the returning of the severities that our brethren have suffered at the hands of the men of that religion on the papists of england , is a practice so contrary to the christian religion , and to the principles of the protestant religion , that i do not stick to say it , that i had rather see the church of england fall under a very severe persecution from the church of rome , than see it fall to persecute papists , when it should come to its turn to be able to do it . the former will only serve to unite us among our selves , and to purge us from our dross ; and in particular from any of the leaven of the doctrine of persecution , that we have not yet quite thrown out ; but the other would very much stain the purest and best constituted church in the world ; and it would be too near an approach to the cruelty of that church , which we cannot enough detest : but how much soever we must hate their corruption , we must still remember , that they are men and christians , tho perhaps of a course grain , and that we our selves are reformed christians , who in imitation of our blessed master , must not render evil for evil , but overcome evil with good . gilbert burnet . the persecutors here mentioned , whom the judgments of god did so visibly pursue and overtake , and whose death 's were so signally remarkable , are in order thus . nero. domitian . decius . valerian . aurelian . diocletian . maximian , surnamed the herculian . galerius maximian . severus . daia or daza , to whom galerius maximian gave the name of maximin , so that he was thereafter stiled maximinus daza , or simply maximin . maxentius , the son of maximian the herculian . a relation of the death of the primitive persecutors . written by lucius caecilius firmianus lactantius ; addressed to donatus the confessor . i. god has at last heard you ( my dearest donatus ) in those prayers which you offer up daily to him , as well as our other brethren , who by the vertue of their faith , and of the glorious consession that they have made , have acquired to themselves an eternal crown of glory . to these prayers god has hearkned ; and has delivered us from our enemies : and a blessed peace being now again re-established upon earth , the church of god , that was lately laid so low , begins to flourish again : and thro the mercy of god , his house , that was laid in ruins by his enemies , is now rebuilt with a new magnificence . god has raised up to us princes , who have repealed all the wicked and bloody edicts of the late tyrants ; and have so setled the peace of mankind , that instead of the clouds and storms of the late times , there is now an universal calm every where : and after all those hurricans of fury and violence are now blown over , we enjoy a serene air , and the happy quiet which we had so much long'd for . now gods anger is turned away , and he hearkning to the prayers of his servants , has by the interposition of his divine aid , raised up their afflicted and broken spirits : now he has wiped away all their tears , and has put an end to the conspiracies of their enemies . those who had set themselves in opposition to god , are now laid in the dust : those who had rased the temples of god , are now become spectacles to the world ; and they who had exercised so much cruelty on the servants of god , have received at his hands a severe return of their rage , and have breathed out their defiled souls after they had undergone a great many dismal strokes , that were laid on them by the hand of god. their punishment was for some time delay'd , but at last it was signal : and in them all succeeding ages ought to observe the justice of god in punishing such proud and impious persecutors suteably to their crimes . in the manner of their death , god calls likewise on all at what distance soever , either of time or place , to observe the greatness and majesty of his providence in destroying the enemies of his truth . and this will appear yet more evident to us , if we call to mind who have been the porsecutors of the church from its first beginning , and if we observe the severity of the divine justice , that has appeared in their punishment . ii. towards the end of tiberius's reign , in the consulate of the two gemini , our lord iesus christ was crucified by the iews on the 23. of march. he rose again on the third day , and brought together his disciples , whom the fear of his sufferings was beginning to disperse , and he continued with them for the space of 40 dayes on earth , opening their hearts , and expounding the scriptures to them , which till then had appeared dark and involved . he ordained and instructed them to go and preach this new doctrine over the world ; and he left them a scheme for their conduct , and for the government of this new dispensation . when he had finished his ministry , a cloud received him , and carried him up into heaven : and then his eleven disciples having assumed into their number matthias and paul , dispersed themselves over the world for the preaching of the gospel , as their master had commanded them : and during the space of 25. years ▪ till the beginnings of nero's reign , they continued founding many churches in a great many different cities and provinces . during nero's reign , s. peter came to rome , and made a great many converts there , having thro the power of god , that rested on him , wrought several miracles , and ▪ so he formed a church in this place of empire . this was brought to nero's ears , who finding that great multitudes , not only in rome , but in all other places , were daily falling oft from idolatry , and were turning to this new religion , and being carried by his brutal tyranny to all sorts of cruelty , he set himself first of all to destroy this religion , and to persecute the servants of god : so he both ordered s. peter to be crucisied , and s. paul to be beheaded . but he did not escape unpunished : for god had regard to the sufferings of his people . the tyrant , as he was dispossessed of the empire , so he disappeared all of the sudden , nor is there so much as the least remembrance left of the burial place of that brutal prince . but some have from hence taken up a very foolish imagination , of his being translated , and of his being preserved alive in some other region ; which they found on some words of the sybil , that mentions a murderer of his mother that had fled away , but that should return again : and they fancy , that as he was the first who persecuted the christians , so he shall be likewise the last of their persecutors ; and that he is to appear again immediately before the coming of antichrist : and they judge , ( tho very unreasonably ) that as there were two of the antient prophets who were translated , and who before the last revolution of time are to appear as the fore-runners of christ , when he is to be come again , accompanied with his saints , to begin his holv and endless reign ; so likewise that nero shall appear as the fore-runner of the devil , who must make way to him , who is to bring a strange desolation upon earth , and a destruction upon all mankind . iii. after nero , and the interval of some few more years , there arose another tyrant , domitian , not much inferior to him : who tho he acted in a most tyrannical and arbitrary manner , being heavy to his people , and no less hated by them , yet he reigned in peace and safety for several years , till be began to set himself against god. but as soon as he was set on by the instigation of the devil to persecute the holy seed , then was he delivered up to the hands of his enemies . nor was his being stabbed thought punishment enough for his crimes , but care was taken that no memory should be left of him to posterity ; for tho he had raised many magnificent buildings , & that there were many monuments of his empire , both in the capitol and in other places , yet the senate did express such a detestation of him , that they ordered that there should remain no statue for him , nor so much as the traces of any inscription that made mention of his name : and by a most severe decree , which they past for this effect , they branded his memory with eternal infamy . thus all the acts and edicts of this tyrant being repealed , the church did not only recover its former quie●… , but became much more flourishing under a succession of many worthy princes , who as they governed the roman empire very happily , so the church suffered no hardships under them : and she being thus freed from the rage of her enemies , dilated herself both in the eastern and western parts , so that there was no corner of the world so remote , nor any nation of it so wild , that was not visited by this divine light , and that was not tamed by its discipline . but this long peace came at last to an end . iv. for after many years the execrable decius persecuted the church , and who but so vile a man would have set himself against so holy a doctrine . it seems he was raised up to the imperial dignity for this very end , that as soon as he began to rage against god , he might be immediately thrown down : for having marched against the carpi , who had possessed themselves of dacia and m●…sia , he was surrounded by the barbarians , and both he and a great part of his army was cut off : nor had he so much as the honours of a funeral , but as well became one that had set himself against god , his carcass was exposed as a prey to the beasts of the earth , and to the fowls of the air. v. not long after decius the emperour , valerian was inflamed with the like rage , and stretched forth his hands against god. in a very little while he shed a great deal of the blood of the saints ; but god plagued him with a new and unusual sort of judgment ; and in his person there was a new remembrance lest to posterity of gods severity in punishing his enemies according to their merit . he was taken prisoner by the persians , and so he not only lost the empire , which he had governed so insolently , but as he had robbed many others of their liberty , so he likewise lost his own at last , and fell under a most infamous slavery . for as oft as sapores the king of persia , who took him , had occasion either to mount on horseback , or to go into his chariot , he made the roman emperour stoop down , that he might make his back his step to get up ; and whereas the romans had made some representations of the persians being deseated by them , sapores used to rally valerian , and to tell him , that the posture in which he lay , was a more real proof to shew on whose side the victory went , than all the pictures that the romans could make ▪ valerian being thus led about in triumph , lived for some time , so that the barbarians had in him occasion given for a great while , to treat the very name of a roman with all possible indignity and scorn . and this was the heightning of his misery , that tho he had a son , upon whom the empire had devolved by his misfortune , yet no care was taken by the son either to rescue the father , or to revenge his ill usage . after he had ended his infamous life , his skin was flead off his . body , and both it and his guts being tinctured with a red colouring , they were hung up in one of the temples of the persian gods , to be a perpetual remembrance of so remarkable a : triumph , by which they might always put such roman ambassadours as should be sent among them in mind of it , and from so unusual a sight , warn them not to presume too much upon their own strength , but to remember valerian's fall . but how strange a thing was it to find , that notwithstanding such remarkable judgments of god upon former persecutors , there should : arise any that should dare so much as to project , much more to re-act , such crimes against the majesty of that god that supports and governs all things . vi. aurelian , that was naturally violent and furious , seemed to forget what had befallen valerian , or if he remembred his captivity , he did not seem to reflect on his crimes , or to consider that as the punishment of them , and so he likewise drew down the divine displeasure on himself by his cruelty : but he lived not long enough to execute what he had designed , and he ended his days in the beginnings of his rage . for before his edict against the christians was sent over all the provinces of the empire , he himself was killed at caenophrurium , a town in thrace , by some of his own domesticks , upon some ill-grounded suspitions that they had conceived of him . it might have been expected , that the succeeding emperours should have been restrained by so many and such signal examples : but they were so far from being terrisied by them , that they acted yet with a more daring boldness against god. vii . diocletian , that was the contriver of all our late miseries , as he ruined the empire by his ill administration , so he could not be kept in from acting likewise in opposition to god. his avarice and his cowardise joined together , had produced great mischiefs . he assumed to himself three partners in the empire , having divided it into four parts ; and he did so encrease the number of his troops , that every one of the four had a greater army than the former emperours had , who alone governed the whole empire ; and the number of those who received his pay , growing greater than that of those who payed him taxes , there was such an increase of new impositions , that those who laboured the ground being exhausted by them , they deserted the empire , and by this means the best cultivated soils were turned to deserts and woods ; and so severe was his government , that he erected a great many new charges and imployments ; the provinces were divided into many separated jurisdictions : many new presidents and courts , auditors , and other magistrates were set up both in towns and countrys , who took little care of the administration of justice , their time being all imployed in condemnations and attainders ; and they laid so many taxes upon all sorts of things , that as the burdens under which the people groaned were encreased every day , so in the levying of them great violences were likewise committed . all this had been more tolerable , if the mony so raised had circulated among the souldiers : but the emperours avarice was such , that he could not endure to see his treasure any way diminished ; and therefore he was always contriving new ways of raising money , that so his exchequer might be always full : and that tho his expence was great , yet his income might so answer it , that he should never lessen that stock of mony which by his exactions he had brought together . after that the many oppressions which he put in practice had brought a general dearth upon the empire , then he set himself to regulate the prices of all vendible things . there was also much blood shed upon very slight and trifling accounts ; and the people brought provisions no more to markets , since they could not get a reasonable price for them : and this encreased the dearth so much , that at last , after many had died by it , the law it self was laid aside . to all these diocletian added an inclination to build great fabricks , and this brought a new charge on several provinces both for furnishing of labourers , and artisicers , and of wagons for carriage . he built palaces for himself , for his wife , and for his daughters : and to these he added a hippodrome , an arsenal , and a mint house : so that in a little while a great part of nicomedia being filled with those buildings , many of the inhabitants were forced to leave the town with their wives and children , as if it had been taken by an enemy : and when he had finished a piece of building at the cost of ruining some of the provinces by it , he found some fault or other in it , and then he pulled all down , and gave orders to rebuild it in another manner : nor was this second building secured from a new caprice , upon which it might be likewise perhaps levelled with the ground . so madly expenceful was he in the design that he took into his head of making nicomedia equal to rome it self . i pass over the ruin of many , who were brought under severe judgments , that so a colour in law might be found for seising on their estates : for this was become such a common practice , that the frequency of committing it had almost authorised it . and this was certain , that wherever a man was the master of a rich piece of soil , or of a noble building , that seemed to be crime enough ; and a pretence was quickly sound out for condemning the owner , as if it had not been enough to seise his estate , without taking away his life likewise . viii . his colleague in the empire , maximian , surnamed the herculian , was not unlike him . nor could they have been cemented into so entire a friendship , if they had not been both of the same mind , the same thoughts , the same inclinations , and the same designs . in this they differed , that maximian had more courage as well as more avarice than diocletian ; who as he was fearful , so perhaps from that principle he was less ravenous . yet maximian's courage consisted rather in a daring to commit crimes , than in a generous nobleness of mind . and tho his share comprehended not only italy it self , the seat of empire , but likewise those rich provinces of africk and spain , yet he was not so careful in the management of his treasure as was necessary : but as oft as he wanted mony , the richest of the senators were accused by some witnesses , that were suborned to swear against them of some practices for the empire , and thus every day there were new arts set on foot to get rid of the eminentest men of the senate , so that the ravenous exchequer was often full of this ill-acquired wealth . that accursed man did also let loose his appetites not only in those unnatural and hateful disorders with boyes , but likewise in the debauching the daughters of some that were of the first rank . for whensoever he was in any journey , as he past he had instruments at hand , to bring virgins to him by force in the very sight of their parents . it was on these things that he built his happiness ; and he reckoned the chief felicity of empire to consist in this , that he denied himself in nothing to which either his vitious appetite or his lusts carried him . i say nothing of constantius , because he was so very unlike the rest ; and did indeed deserve that the whole empire should fall into his hands . ix . but the other maximian who married diocletians daughter , was not only worse than the two formerly mentioned , but did exceed the wickedness of the worst princes that ever were : there was a barbarous brutality in his temper , together with a cruelty not known to those that were of a roman extraction : and no wonder ; for his mother was born beyond the danube : and when some of those nations crossed that river , she came along with them , and had setled her self in that part of dacia which was formed into a province by aurelian . his body was suteable to his mind : he was very tall , and most excessively corpulent : and there was a sierceness in his looks , his words , and in his whole behaviour , that gave a very formidable idea of him . his father in law , diocletian , dreaded him extreamly upon this following account : narses king of persia , being encouraged by the success that his grandfather sapores had against valerian , resolved to extend his empire , and to drive the romans out of the east : upon which diocletian , who was naturally very fearful , quite desponded , and searing a fate like valerians , he durst not undertake that war , but sent maximian into armenia , and stayed behind himself , that so he might see what was like to be the issue of this war : maximian took his measures so well , that finding the persian army exceeding numerous , and that they were much encumbred with a vast equipage , that they drew along with them , their wives having followed them in this expedition according to the ancient persian custom : he , i say , got such advantages against them , that without any considerable loss , he defeated their whole army . narses himself escaped , but maximian took all their baggage , and so returned with great glory , which encreased his insolence , as much as it did his father-in-law's apprehensions of him . for upon so great a victory ▪ he thought it below him to carry only the second rank of honour , and to be only called cesar ; and when at any time he received letters addressed to him , with the inscription cesar , he used to cry out in his brutal way , must ▪ i be still cesar ? he grew at last to that pitch of insolence , as to give it out , that mars was his father ; so that he ought to be lookt on as another romulus , not considering the prejudice he did to his mothers honour , of which he made small account , desiring only to be lookt on as begotten by a god. but i will not now enter into the particulars of his life , that so i may not confound the order of things : for it was after his assuming the imperial dignity , of which he forced his father-in-law to strip himself , that he broke loose into all the excesses of insolence and fury ; in the mean time , tho diocletian by his own ill conduct , and that of the two maximians , whom he had taken co-partners into the government , ( the first as emperor , and the second as cesar ) had brought great disorder upon the whole state of the empire , and tho his private crimes were very crying , yet matters prospered in his hands in a very unusual manner , till he came to defile them with the blood of the saints ; and this carries me to give you an account of the occasion that led him to persecute them . x. while he was in the east , he being excessively desirous to know what was to be the event of things , offered many sacrifices , and in their livers the diviners searcht for those indications , upon which they pretended to foretell things to come : but some of his courtiers , that were christians , being near him , made the sign of the cross on their fore-heads , at which the devils being frighted away , they were all put in a great confusion . the diviners being likewise in disorder , could not find the ordinary marks that they lookt for in the intrails of the sacrifices ; tho they offered up many , one after another , pretending that the divinity was not yet appeased ; but all the number of their sacrifices was to no purpose , for no signs appeared : upon which tages that was set over the diviners said , either upon some conjecture or upon knowledge , that their rites did not succeed , because there were some prophane persons that had thrust themselves into their assembly . upon which diocletian being enraged , commanded , that not only all those who were present , but that all the rest of his courtiers should come and sacrifice to their gods , and ordered those to be whipped who should refuse to do it . he likewise sent orders to his military officers , to require all the souldiers to sacrifice , and to dismiss such as would not . but this was all that he thought sit to do at first , nor did he suffer his rage to carry him to farther extremities against god or his true religion , till after some time had past , that he came to winter in bithinia : and there galerius maximian , who was likewise inflamed against the christians , met him , & engaged the vain old man to go on with the persecution , which he had already begun , concerning whom i have received this account of the grounds of his fury against our religion . xi . his mother was a superstitious woman , and was particularly addicted to the devotion of the gods of the mountains , so that she offered sacrifices to them daily , and feasted her officers with the meat of those oblations . the christians would not assist at those entertainments , but gave themselves to fasting and prayer , while she and her company were at those feasts . upon this she conceived a hatred of them , and she set on her son , who was no less superstitious than she her self , by her spiteful complaints to contrive their destruction . diocletian and his son-in-law had many secret consultations during a whole winter , to which as no body was admitted , so it was generally thought that they were treating about matters of the greatest consequences . the old man withstood maximian's fury long , and shewed him how pernicious the council would prove , and how great a disturbance it would bring upon the empire : much blood would be shed ; for the christians were observed to be very willing to dye . therefore he proposed this expedient , that none of that religion should be suffered to continue in the court , or in the army : but all this could not divert the rage of that furious man. therefore he proposed the asking the opinions of those in whom they consided ; for he had this piece of ill nature , that when he was about to do any thing that was acceptable , he did it of himself , without taking the advice of others , that so the praise of it might belong wholly to himself : but when he undertook any thing that was lyable to censure , he called for many persons to deliver their opinion upon it , that so others might be charged with the blame of that in which he was chiefly in fault . some few iudges , and some few military men were called upon , and according to the order of their dignity they were repuired to tell their minds ; some that had a particular spleen to the christian religion , opined that all the christians were enemies to god and to the established worship , and that therefore they ought to be destroyed . those that were of another mind , perceiving what was maximian's design , and being either affraid of him , or desirous to make their court with him , agreed to the rest in opinion ; yet all this did not prevail on diocletian ; so he resolved to consult the gods themselves , and sent a diviner to consult with apollo , who answered as might have been expected from an enemy of the christian religion . upon this diocletian yielded ; and as he would not oppose himself to that which not only his friends and maximian , but even apollo had advised , yet he endeavoured to maintain this moderation , that the design might be composed without the shedding of blood : whereas maximian moved , that all those who refused to partake in the sacrifices , should be burnt alive . xii . a proper and an auspicious day for beginning this work was next sought for ; and choice was made of the festivity of the god terminus , which was within five days of the end of february , that was the conclusion of their year : implying by this , that an end was to be put to this religion . this was the first day of their executions , and the beginning of those miseries that not only fell on them , but on the whole empire . in the morning of that fatal day , in the seventh and eighth consulate of the two ancient emperours , the prefect accompanied with some officers , and some of the receivers , went to the church , and having forced open the door , they searched for the image of god : * all the books of the scriptures that were there found were burnt , and the spoil that was made was divided among all that were present : this struck a terror into many , and many withdrew them . selves from the storm . the two princes , who from convenient places viewed all that was done ( for that church stood upon a heighth , so that it was within the prospect of the palace ) were long in debate , whether they should order fire to be set to it : but in this diocletians opinion prevailed ; for he was affraid lest if the church had been set on fire , that might have spread it self into the other parts of the city : for it was environed on all hands by a great many noble buildings ; so that instead of setting fire to , it there was a considerable body of the guards , sent with axes and mattocks , who in a few hours time levelled that lofty building with the ground . xiii . the day after this an edict was published , by which the christians were declared incapable of all honours and imployments ; and that they should be liable to torture whatsoever might be their rank and dignity ; all actions were to be received against them , and they were put out of the protection of the law , and might not sue neither upon injuries done them , or adulteries committed against them , nor for thefts or robberies ; and they were to loose both their liberties and their right of voting . when this was affixed , one that shewed more of courage than discretion in it , took it down and tore it , and rallied the emperours , who had put among their titles , that they had triumphed over the goths and the sarmatians , that they acted like those whom they pretended that they had subdued ; he was presently seised on , and after he had endured several sorts of torture ; he was burnt at last , but suffered all with admirable patience . xiv . but maximian was not satisfied with the severity of this edict , so he resolved to draw on diocletian to consent to further rigour by this artifice ; he set on some of his creatures to raise a fire in the palace , that so he might engage him to an unrelenting persecution : some parts were burnt down , and the christians were presently accused as the common enemies ; and this fire , that consumed the palace , raised a most implacable rage against them . for it was given out , that they had entred into consultation with some of the eunuchs for the destruction of their princes , and that two emperours were well nigh burnt alive in their own house . diocletian who affected the reputation of being a wise and crafty man , could not be brought to give any credit to this : but being excessively enraged upon it , he ordered many of his domesticks to be put to death in a most terrible manner . so many innocent persons were brought before him , and were burnt . all the judges and all the officers of his household being authorised thereunto , put all people to torture , and seemed to vie with one another who should be the first that should discover the bottom of this matter . but nothing could be found out ; for none of maximians family was put to the torture . he came and stood by diocletian , and continued still to inflame him more and more , that so his anger might no way be abated . and a fortnight after the first burning , fire was a second time set to the palace : but this was observed in time , yet neither could the author of it be found out . and then maximian , tho it was in the midst of winter , left nicomedia on the same day in which this second fire was raised , protesting that he went away fearing lest he should be burnt alive . xv. the emperour was now set all on fire , and upon this he forced not only all that were of his household , but all persons whatsoever , to defile themselves with their sacrifices ; beginning with his daughter valeria , and his wise prisca . some of the eunuchs that were in the greatest credit , and by whose directions the whole affairs of the palace had been conducted before this edict , were now put to death ; some presbyters and deacons were seised on , and without any proof against them , they were condemned and executed . persons of all ages , and of both sexes were burnt , not singly one by one , but by reason of their numbers , whole companies of them were burnt all in the same fire : and their servants were cast into the sea , millstones being tied about their necks . nor was this persecution less violent in all other places : for the judges were sent to all temples , and they forced all people to joyn in the sacrifices . the prisons were every where full . unheard of kinds of torture were invented ; and that no man might have the benefit of the law that was not a heathen : they placed altars in the very courts of iustice , and in the publick offices , that so all who came to sue before them might be put to it first to offer sacrifice , before they could be admitted to plead : so that men came before their judges as before their gods. nor was this all , letters were also sent to the other emperour and to constance , inviting them to concur in this matter , tho their opinions had not been before asked , notwithstanding the great importance of it . the old maximian did comply very willingly in italy ; for he was naturally cruel ▪ but constance , that he might not seem to dissent from those that were in rank above him , did indeed give order for the pulling down the walls of the houses where the christians held their assemblies ; for these could be easily rebuilt : but he took care to preserve those true temples of god , i mean the christians themselves . xvi . the whole world was now brought under great vexation , the gaules only excepted ; those three wild beasts exercised their cruelty upon all the provinces from the east to the west . if i had a hundred tongues , and the strongest voice , i could not set out all the forms of crimes , and all the names of the tortures that the judges in the several provinces put in practice against so many holy and innocent persons : but what need i engage in this recital , especially to you , my dear donatus , who had so extraordinary a share in them . for whereas you first fell into the hands of the prefect flaccinus , who was not a small murderer , you fell next into the hands of hierocles , who from being a deputy was made a president , and had been an adviser and a promoter of the persecution : and in the last place , was brought before priscillian his successor , where , as well as before the other two , you gave an evidence of your unconquered courage : you were nine several times put to a great many tortures , and at every one of them you overcame the rage of your enemies , by a glorious confession . in those nine encounters with the devil you defeated him with his whole troop of assistants ▪ and by so many victories you triumphed over the world with all its terrors . how pleasant was that triumph in the sight of god , in which instead of white horses or elephants about your chariot , you triumphed over the emperours themselves , and seem'd to drag them after your chariot . this is true victory , when those that have conquered the world , are subdued : for they were overcome and subdued by you , who despising their impious edicts , made no account of all the pomp and terrors of their tyrannical authority . their whippings and their pincers , their fires and swords , and all the several shapes of torture had no effect upon you : no sort of violence could make you fall from the faith , and from the true worship of god ▪ this is to be a true disciple and a true souldier of christ ; whom no enemy can overcome , no wolf can carry out of gods fold , no snare can intangle , no sorrow can subdue , and no torture can break . after all those nine engagements , that proved so glorious to you , the devil finding himself always overcome by you , durst not assault you any more : for experience had shewed him , that you were not to be vanquished : and since he saw that the crown of victory was ready to be bestowed on you , he would not , by provoking you any further , give you the occasion of receiving it so soon . tho it was not given to you then , it is safely kept for you in the kingdom of god , as the recompense of your vertue and worth. but now i return to the series of the history . xvii . diocletian being now engaged into this wicked design , and having succeeded so well in the execution of it , went streight to rome , that so he might celebrate there his entring upon the twentieth year of his empire , that he was to open upon the anniversary of his coming to it , which was the twentieth of november . but as soon as that was over , he shewed how little he could bear that freedom that the romans had still retained ; at which he was so uneasy , that tho the first of ianuary was very near , in which he was to enter upon his ninth consulate , yet he could not be prevailed on to stay to that day , and so he could not bear the staying thirteen days longer at rome , but he began his consulate at ravenna . the winter was both extream cold and rainy , so that the journey did so affect his health , that it threw him into a lingring sickness , that never went off quite : and being ill all the way , he was forced to be carried for most part in a litter . his illness lay upon him all the summer long : about the end of it he continued his journey , and having come round the coast of phrygia , he got at last to nicomedia , his sickness being now come to a great height . but tho he was brought very low by it , yet he would needs appear in publick , and assist at the dedication of the hippodrome that he had built , which was done at the end of his twentieth year of empire . his sickness grew at last to such a degree , that supplications were made to all the gods for his life : but on the 13 th of december a report was spread all about the palace , that he was dead : the sad looks and the terrour that appeared in all his courtiers , and the solemn silence that was over all the court , made that the report was generally believed : the city of nicomedia believed him not only dead , but buried ; but the next day it was given out that he was yet alive ; upon which the countenances of many that were concerned , were much changed : but others believed still that he was dead , and that it was concealed for fear of the souldiery , lest they should have fallen into some dangerous consultations , and that therefore his death was to be kept up till maximian should come to nicomedia . this grew to be so universally believed , that is he had not shewed himself on the first of march , it had not been possible to have perswaded the people that he was still alive . he was strangly altered by a whole years sickness ▪ that they to whom he was very well known , could hardly believe him to be the same : he had indeed on the thirteenth of december fallen into so deep a swoon , that it was thought he was dead , and he never recovered this so entirely , as to be wholly what he had been formerly : for he had ever after this , some fits of madness , which returned at some ▪ times upon him , tho in the intervals of those fits he had his understanding very perfect . xviii . not many days after this , galerius maximian came to him , not to congratulate upon his recovery , but to force him to resign the empire : he had made the same attempt upon the elder maximian , and threatned him with a civil war if he would not resign ; so now he set on diocletian : he began at first more softly and gently with him ; telling him , that he was now become ancient and infirm , and less able to undergo the fatigue of government , and that therefore he ought to give himself some repose after so much application and toil. he set before him nerva's example , who resigned the empire to trajan : diocletian answered , that as it was not honourable for him , after he had born so sublime a character so long , to shut himself up in an obscure corner , so it could not be safe for him to do it , since during so long a reign , he must needs have made himself many enemies . the case was quite different in nerva , who had past his whole life in retirement ; so that his great age and his unacquaintendness with affairs made him less capable of bearing so great a burden , which therefore he threw off , and returned to that privacy in which he had spent the former parts of his life . but he offered to maximian to receive him to an equal dignity with himself ; so that they should be all called emperours , if that would have contented him . the other , who had now formed a project of making himse sole emperour , seeing that from this title that was offered him , little real advantage would accrue to him , pretended that the order which diocletian had begun , of having two emperours with the supream power , and two assistants to them in a lower degree of dignity , ought to be forever maintained : it was an easy thing to preserve a good correspondence between two persons , but that could not be composed if there came to be four of equal dignity : he concluded , that if the emperour would not retire , and make way for him , he would see to himself ; for he would be no longer contented with the low degree in which he had been so long held : he had been now for fifteen years as it were banished to illiricum , along the river of the danube , and engaged in constant wars with the barbarous nations ; while others were reigning quietly , and in delicious seats . the old man , that was now much broken , having heard all this , and having likewise received letters from the elder maximian , that gave him an account of what had been said to himself upon that subject , and had also heard that galerius maximian was encreasing his army ; upon this , not without tears ; he consented to that which had been proposed to him ; so that which remained was , that the cesars should be named by the concurring advices of all the four. but the other rejected this , and said , that the other two must consent to whatsoever they should resolve on : and indeed , it seemed that there was no room for choice , but that the sons of the other two must have been named for cesars . maxentius was son to the elder maximian , and had married the younger maximians daughter . he was a man of a wicked and vicious disposition , and was so proud and so willful , that he would not pay the wonted respect of adoration , neither to his father , nor to his father-in-law ; so that he was equally hated of both . constantine son to constance was a most vertuous youth , and had all the qualities that could recommend him to the highest dignity : his air and person were graceful ; his capacity for military affairs , his probity , and his obliging deportment , made that he was beloved of the souldiers , and wished for by all persons : he was then in diocletian's court , and was put by him in the chief command of the army . but maximian had his objections to both these : as for maxentius he thought he was not worthy of that dignity , and he reckoned , that he who had behaved himself so insolently towards him , while he was a private person , would become intolerable if he were raised so high . constantine was indeed so amiable a person , that it was thought he would be a better and a gentler prince than his father had been : and so he would be able to check him as he pleased : wherefore maximian resolved to have such persons promoted , who should be always in his power , who should be affraid of him , and should do nothing but by his order , so he proposed severus : diocletian excepted to him , as a mad extravagant , and drunken person , who changed the day into night , and the night into day : but the other answered , that he had deserved that dignity well , for he had taken great care of the army , and had prayed them faithfully ; and added , that he had sent him to maximian the elder , that he might receive the nomination from him ; so this was aggreed to : and when diocletian asked him , who should be the other , he presented one daia to him , a young man , that was half a barbarian by his extraction , and whom he had lately ordered to be called maximin from his own name . for diocletian had changed his own name to that , to distinguish him from the other maximian , who had alwayes maintained his fidelity to him most religiously . diocletian asked him , who that young man was ; the other said , he was his ally : but he sighed , and replied , that he did not propose to him persons that were capable of conducting the common-wealth ; the other said , that he had already tried them . diocletian insisted and said , that he who was to enter upon the empire , ought to see to it : and that for his part , he had taken his share of toil , and had studied to preserve the common-wealth in a good state during his empire , but if after his time it should fall into disorder , it should not be by his fault . all things being thus concerted in secret , on the first of may this great affair came to be declared . the eyes of all people were on constantine , not doubting but the nomination must fall on him : all the military men , as well the souldiers as the officers , lookt at him , wisht for him , and shewed much joy in the hopes that they expressed of his advancement : there was a rising ground at almost three miles distance from the city , and it was there where maximian himself had first received the imperial purple , in remembrance of which there was a pillar erected with a statue of iupiters upon it . that place was markt out for this solemnity , and the army was drawn out about it : and there the old man with tears in his eyes , told the souldiers , that he was now become infirm , and therefore he was resolved to give himself some rest after so much toil , and to deliver up the empire to those who were able to undergo the fatigue of it : and that in order to that , he would now name new cesars . upon this all mens expectations being raised , he named severus and maximin ; all people were amased ; and since constantine was standing by , some began to ask whether he had changed his name into maximin : but to the admiration of all the spectators , maximian put by constantine , and drew out daia , and shewed him to the people , having stript him of the habit that he wore as a private person : and while all men were surprised , and knew neither who he was , nor of whom he was descended , ( tho this unlookt for promotion , had so disordered them , that they testified no aversion to it ) diocletian threw his purple robe about him , and so he himself retired to a private state again , and returned to his private name of diocles , which upon his coming to the empire he had changed to diocletian , and thus the solemnity ended : and the old emperour , like a souldier that had obtained his dismission , retired , and drive thro nicomedia , and so went into his own countrey . and daia , that was raised up from following of cattle thro woods , and was first a common souldier , then an officer , after that a brigadier , and now at last got to be cesar , had the east assigned to him , tobe oppressed and ruined by him . and tho he neither understood military affairs , nor matters of state , yet he was now set to conduct armies instead of feeding cattle . xx. maximian having now effected that which he had projected , in driving out the old men , behaved himself as if he had been the sole emperour of the whole roman empire . for tho constance had the precedence , and so was to be always named before him , yet he was despised by him , both because he was naturally of a mild temper , and was now much disabled thro the indisposition of his body . he believed that either he would soon die , or that it would be no hard thing to force him to resign his share of the empire . there was about maximian one licinius , who was his ancient friend ; for they had been comerades from their first imployments in the army : and he had now the chief stroke in all affairs . maximian had not put him in the nomination of the cesars , because he would not put him in a rank so far inferiour to himself as to call him son , but he reckoned that constance would soon die , and then he was resolved to receive him to be his brother and collegue in the empire : and thus he projected to establish himself in his authority , and to be able to carry all things according to his mind ; and after he should come to his twentieth year , and celebrate the festivals of it , as his predecessors had done , he intended to resign the empire , and to put his son in his stead , who was now only nine years old : so that he intended that licinius and severus should be the emperours , and that maximin and candidianus should be the cesars : and thus he being established and secured as much as was possible , should pass the rest of his days in quiet , and great safety . these were his designs : but he having made god his enemy , all his projects came to nothing . xxi . he having attained the supream dignity , set himself to disquiet the world , that was now become subject to him . in his expedition against the persians he had observed that custom which was established among them , by which all those nations esteemed themselves the slaves of their kings : so that they reigned over them with as absolute an authority , as a master of a family does over those of his houshold . this vile man intended to establish the same method of government in the roman empire : and he was so impudent , that ever after that victory , he used to magnify it : and tho he durst not openly attempt the reducing the romans to the same state , yet he behaved himself so as if he had considered all others as his slaves : he began with the degrading those that were in honourable imployments ; for he subjected the magistrates and the chief citizens of the greatest cities , that were in the eminentest rank , to the law of torture : and upon the slightest accounts , and in matters that were meerly civil , he would put them to death as the fancy took him , and for lesser transgressions he put them in irons ; he took such women of quality as pleased him out of their own houses , and brought them by violence to his seraglio : and when any were to be whipped , he had posts struck into the ground in his stables , to which they were tied , and so stretcht out , which was done more infamously than was wont to be done to the slaves themselves . what shall i say of his diversions , and his pleasure ? he had some bears that he had chosen out in a great many years among all others , that were the biggest and the fiercest that could be found , and that were by consequence so much the liker to himself : and when he intended to divert himself , he ordered one of these to be brought out , and a man to be thrown to him , not to be killed by him out-right , but to be eat up in morsels : and as the limbs of those wretches were torn asunder , he used to burst out most indecently into laughter ; so that he seldom went to supper before he had shed some mans blood. as for those that had no dignity , he condemned them to be burnt : and tho at first he gave the christians leave to be gone , yet afterwards he not only condemned them to torture , but to be burnt in flow fires : the manner of which was this , they were first chained to a post , then there was a gentle fire set to the soles of their feet , by which all the callus of the foot was contracted , till at last it fell all off from the bones ; then flambeaux were lighted and put out , and while they were hot , they clapt them to all the parts of their body , that so they might be tortured all over : and care was taken to keep them alive as long as was possible , by throwing cold water in their faces , and by giving them wherewith to wash their mouths , lest otherwise the violence of the misery that they suffered should have quite dried up their throats , and so choaked them . thus their sufferings were lengthned out whole days , till at last their skin being quite consumed by the fire , it at last reacht to their vitals , and then a great fire was kindled , into which they were thrown , and so their bodies were burnt to ashes : and their bones that were not quite burnt , were gathered , and ground to powder , and thrown into some river , or into the sea. xxii . these practices of cruelty , that were begun upon the christians , grew in him to such a habit , that he began to exercise them upon others : he never punished any gently : he seldom banished any , nor did he condemn many to imprisonment , or to work in mines : but his daily iudgments , which past the most easily from him , were the condemning men to be burnt , to be crucified , or to be thrown to wild beasts . his domesticks , and those whom he imploied in his affairs , were also severely disciplined by him . and as to all capital matters , beheading was thought an extraordinary grace , which was granted to very few ; so that it was lookt on as a reward for past services , to have the favour of a gentle death ; yet all these were small matters . eloquence was exstinguished by him ; the advocates were destroyed , and all that were learned in the law , were either banished , or put to death ; all sort of literature were reckoned among the ill arts , and all learned men were lookt on as ill-affected to the emperour , and were both hated and ruined by him . the iudges having superceded all the lawes , had a licence given them to do whatsoever they pleased ; and military men , who had no sort of learning , were made iudges in the several provinces , without having so much as assess●…rs assigned them . xxiii . he also took care to involve the whole empire into a general calamity , and under a common grievance , by the new tax that he laid both on the cities and provinces : which was so severely levied by the taxmen that he sent every where , that the state of affairs lookt as dismall as if the empire had been over-run by some enemy , or as if it had been brought under some heavy bondage . all mens fields were measured , an account was taken of all their trees and vines , and of all cattle ; all men were likewise polled , and where those lists were made , no difference was put between those that lived in town or countrey . and as ▪ the taxing was managed in the towns , without any distinction of the antient citizens , and those that were newly come out of the countrey , so in the villages all people came with their children and slaves to be listed : and upon the slightest suspitions men were whipt or tortured ; children were hanged up in the sight of their parents ; slaves were dealt with to accuse their masters , and wives to accuse their husbands . when no sort of evidence could be found , men were forced by torture to accuse themselves ; and when any thing was thus extorted from them , then they were proceeded against as if they had been clearly convicted of those crimes . no regard was had either to mens age or infirmity : for the sick and feeble were taxed as well as the whole : and in the estimate that was made of mens age , they added years to those that were not yet of age , as they detracted some from those that were past it . all places were full of grief and sorrow . and he adventured to put in execution against the romans , and those provinces that were subjected to them , all that any conquerours had done to those who being subdued by them , were by the law of war at their mercy : as if he would have revenged the tax that trajan put on his ancestors , the dacians , which he laid on them as a punishment for their frequent rebellions . after that all men were thus listed , then so much money was laid upon every mans head , as if he had been to pay so much for his life . yet this matter was not trusted to the first taxmen , but new sets of them one after another , were sent about ; that new men might always find new matter to work upon ; and tho they could really discover nothing , yet they encreased the numbers in the lists that they made , that so it might not be said , that they had been sent to no purpose . by the means of those oppressions , the stock of the cattle was much diminished , and many men died : and yet the taxes continued still to be levied , even for those that were dead : to such misery were men reduced , that even death did not put an end to it . the beggars were the only persons that were exempted from these oppressions ; for to have nothing to pay , was the only way to be covered from those exactions : but this cursed man took care to put an end to their want ; for he gave orders to gather them all together , and to put them in vessels , and when they were at sea , he ordered them to be all drowned . so compassionate was he , that he was resolved that no body should be extreamly miserable during his reign : thus he found out an effectual expedient to keep all men from pretending poverty , as an excuse from paying the taxes ; but he at the same time , against all the rules of humanity , put a multitude of miserable persons to death . xxiv . at last the judgments of god came to seise on him : and now all that success which he had hitherto enjoyed came to be changed . while he was appyling himself to those things of which i have given you an account , he had taken no care to destroy or to dethrone constance ; for he was waiting for his death ; yet he did not apprehend that it would come so suddenly as it did . but constance being now very sick , writ to him that he might send his son constantine to him , having made the same desire often before , but to no purpose : for maximian had no mind to let him go to his father : on the contrary , he had exposed him to many dangers , hoping that he would have fallen under some of them ; he durst not make an open attempt upon him , fearing a civil war , or rather a mutiny among the souldiers : but under a pretence of exercising him , he had engaged him to encounter with wild beasts , yet all was in vain ; for as the hand of god was visible in protecting him all along , so it appeared most signally now in the last and critical moment ; for the emperour not knowing how he could deny it any longer , granted him at last a pass , which had the seal put to it , while it was late ; but he ordered him to come to him next morning to receive his commands ; and he had resolved either to find some colour for hindring his journey , or to send orders to severus , to stop him on the way . constantine had some apprehension of that which might happen , and therefore as soon as the emperour went to sleep , after supper he took journey , and in the several stages thro which he past , he carried with him all the post horses . the emperour on purpose to delay him , did not open his door next day till it was noon , and then he called for him : but he heard that he had gone last night , immediatly after supper ; upon which the emperour fell into a most violent fit of rage ; and ordered some to be sent after him for fetching him back ; but when he understood that he carried all the post horses with him , so that this could not be done , the emperour could hardly forbear weeping . constantine made all the hast that was possible , and found his . father just breathing out his last . constance recommended his son to the souldiers , and delivered over the empire to him , and so he ended his life in all points as he wished to do . constantine was no sooner possessed of the empire , then he gave the christians the free liberty of their religion , so that his first edict was the restoring the exercise of this holy religion . xxv . within a few days after this , his image with the characters of the imperial dignity upon it , was sent to maximian : he was long in suspence , not knowing what he should do , he once intended to throw both the image it self , and likewise him that brought it into the fire : but his friends diverted him from this ; for they were sensible of the inconveniences of irritating the army , who were already displeased , because that no notice was taken of them in the nomination of the cesars : and they might probably enough have declared for constantine , if they should have seen him coming against maximian at the head of an army . these advices prevailed so far upon him , that tho it was much against his heart , yet he received the statue , and sent constantine the purple , that so it might appear that he had of his own accord received him into the partnership of the empire . but this broke all his measures ; nor could he now make another emperour supernumerary : yet he fell upon this contrivance , of declaring severus , who was the antienter person , emperour , and constantine not emperour ( as had been already done ) but cesar only , in partnership with maximin , that so instead of being next to himself , he might be the last of the four. xxvi . but while he thought that this matter was quite setled , he received a new alarm , which was , that maxentius , who was his own son-in-law , was declared emperour at rome . the occasion of which was this : maximian having resolved to exhaust the wealth of the whole empire by his impositions , proceeded to that pitch of madness , that he would not so much as grant the city of rome an exemption from 〈◊〉 tax : so he named the taxmen , who should go to rome to take a 〈◊〉 of all that were in the city ; he had also at the same time made an attempt upon some of the priviledges of the pretorian bands ; so a few of those guards that were left at rome , having found a fit opportunity for it , they first killed some of the iudges , and perceiving that the people , who were now much irritated , were not ill pleased at this , they declared maxentius emperour : when the newes of this was brought to maximian , he was a little disordered with the first surprise of it , yet he was not much terrified at it . he both hated the man , and could not resolve to make three cesars all at a time . he thought it was enough to have been for once constrained to do a thing to which he had not a mind , so he sent for severus , and persuaded him to assume the empire , and he sent him against maxentius with the army that had been under his fathers command , and ordered him to march streight to rome , knowing well that those souldiers , who had tasted so often of the pleasures of that place , would not only endeavour to preserve the city , but would desire to make it their chief quarter . maxentius beginning to reflect on the boldness of his undertaking ; as on the one hand he had some reason to hope , that the army which had so long been commanded by his father , might be easily practised upon to declare for himself ; so on the other hand he apprehended , that his father-in-law , searing the same thing , might leave severus in illyricum , and might come in person with his own army to destroy him : upon this he began to contrive the means of securing himself from this danger , which was hanging over his head ; so he sent the purple to his father , who had lived in campania ever since his resignation of the empire : and he declared him now for the second time emperour . his father , who had resigned against his will , and was longing for a change in the state of affairs , accepted of it very willingly . in the mean while severus marched with his army , and came at last to the very walls of rome . but the souldiers seeing against whom they were come , did immediately abandon him , and went over to him against whom they were sent . severus being thus forsaken , was forced to fly . but he was met on his way by maximian the elder , who had now assumed the empire , so that to avoid him he went to ravenna , and with a small handful of men he shut himself up in that place : and seeing that he must needs be delivered up , he resolved to prevent that , and both rendred himself , and gave back the imperial purple to him , from whom he had received it : but all that he could obtain by this submission , was a gentle death ; for order was given to cut his veins , so that he died easily . thus did maximian persecute those that were raised up by himself . xxvii . but maximian the elder knew well the madness of maximian the younger : and did not doubt but that as soon as the news of severus his death should be brought him , he would upon the heat of anger , into which that might throw him , march immediately with his army , and would perhaps bring along with him maximins forces ; and he knew well that he was not strong enough to resist so great an army , therefore he fortified rome , and having setled matters in the best method that he could , he marched into gaule , that so he might engage constantine into his interests , by offering him his younger daughter in marriage . but the other maximian having gathered together his troops , marched into italy , and came to rome , resolving to extirpate the inhabitants , and in particular to destroy all the senators : but he found all shut against him , and well fortisied : there was no hope of carrying it by a surprise , and it was a very hard thing to besiege it , nor had he men enough for the siege : for he had never before seen rome , nor knew how great it was ; but had fancied that it was no greater than those other cities which he had seen . some of the legions began to have a horror at the unnatural war , in which the father in-law was fighting against his son-in-law , and the roman souldiers were fighting against the city of rome ; upon which they carried their colours with them , and deserted , and many others were staggering , so that fearing severus's fate , he was so sunk with the fright into which this threw him , that casting himself at the souldiers feet , he begged that they would not deliver him up to his ennemy : and what with his submissions , and what with the great promises that he made them , he prevailed over them to continue true to him ; but he would not venture more with such troops : so he marched away in all haste , and in such great consternation , that if he had been pursued by ever so small a body , it had been an easy thing to have defeated him quite , whereof being apprehensive , he sent out his army in parties on all hands , with orders to plunder and destroy the whole countrey , that it might not be possible for an army that might pursue him to find whereupon to subsist ; so that all that part of italy , thro which this destroying army had marcht , was quite ruined ; all was spoiled , women were forced , virgins were ravished , and all men were tortured , that they might discover where their wives , their daughters or their treasures were concealed ; and the flocks of sheep and herds of cattle were driven before them , as they used to do the spoils that they took from the barbarians ; and thus he , who instead of being the roman emperour , was now become the plunderer of italy , retired back into his own division , after he had in this hostile manner destroyed the whole countrey . he had indeed long before this , at the time of his receiving the empire , declared himself such an enemy to the very name of a roman , that he once intended to have changed the very designation of the empire , so that instead of the roman , it should have been called the dacian empire . xxviii . after that he had left italy in this manner , the other maximian returned out of gaule , and he & his son were masters of that part of the empire , but the son was much more considered than the father , both because he had given the first rise to this revolution , and that he had invited his father to his share in it . the old man grew uneasy when he saw that he was not in all points the master , and by an emulation unworthy of a man , he envied his son that respect which he saw was payed him . this went so far with him , that he resolved to drive away his son , that so he might reign alone ; this he thought would be easily effected , and that the souldiers , who had abandoned severus , would stick firmly to him . upon which he called together an assembly of the people , and the souldiery , as if he had some matter of great consequence to be communicated to them . he harangued to them long upon the miseries that lay on the commonwealth , and at last he pointed out to his son , and said , he was the cause of all those miseries , and the chief occasion of all the calamities that lay upon the common-wealth : and thereupon he tore the imperial purple from him . he being thus stript of that badge of dignity , leapt down from the bench on which the emperour sat , and was well received by the souldiers , who expressed upon this occasion so much anger and fury , that the old man being asfrighted at it , fell into great disorder , and was driven out of rome almost as ignominiously as tarquin the proud had been . xxix . he retired first to gaule , and after that he had staid there for some time , he went to the other maximian , knowing him to be his sons inveterate enemy : he pretended that he went to concert with him some things relating to the state of the commonwealth ; but his true design was , that he might under this pretence of reconciliation , seek an occasion to murder him , and so possess himself of his share of the empire , since he was now thrust out of his own . diocles was then with the other maximian , for he had been sent for by him , that so his presence might give some more authority to his installing of licinius in severus's stead . so that both the old emperours happned to be present on that occasion : and now there were all at once six emperours . but maximian the elder finding that there was a distraction in the councils , and that he could not compass his designs , fled again for the third time ; and withdrew into gaule , with new projects no less wicked than the former had been : for tho both constantine and his father constance had married two of his daughters , yet he laid a design against his life , and in order to his effecting it , he laid aside his imperial habit. the franks were then in armes , so that constantine was obliged to march against them . but his father-in-law perswaded him , who as yet was in no distrust of him , that it was not necessary to carry his whole army with him : and that a small body would be sufficient for defeating those barbarians ; that as he might have the army that was left behind in his own power , so constantine having so few troops with him , might be infallibly over-whelmed by the franks . he was easily wrought on by his father-in-law , whose long experience gave great authority to his advices . so after that some dayes were past , and that maximian believed his son-in-law was now engaged among the barbarians , he again assumed the purple , brake in upon the publick treasure , and as he was wont to do , he distributed a large donative among the souldiers ; and gave out false reports concerning constantine : but all this was quickly turned upon him : for constantine was soon advertised of all that had past , and came back with almost incredible diligence , so that maximian had not time enough to settle himself in his new usurpation , but was surprised , and was also abandoned by the souldiery ; upon which he fled to marseilles , and shut himself up within it . constantine did quickly invest that place ; and having demanded a personal conference with him from the walls , he neither reproached nor threatned him , but only asked him , what he himself had done , and what was in maximians mind , that had pushed him on to act so indecently as he had done ? the other answered him very scurrilously : but those about him set open the gates to constantines souldiers : so this rebellious emperour and treacherous father-in-law , was now in constantines power ; who satisfied himself with laying his crimes before him , and so chiding him for them , he stript him of his imperial purple ; but carried his resentments no further ; and left him both his life and liberty . xxx . but maximian having lost both the dignity of an emperour , and the regard that was payed to him as a father-in-law , and not being able to bear this lowness of fortune , fell to contrive new plots : and such ill use made he of constantine's forgiving him , that he set on his daughter fausta , soliciting her , what with caresses , and what with entreaties , to contrive her husbands ruine , and promised her a better husband when that should be once done ; so he besought her to leave their bed-chamber door sometimes open , she undertook to do all that he begged of her , but revealed all to her husband : thus a train was laid for discovering his treasons , in an undeniable manner ; there was an eunuch put in constantines place , to suffer what was projected against him . maximian rose in the dead silence of the night ; and all things seemed favourable to him : he saw some few guards , that were at some distance from the bed-chamber ; he told them , that he was going to give his son-in-law an account of a strange dream that he had dreamt . so he went in armed , and having killed the eunuch , and fancying that he had executed his project , he came out boasting of what he had done . but he was not a little confounded when he saw constantine coming towards him with some souldiers about him . the dead body of the eunuch was drawn out , so that he was manifestly convicted of the murder : and he was so confounded with this discovery of his treachery , that he was , as it were struck dead with it , nor had he any sort of excuse or defence ready . the choise of the manner of his death was left to him , and he made choice of hanging . thus this great emperour , that in the long course of 20 years reign , had governed the roman empire with so much glory , was now forced to this most ignominious end of his execrable life . xxxi . the judgments of that god , who is the avenger of his truth and of his people , were in the next place no less visible upon the other maximian , that had been indeed the chief contriver of this persecution . he was now thinking to celebrate the festivals of the twentieth year of his reign , and tho he had promised that upon that occasion he would restore some of those severe exactions by which he had ruined so many of the provinces ; yet now instead of performing it , he made use of this solemnity to lay new taxes upon them . it is not easy to set forth the severity of these impositions that he raised upon this occasion , chiefly of those which were laid on the corn. there were souldiers , or rather hangmen , that waited on all the taxmasters : and men did not know whither to turn them . the officers came with their unreasonable demands , and those who had not wherewith to satisfy them , were subjected to great variety of tortures from which they had no way to save themselves , but by doing that which was impossible for them : men were beset with such numbers of souldiers , that they could hardly breath for them : there was little or no cessation in the trouble to which they were put all the year round ; the very iudges and the souldiers that attended upon them , fell into many quarrels amongst themselves : there was not a barn nor a vineyard that was not severely visited ; nor indeed was there enough left to preserve men alive . but tho this may seem a very intolerable thing thus to snatch out of mens mouths that bread which they had earned by their labour , yet all this was softned by the hopes that were given of what the emperour was to do in his twentieth year . it was expected that men should appear in rich clothes , and bring much gold and silver along with them , but it was not possible to provide this , except by the sale of the product of the ground ; and when this mad tyrant destroyed all that , so that all men were ruined in order to the raising of that treasure , which was designed to be laid out when the twentieth year should come ; yet the emperour lived not long enough for that . xxxii . when licinius was declared emperour , maximin resented it extreamly , and would neither be contented any longer with the title of cesar , nor allow licinius the precedence : upon this maximian sent many messengers to him , to induce him to submit to the order that he had setled ; and to pay the respect that was due to licinius's age , and to his gray hairs . but maximin stood upon his terms , and very boldly said , that he to whom the purple had been first given , ought alwayes to be considered as the ancienter emperour : and so he would neither yield to maximians intreaties , nor to his commands . the tyrant was extreamly troubled at this , and in his brutal way he complained of maximins ingratitude , whom he had raised from so mean a state to so great a dignity ; of which the other was now so unmindful as to reject all his orders , and his most earnest desires . but when he saw that nothing could prevail on him , he resolved to put an end to this second rank of dignity , and so to extinguish the title of cesar ; therefore as he declared himself and licinius the emperours , so he declared maxentius and constantine the sons of the emperours , ( by which maximin was quite shut out . ) but he not daunted with this , writ to him that upon the last occasion of a great assembly that met in the field of mars , he had been saluted emperour by the army . maximian received this with great regret , but yet upon it he declared all the four emperours . xxxiii . in the eighteenth year of his reign , he was visited by god with an incurable stroke : an ulcer bred in his secret parts , which daily grew and spread . the phisitians used both incisians , and other medecines ; but tho they brought it to a cicatrice , and seem'd to have healed it , yet it festred , and broke out again , and the humour did so corrode the vessels , that a vein burst , upon which he lost so much blood , that it had almost cost him his life ; for it was very hard to stop it . a new cure was carried on with that success , that the wound was again brought to a cicatrice . but upon a little shaking of his body , the vein broke again , and he lost at this second time more blood than he had done at first . he became pale , sunk , and wasted to nothing . so that the low estate of his body made that he lost no more blood. but now his wound became more dangerous , outward applications had no effect any more upon it : the cancer spread it self still further , and the more it was cut , it seemed to grow so much the faster ; all the most famous phisitians that were every where searcht for , began to lose hopes . and while all humane means became ineffectual , recourse was bad to their false gods , and prayers were made for his recovery to apollo and esculapius . and some relief was pretended to have come from apollo . but he grew still worse and worse . his death seemed very near , for the cancer had consumed all the bottom of his belly ; his guts were laid open , and were likewise rotting , and his whole breech was over-run with the putrifaction ; some bold , but unhappy phisitians would not for all this give over , and tho they had no hope of success , yet they were still trying new remedies . those drove the evil inwards , even thro his bones to the very marrow , and now worms began to breed within him . the smell that came from him was so noysome , that it was felt not only over all the palace , but in the very city likewise ; and the passages of his urin and excrements were now mixed , all the membranes being corroded that separated them . he was eat up by vermine , and the whole mass of his body turned into an universal rottenness . with all this , he had most intolerable pains , so that he often bellowed out , as if it had been a bull wounded . some living animals , and others that were boild , were applied to the putrified parts , to try if the heat would draw out the vermine : and this indeed opened as it were a vast hive of them : yet a second imposthumation discovered yet a much greater swarm , so that his gutts seemed to dissolve all into worms . a hydropsy joyned to all his other ills , did strangely disfigure his body : all his upper parts were exhausted quite , and dried like a meer skeleton , covered with a dead-like skin : but at the same time all his lower parts were swelled up like bladders , so that the shape of his feet was scarce to be seen any more . in all this misery did he languish a full year . his conscience was at last awakned , and he was forced to give praise to god : so that in the intervals of his pains , he cried often out , that he would rebuild the church of nicomedia , and that he would repair the mischiefs that he had done : and being in his last agonies , he published this following edict . xxxiv . * among our other cares , for the profit and advantage of the common-wealth , one was to reduce all people to observe the ancient lawes , and the puplick discipline of the romans ; and in particular to oblige the christians , who had forsaken the religion of their fathers , to return to a better mind : having observed , that they , by what reasons so ever moved to it , had been guilty of the wilfulness , and even madness of forsaking the ancient institutions of the first christians : and that according to their different humours and fancies , they were framing new lawes , by which they might govern themselves , and were falling into divisions , and forming many separated assemblies : upon this , we gave out our edicts , obliging them to return back to their first institutions ; which had great effects on many ; but while great numbers continued still firm to their rules , and as on the one hand they did not offer that worship , and that devotion to the gods that is due , so on the other hand they did not adore the god of the christians . we therefore having regard to all these things , and being moved by our princely compassion and our constant custom of gentleness towards all men , have thought fit to extend this our grace and pity even towards the christians : and therefore we do not only suffer them to continue in their religion , but suffer them to hold assemblies for their worship ; provided always that they do nothing contrary to the established discipline . by another ordinance we will signify our pleasure to our iudges , for their direction . in the mean while we expect that the christians , in return to this our clemency , shall pray to god for our health , and for the continuance of the prosperity of the common-wealth ; and so they may still hope to enjoy our protection in their respective dwellings . xxxv . this edict was published at nicomedia , the last of april in maximian's eighth consulate , and maximin's third . then when the prison doors were set open , were you , my dear donatus , with the other prisoners set at liberty , after you had been for the space of six years shut up . yet all this did not turn away the judgments of god from maximian : his putrefaction went on still , till it had quite wasted his whole substance ; so that not many days after the publication of this edict , he breathed out his last , having recommended his wife and his son to licinius , and having put them into his hands . this came to be known in nicomedia before the end of may , so that he did not attain to his twentieth year of empire , which was not to begin before the first of march following . xxxvi . as soon as ever maximin had heard the news of his death , he being then in the east , made all the hast that was possible to take into his possession all those provinces : and as licinius lingered , he possessed himself of all to the straits of thrace : and when he came into bithinia , he took care to recommend himself to the favour of the people , by discharging them of the tax that was laid on them . by this means the two emperours were now in ill terms , and almost engaged in a war : for they lay with their armies on the opposite shores . but expedients were found out for the making up of all their differences ; and they had an enterview upon the sea , in which they were not only reconciled , but they entred into an alliance : maximin went back , reckoning that he was now secure , and so he governed syria and egypt just as he had done formerly : and tho the christians were now received under the protection of the government , yet he broke all this , and he set on underhand the procuring addresses from the several cities to be made to him , for hindring the christians to build meeting houses within their bounds ; that he might seem to be in some sort forced to do that which he had resolved on of his own accord . so having granted the demand of those addresses , he made the chief of the priests in the several cities out of those who were of the government of the city , which had not been practised in any former time , and he ordered them to offer every day sacrifices to all the gods , and to call in the assistance of all the ancient priests , for looking after the christians , that they might neither have publick meeting-houses , nor assemble themselves in secret for their worship : and required them that they should seise on them where-ever they could find them , and either force them to offer sacrifice , or deliver them to the magistrates . and not contented with this subordination that he had setled among the priests , he ordered one in every province to be over all the priests of the province ; and as he raised them up to this high degree of authority , so for adding some splendor to it , he ordered them to wear that sort of white habits edged about with gold , which might only be worn by the chief officers of the court. he was resolved to put the same things in execution against the christians in the other provinces , which he had already done in the east . for that he might seem merciful towards them , he would not suffer them to be put to death , but he ordered many other punishments against them , such as the picking out their eyes , the cutting off their hands or feet , and the cutting off their noses or their ears . xxxvii . while he was designing all these things , he received letters from constantine , which put him in such a fright , that he resolved to dissemble for some time . yet whensoever any christian was found out , he was drowned secretly and in the night ; nor did he discontinue his custom of offering sacrifices every day in the palace . he also began another custom , of ordering all the meat that was to be served up to his table , to be offered up first by the priests at some altar , and not to be killed by his own cooks ; so that nothing was presented to his table , but that which had passed thro some rites or other of their idolatry ; by which means it was that none could eat with him , without being in some manner or other polluted with those abominations . in all other things he followed the pattern that his master had set him : for if there was any thing left by diocletians or maximians oppressions , he took care to raise all that so exactly , as to be sure to leave nothing to any that should come after him : so that without any sort of shame , he robbed the people of all they had : he shut up all mens granaries and store-houses , and forced them to pay by an advance the taxes of the year to come . so that there not being seed to sow the ground , this brought on a most intolerable famine . whole droves of cattle and sheep were brought for his daily sacrifices , with which he fed his domesticks and his souldiers so copiously , that they came to despise the corn , that was brought them for their provision , so that without any care they threw it often out of doors . and as he had a vast army , so he clothed his guards very richly , and furnished them with much gold , and the commonest and rawest of his souldiers had silver in abundance given them . he was also extream liberal to the barbarians . all the praise that is due to him is , that he was like those merciful robbers , who are contented to strip men without killing them ; for if he did not put people to death , that so he might seise on their estates , yet upon every occasion he either took away all they had , or gave it to such as begged it of him . xxxviii . but there was one monstrous wickedness , that exceeded all the rest , which he carried to such a blind and brutal degree , that one cannot find words equal to it , for the indignation which this must give , carries ones thoughts further than his tongue will serve him , to set it forth as it ought to be . his eunuchs , and the other instruments of his appetites , searcht in all places , and wheresoever they found a beautiful woman , she was dragged away without any regard had of her husband or her parents : those whom he imployed in this service , stript both married women and maids , and so viewed them naked , and if any refused to submit to this , she was drowned as guilty of high treason . several married men , whose wives were thus violently taken from them , not being able to bear the grief which this gave them , murdered themselves : and under this monster , there was no other security for modesty , but ugliness . at last he carried this licentiousness to such a pitch , that no body was suffered to marry without his leave , and without his taking all liberties with the bride , before the bridegroom was admitted . he took the daughters of the men of quality , and after he himself had corrupted them , he gave them to his slaves to marry them . his courtiers were easily induced to follow his wicked example , and to defile the beds of such as depended on them : for they saw that no body durst punish it . those who were of ordinary rank , were ravished by every body at his pleasure ; and such as were of the chief rank , and so could not be ravished , were begged of the emperour as boons , and when he signed any such grant , the father durst not refuse it , but saw that he must either die , or accept of some barbarian for his son-in-law . for he had scarce any other domesticks or guards , but such as had been driven out of their countrys by the goths in the twentieth year of diocletians reign , during that festivity . all these came and delivered themselves up to maximian , and so he made use of those who had fled from being enslaved by the goths , as his instruments for enslaving the romans . maximin being environed with such guards , and depending so entirely upon them as he did , treated all the rest of the east with the utmost degree of contempt . xxxix he made this the measure of his appetites , to esteem every thing lawful to which his desires carried him ; and according to this rule , tho he had acknowledged the empress valeria , that was maximians widdow , his adopted mother , yet that did not secure her ; she had come to live in his court , reckoning that she would be safer there than in any other place , since he had a wife of his own . but nothing was sacred to him , when he was pushed on by his impure appetites ; she was yet in deep mourning , the year not being out , when he proposed marriage to her , offering to divorce his wife , if she would accept of him . her answer was such as could have been expected from her ; that she could not treat of her marriage , while she was yet in her mournings , and while the ashes of her husband , his adopted father , were not yet quite cold . she added , that it was a strange piece of impiety in him , to offer to put away his wife , who had been always faithful to him : which let her see what she herself might look for from him ; and in the last place , it seemed to her no small crime , as it was a thing without an example , for a woman of her rank to think of a second husband . all this was reported to maximin in her name : but he was so enraged at it , that his brutal desires were now changed into wrath and fury . he presently put her under a proscription , he seised on her goods , he took her servants from her , and tortured some of her eunuchs to death ; and sent her and her mother into banishment ; but not to any certain place : but ordered her to be hurried about from place to place : and he charged such women as were dearest to her , with adultery , and upon that forged pretence he condemned them . xl. there was an ancient woman of quality , whom valeria had always considered as a mother , and maximin believed that the refusal that was made of him , was advised by her ; so he ordered eratineus the president to put her to an infamous death ; with her he ordered two other women of the same quality to be likewise executed . the one was mother to one of the vestal virgins of rome , the other was the widdow of a senator and was the empresses kinswoman : but both their crime was , that as they were beautiful , so they were no less modest . they were violently seised on , not as if they had been to be carried before a court of justice , but as if they had fallen into the hands of robbers , yet there was no accuser to lay any thing to their charge . but a iew was found out , who being condemned for some other crimes , hoped to obtain his pardon by becoming a false witness against them . the judge who condemned them upon this evidence , carried them out of town to their execution with a guard ; for he was affraid that he should have been stoned by the people , this tragedy was acted at nice . the few being put to the torture , was forced to accuse the women as he had been instructed : and when they offered to say any thing for themselves , they were beaten by the tormenters ; so that notwithstanding their innocence , they were condemned . there was a great lamentation raised upon this , not only by the husband of one of them , to whom his wife was extream dear , but by all the multitude , that so unusual a spectacle had brought together : and so apprehensive were the judges of the peoples using force for rescuing those persons out of their hands , that there was drawn about them a body of archers , and others of the lightly armed souldiers : and with this guard were they led out to execution . nor was there any care taken of their burial , for their servants were forced to abandon them ; yet some of their friends , moved with compassion , came secretly and buried them . the adulterous iew had not the pardon that was promised him , so seeing that he was to be hanged , he discovered all this mystery , and with his last breath he declared to all that were looking on , that the women had suffered unjustly . xli . the empress being now banished to the deserts of syria , found a secret way of acquainting her father diocletian with her condition . he upon that sent to maximin , and desired that his daughter might be sent to him ; but tho he repeated this over and over again , all was without effect : so after all , he sent a kinsman of his own , that was an officer of the army , in a high post , and in great credit , to whom he gave in charge , to put maximin in mind of the obligations that he had received from him : but this intercession was as ineffectual as the others had formerly been . xlii . at this time constantine gave order that the statues of maximian the elder , should be every where pulled down ; and that such pictures or figures of him , as had been any where set up , should be removed . now diocletians statues and his being alwayes coupled together , the disgrace of the one drew the others likewise after it . diocletian seeing this affront put on his statues , which no emperour before him had ever seen done in his own time , and being now over-charged with this redoubling of grief , he resolved to put an end to his life . he was in a perpetual uneasiness , and could neither eat nor sleep . he was heard to sigh and groan continually , and was seen oft to weep ; and to be tumbling sometimes on his bed , and sometimes on the ground . thus he that had reigned over the roman empire for twenty years , was now so cast down and mortified , that he dyed partly of hunger , and partly thro anguish of spirit . xliii . there was only one of the enemies of god now left alive , namely maximin , whose fall and death comes to be related in the next place . he bare a great envy to licinius ever since he had been preferred by maximian to himself ; and tho he had lately entred into an alliance with him , yet when he heard that licinius was engaging himself into a straiter alliance with constantine , and was going to marry his sister , he concluded that this union of those two emperours , must certainly be fatal to himself ; so he sent secretly to rome , and writ very kindly to maxentius , desiring his alliance and friendship , which maxentius embraced very readily , as if it had been somewhat sent him from heaven ; for he had declared war against constantine , upon the pretence of revenging his fathers blood. from this some have imagined , that the father had only pretended to fall out with his son , that he might have the more credit with the other emperours ; and by that means find an occasion of destroying them all ; that so he and his son might have the whole empire between them : but this is a mistake ; for it is certain , that maximian the elder had a mind to destroy his son with the rest , and that when this was done , he intended that diocletian & he should again re-assume the empire . xliv . now the war was begun between maxentius and constantine , which maxentius managed by his generals , but would not stir out of rome himself ; having had a response , that whensoever he went out of the gates of rome , he should perish . he had much the better army : for he had not only those troops that had abandoned severus , but likewise others that he had brought together out of manritania and italy . the two armies fought , and maxentius's had the better ; yet constantine did not for that lose heart , but having resolved to put all to hazard , he marched on to the gates of rome , and posted his army at the other side of the milvian bridge : the 27 th of october was now near , which was the anniversary of maxentius's coming to the empire : and now his fifth year was almost out . constantine was warned in a dream to put the divine mark , the sign of the cross , upon the shields of his souldiers , and so to give battel ; he took care to execute this , and ordered the letter x with the letters of the name of christ mixed in a monogramme , to be drawn on all their shields ; and having made this his distinction , he drew out his army . the enemy's forces came likewise out , and crossed the bridge , but maxentius himself came not with them ; they drew up both in the same manner , and both sides fought with great courage , neither of them giving ground to the other ; in the mean while there was a sedition raised in rome , and an out-cry was made against maxentius , as if he had taken more care of himself than of the publick ; and while he was entertaining the people with the spectacles of the hippodrome , there was a universal cry raised , that constantine could not be withstood ; this put him into a great disorder , so he made the sybilline books to be searcht , in which it was found , that the enemy of the romans was to perish that day . this gave him such assured hopes of victory , that he marched out in person to his army : as soon as he had passed the bridge , it was broke behind him . upon this the battel was renewed , and the hand of god appeared over the armies . maxentius was beat , and when he thought to repass the bridge , he found it broke , and was carried by the crowd of his men , that were flying , into the tiber , and so was drowned there . an end being thus put to the war , constantine was declared emperour , with great expression of joy , both by the senate and people of rome . among maxentius's papers he found maximins letters , by which he discovered his treacherous designs against himself : he also saw the imperial statues that he had sent to maxentius . the senate did constantine the honour to order his name to be put first in order , before the other emperours ▪ tho that was claimed by maximin , who was as much struck with the news that was brought to him of romes being thus freed from tyranny , as if it had been a defeat given himself ; and as soon as he heard of the senates decree , giving constantine the precedence , he treated constantine in a most reproachful and insolent manner . xlv . constantine having setled matters at rome , went during the winter to millan : and thither did licinius come to marry his sister . maximin hearing that they were now amused with the solemnities of this wedding , marcht with his army out of syria during the bitter cold of the winter ; and having harassed his army with great marches , he got to bithinia : for the season was very severe , and both by snow and rains the wayes were very deep ; and what with cold and what with hard labour , he lost all his horse , so that all along where he had marched , he might have been traced by them ; which was but an ill omen to his men : nor did he stop within his own limits , but having crost the straits of thrace , he came with his army to the gates of bysance . there was a garrison put within that place by licinius for all events ; so he shudied first to corrupt the souldiers by presents and promises , and then to terrify them by threatning them with a siege ; but both the one and the other proved equally ineffectual : they had eleven days assigned them , for advertising the emperour , and having no return from him , they being disheartned by the smallness of their numbers , rendred themselves . from thence he advanced to heraclea ; and being stopt there in the same manner as at bysance , he lost some days there likewise . but by this time licinius having marcht as quick as was possible , had got to adrianople with a few men about him ; in the meanwhile maximin having likewise taken perinthus , which gave him a new stop , he advanced 18 miles beyond it , where he posted himself : he could go no further ; for licinius had possessed himself of the post that lay next to that , which was likewise eighteen mile distant from it ; and having drawn together as great a body as he could on the sudden , he marched on towards maximin , on design rather to hinder his progress , than to enter into action ; for as he did not intend to fight , so he had no prospect of victory ; for he had not above 30000. men : whereas maximin was at the head of an army of 70000 : for licinius's army was scattered over a great many provinces , and he could not bring all his troops together in so short a time . xlvi . while the two armies were thus so near one another , that it was expected that the matter should come to a speedy decision , maximin made a vow to iupiter , that if he got the victory , he would utterly extinguish the very name of a christian. the next night an angel appeared to licinius in his sleep , and ordered him to rise immediately , and joyn with his whole army in calling on the great god , and promised him an assured victory in case he should do this . licinius dreamt , that after this he rose , and that the angel dictated to him the very words in which he should osser up his prayers . and as soon as he was awake , he called for one of his secretaries , and ordered him to write down the words , which were these , we pray to thee , o great god ; we pray to thee , o holy god ; we commit the iustice of our cause to thee ; we commit our lives to thee ; we commit this our empire to thee . it is by thee that we do live ; our conquests and our happiness come from thee : o thou great and good god , hear our prayers ; we stretch out our hands to thee : hear us therefore thou holy and great god ▪ many copies were quickly made of this prayer , which were sent about to all the ossicers , and all were required to make their souldiers get it by heart . this raised the courage of the whole army , who now lookt on the victory as assured , since it was so divinely fore ▪ told . maximin resolved to give battel on the first of may , which was the anniversary of his coming to the empire , this being now the eighth year compleat since he was raised to that dignity : and thus it happened , that as maxentius was defeated at rome on his anniversary , so maximin run the same fortune on his ; only maximin would needs anticipate his own ruin ; for he would needs sight the day before it , that so he might celebrate his anniversary with the more pomp , when he had defeated his enemy . when licinius heard that maximin's army was advancing , he likewise drew out his , so that they were in view one of another . there lay between them a great and barren plain , called serenum . licinius's men laid down their shields , and took off their head pieces , and with hands lifted up to heaven , they said their prayer , the emperour himself beginning , and the officers and souldiers following him in it ; which was pronounced so loud , that the other army that was to fall before them , heard the noise of it . the prayer was three times repeated , and that being done , the souldiers being now wonderfully animated , put on their head-pieces , and took up their shields . the emperours themselves parlyed a little ; maximin would hearken to no propositions of peace ; for he despised licinius , and fancied that all his souldiers would have deserted him , because he was more sparing in his bounty to them ; whereas maximin was extreamly prosuse ; and as he had begun with licinius , not doubting but that his army would without giving any stroke come over to him , so when he had thus doubled his forces , he resolved to go against constantine . xlvii . the two armies drew at last so near one another , that the signals were given , and the ensigns on both sides advanced ; licinius's men gave the charge with great vigour ; but the others were so disordered and terrified , that they could neither draw their swords nor throw their darts : maximin run about on all hands , perswading licinius's men to turn over to him , what with presents , what by intereaties ; but all was to no effect ; and being charged in person , he was forced to retire . his army fell before the enemy without being able to make any resistance ; and that vast body of men was mowed down by a handful . they seemed to have forgot their rank , their courage , and their former exploits ; and the hand of god was visible in delivering them over to have their throats cut by their enemies , as if they had come into the field for an execution , and not for a battle . when maximin saw that the matter went far otherwise than he had lookt for , and that great numbers of his men were killed , he threw away his purple , and put on the habit of a slave , and so crossed the straits ; for now the one half of his army was destroyed , and the other half either fled or rendered it self . and since the emperour had deserted his army , the souldiers were not at all ashamed of deserting his interests : he made great hast ; for in a night and a day he sled to nicomedia ; and got thither the first of may in the night , which was an hundred and theerscore miles distance from the place where the battel was fought : he staied not long there , but having taken along with him his sons and his wife , and some few of his domesticks , he went to the east ; yet he stopt in cappadosia , and there he took the purple again , having gathered together some souldiers partly of his own straglers , and partly of some troops that came to him from the east . xlviii . licinius , after he had distributed a part of his army into quarters , crossed the straits , and went over to bithinia with the rest . when he entred into nicomedia , he offered up his thanksgivings to god , by whose aid he had obtained the victory : and on the thirteenth of iune , constantine and he being now in their third consulate , the following edist was sent to the president . whereas both i constantine the emperour , and i licinius the emperour , had a very succesful congress at millan , in which we treated of all things that related to the profit and safety of the publick ; among other matters we thought that nothing could be of greater advantage to our people , or concern our selves more , than the setling of those matters , in which the worship of the deity consisted ; and therefore we judged it meet to allow to all christians and others , free liberty to follow that religion which they should like best : that by this means that supream deity , which dwells on high , might be gracious and favourable to us , and to all our subjects : therefore upon due deliberation and weighty reasons , we have thought sit , that no man may be denied the liberty of professing either the christian religion , or any other , as he shall judge it best ; that so the great god , whom we worship with free minds , may in all things bless us with his gracious favour and protection . therefore we will have you to know , that we have thought fit to annull all those restrictions , that might seem to be in our former edict addressed to you , relating to the christians : and we do now ordain , that every one that is disposed to adhere to that religion , shall be suffered to continue in it with all freedom , and without any disquiet or molestation : and we have explained this the more copiously to you , that so you might understand that we have given a free and absolute liberty to the said christians to profess their religion . and since we have allowed this liberty to them , you will likewise understand , that we allow the like free and full liberty to all those who profess any other religion ; that só according to the quiet to which we have brought the empire , every man may enjoy the free exercise or that religion of which he shall make choice ▪ for we will do nothing by which any man may suffer any prejudice either in his honour , or upon the account of his religion . with relation to the christians , we have thought it sit likewise to add this particular ; that the places in which they used to hold their assemblies , and concerning which there were some rules set in a former edict addrest to you , that have been purchased either from our exchequer , or from some particular persons , shall be restored to them , without any excuses or delayes ; and without either asking or taking of any money from them upon that account . we order likewise restitution to be made by all that have obtained grants of them ; and that all such as may have either purchased them , or obtained grants of them , shall in order to their being repaired by us for their loss , go to some magistrate , that so we , according to our clemency , may relieve them . in the mean while , we order you to take care , that without any further delay , restitution be made to the christians . and whereas the christians had besides those places in which they used to hold their assemblies , others likewise that belonged to them as a body corporate ; that is to say , to their churches in common , and not to any particular persons among them ; we comprehend all these under the same law ; and order them also to be restored to the corporations or assemblies of the christians , and that without any fraud or dispute , upon the fore-mentioned terms ; that those who restore them freely , may hope to be recompensed by us according to our bounty . in all which matters you are required to give your most effectual assistance to the bodies corporate of the christians , that so our pleasure may be the more speedly executed ; and by which we shall the more effectually secure the publick peace . and we will be hereby assured , that the divine favour , of which we have had hitherto such proofs , shall always watch over us , and that we our selves shall be always succesful , as well as the publick happy . and that the tenor of this our gracious edict may be universally known , we order you to affix attested copies of it in all places , that so no man may pretend ignorance . when the edict was published , licinius did likewise by word of mouth entreat all persons , to see the meeting-houses of the christians restored again to them : and thus from the first beginning of the persecution , and from the destruction of the church of nicomedia , to the rebuilding of it , there were ten years and about four moneths . xlix . but while licinius was pursuing after maximin , he still sled before him , and possessed himself of the narrow passages of mount taurus , where he built forts to stop them up , that so it might not be possible for licinius to pass them ; but he took a compass to the right hand : and when maximin saw that there was now nothing to stop him , he fled to tarsus ; but being like to be shut up there , both by sea and land , and seeing no possibility of escape , the anguish of his spirit and his fear , made him fly to death , as the only way to escape from those evils with which god was pursuing him . he first eat and drunk to a great excess , as is ordinary for those to do who reckon that it is their last meal that they eat , and then he took poyson ; but his stomach being so over-charged , made that the poyson had not a present operation on him ; but instead of killing him out-right , it threw him into a lingering torment , not unlike the plague ; by which his life was so far lengthned out to him , that he felt his misery long : the poyson began now to work violently on him , it burned his vitals so much , that his insufferable pains threw him into a phrenesy ; so that for four days time he eat earth , which he dug up with his hands , and swallowed it up very greedily . the rages of his pain were so intolerable , that he run his head against a wall with such force , that his eyes started out of the eye-holes ; but as he lost the sight of his eyes , a vision represented himself to his imagination , as standing to be judged by god , who seemed to have hosts of ministers about him all in white garments ; at this sight he cried out as if he had been put to the torture , and said , that it was others , and not he , that were to blame ; yet afterwards he confessed his own guilt , being as it were forced to it by the torments that he suffered : he called upon iesus christ , and with many tears he begged that he would have pity on him ; he roared and groaned as if he had been inwardly burnt up : and thus did he breath out his defiled soul , in the most dreadful manner that can be imagined . l. thus did god destroy all the persecutors of his great name , both root and branch : for licinius being now setled in the empire , gave order to put both valeria and caudidian to death . valeria had been still preserved by maximin , who notwithstanding all his rage against her , and tho he saw now his own end approaching , yet had not the boldness to put her to death . caudidian was her adopted son , for his mother was a concubine of maximians ; but valeria being barren , had adopted him . she had no sooner got the news of maximins death , then she came to his court in disguise , that she might see what would become of caudidian ; but he appearing publickly in nicomedia , and fancying that respect would be shewed him because of his birth , and apprehending nothing less than what befel him , was put to death : upon which valeria fled away immediately . licinius ordered likewise severian to be put to death . he was severus's son , and was now grown up to a mans age , and had accompanied maximin in his slight ; but it was pretended , that he was aspiring to the empire , and for that he was condemned . all these had great apprehensions of licinius , looking on him as an ill man ; only valeria , who had refused to resign her pretensions to maximin , had resolved to do it in his savour . licinius ordered likewise maximins eldest son , who was then eight years old , and his daughter that was only seven , and had been contracted to caudidian , to be put to death . and before that was executed , their mother was drowned in the river orontes , where she had made many chast women to be drowned formerly . and thus thro the just and righteous judgment of god , all those wicked persons came to suffer the same things that they had done to others . li. valeria her self wandred about in the habit of a peasant , during the space of eighteen moneths ; but was at last discovered at thessalonica , where both she and her mother suffered . the two empresses were led to the place of execution thro a vast multitude of spectators , who were struck with the compassion that was raised by so lamentable a sight : their heads were cut off , and their bodies were cast into the sea , so fatal did their dignity and valeria's chastity prove to them . lii . i have given you this recital upon the credit of persons that were well informed of those matters : and i have thought sit to write them just as they were transacted , that so the true account of those great revolutions might not be lost ; and that it might not be in the power of any , who intended to write the history of that time , to corrupt the truth , or to suppress either their sins against god , or gods judgments upon them . it is to his insinite mercy that we owe our thanksgivings ; who has at last visited the world , and has gathered together and recovered his flock , that was partly scattered abroad , and partly torn by ravenous wolves ; and who has destroyed those beasts of prey , that had wasted the pastures of his flock , and had broken their folds . where are now those once glorious and renowned names of iovins and herculins , that were assumed with so much insolence by diocletian and maximian , and that were afterwards derived by them to their successors ! god has blotted them out , and rased them-out of the world. let us then celebrate gods triumph over his enemies with all the elevations of joy : let us sing of his victories , and praise him for them ; and let us beg of him by our most earnest prayers , repeated day and night , that he will forever establish that peace which he has given to his people after ten years of war. and you in particular , my most dear donatus , who deserves that god should hear your prayers , intercede earnestly with him , that he may alwayes shew mercy to his servants ; that he may be gracious and favourable to them ; that he may protect his people from all the snares and assaults of the devil ; and that the present flourishing estate of his church may be always preserved safe and undisturbed . finis . errata . pag. 8. lin . 4 dele if. p. 12. l 11. read greater . p. 17. l. 6. for as r. a. pag. 49 l. 5. after be r. purchased by . p. 61. l. 26. the , r. she . p. 62. l. 17. mepsia r. moesia . p. 86. l. 3. after place r. you . p. 90. l. 6. after sickness r. so . p. 92. l. 12. composed r. compassed . p. 104. l. 4 were r. was . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a48024-e5790 * not that the christians had any images in their temples , as lactantius himself testifies , de origine erroris , lib. 2. pag. 65 , 66 , 67 , 107 , but the heathens having images in all their temples , were ready to conceive the like of them . * vide euseb. eccles. hist. lib. 8. cap. 1. the second part of the continued cry of the oppressed for justice being an additional account of the present and late cruelty, oppression & spoil inflicted upon the persons and estates of many of the peaceable people called quakers, in divers counties, cities and towns in this nation of england and wales (chiefly upon the late act made against conventicles) for the peaceable exercise of their tender consciences towards god in matters of worship and religion. continued cry of the oppressed for justice. part 2 penn, william, 1644-1718. 1676 approx. 236 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 57 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a54212 wing p1362a estc r234420 12752484 ocm 12752484 93326 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a54212) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 93326) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 727:38) the second part of the continued cry of the oppressed for justice being an additional account of the present and late cruelty, oppression & spoil inflicted upon the persons and estates of many of the peaceable people called quakers, in divers counties, cities and towns in this nation of england and wales (chiefly upon the late act made against conventicles) for the peaceable exercise of their tender consciences towards god in matters of worship and religion. continued cry of the oppressed for justice. part 2 penn, william, 1644-1718. [6], 9-114 p. s.n.], [london : 1676. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng conventicle act. -1670. society of friends -england. persecution -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-12 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2005-12 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the second part of the continued cry of the oppressed for justice . being an additional account of the present and late cruelty , oppression & spoil inflicted upon the persons and estates of many of the peaceable people called quakers , in divers counties , cities and towns in this nation of england and wales ( chiefly upon the late act made against conventicles ) for the peaceable exercise of their tender consciences towards god in matters of worship and religion this is thank-worthy , if a man for conscience towards god endure grief , suffering wrongfully , 1 pet. 2. 19. we shall not find any occasion against this daniel , except we find it against him concerning the law of his god , dan. 6. 5. galio said unto the jews , if it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness , o ye jews , reason would that i should bear with you , acts 18. 14. printed in the year , 1676. whereas great suffering and oppression is still continued and infli●●ed upon many of the people call'd quakers in divers counties and places in this nation , upon the late act against conventicles , for meeting together to worship god according to their consciences and perswasions ; & many industrous families much ruined , the fatherless and widows greatly oppressed , and trading in many places much impared and decayed , and the cry of the poor ( who have been imployed by industrous tradesmen ) very great , many wanting bread because of the great discouragement occasioned by the great spoil and havock that 's made upon their goods , and fruits of the labours of industrous families , only for the exercise of their tender consciences towards god , as the following narrative will more particularly evince ; which sufferings and oppressions have been occasioned chiefly under pretence of the said act , and continued in divers counties by the means of some turbulent malicious priests , who themselves have turned informers , and encouraged others to seek out and haunt the peaceable meetings of the people aforesaid , and to inform the magistrates against them ; the men thus encouraged and employed being some idle , dissolute and extravagant persons , not willing to take pains in the creation for a livelihood , as other men do , have taken upon them and been encouraged in this unchristian as well as inhumane course of informing against peaceable subjects for their own ends and advantages , wandring from place to place to find out such peaceable meetings , wherein if there be either preaching , praying or waiting on god in silence , they trouble the magistrates , instigating such as are willing to gratifie them ; and those priests who have either themselves turned or encouraged informers , in order to suppress the said meetings , and make a prey upon the said peoples estates & livelihoods , ruining and destroying these peaceable protestant-subjects in their rights and properties , under pretence of doing the king service ; which oppression and grievance hath long continued in this nation , and the cry thereof becomes louder and louder from many distressed families , since that divers accounts and applications have been given and made , and yet no redress : our complaint still remains , not only of unchristian but inhumane usage herein ; & that god who knows our hearts and conscientiousness towards him , and our innocency towards the king and government , he knows our cause and hears our cry , and according to his promise we expect , that for the oppression of the poor and the sighing of the needy he will arise , &c. however , we , the people who are the present sufferers , do look upon our selves oblieged in conscience , to spread before you this brief account following , which is but as a short appendix in comparison of the account that might be given of the great and many sufferings that have been and still are continued upon the said act in divers places of this nation ( besides the great number that were imprisoned till death , and others banished from their distressed families into forreign plantations upon the act for banishment ) as also upon the bishops writs , de excommunicato capiendo , &c. many have been , for some years , and still are kept in prisons and destructive goals in this nation in divers counties , where several are sick , and some have lately laid down their lives for not paying small tythes , easter-reckonings and to the repairation of the steeple-houses . and upon the statutes made against recusants , in the reign of queen elizabeth , some hundreds of the afore-said people are returned up into the exchequer , and writs of enquiry have been sent down to the sheriffs , and juries impannelled to enquire into their estates , who have made returns thereof into the exchequer , from whence writs are issued and sent down to the sheriffs in many counties , to make seizure of two thirds of their estates , and the sheriffs bailiffs being unreasonable have ( in some places ) taken a great deal more then what was pretended to be the king 's right : it is too great a work to give a particular account of all that are like to suffer on this account , the sheriffs in several counties having writs of seizure in their hands , and threaten to put them in execution ; only two instances in one county , for brevity sake you are desired to take notice of , as followeth . the 23d day of the 11th moneth , 1676. the sheriff of cambridge-shire sent his bailiff john burgani to demand of richard webb of west-wickham in the same county 13 l. 6 s. 8 d. being two thirds of the yearly value of his estate , as it was returned by a jury impanneled to make enquiry into the estates of popish recusants ; but richard webb being innocent , could not answer the bailiff's demand , whereupon the bailiff and his assistants took from him four horses , as they were going to plow , worth 18 l. and one of the bailiff's men cryed , we must have 20 l. worth of goods , for we must sell good penny-worths : so they took two cows more , valued at 8 l. 10 s. in all to the value of 26 l. 10 s. for 13 l. 6 s. 8 d. demanded . john prime of willbrom-parvo , had taken from him upon the 2d day of the 9th moneth , for 13 l. 6 s. 8 d. demanded by john curby bailiff , for two thirds of 20 l. a year of his estate , four cows and one horse , worth 18 l. and the bailiffs have warrants in their hands to make seizure of many more in this county . we therefore entreat your patience , who are in power , to peruse the following account , and take it into your serious considerations , to afford the sufferers some effectual and speedy relief , by stopping these oppressions , unchristian and inhumane proceedings for the future , that we and our families , who are the sufferers herein specified , may not be utterly destroyed , but enjoy our liberties and rights in the peaceable exercise of our tender consciences , wherein we are accountable to god , and desire alwayes to approve our selves in all good conscience and innocency under the government . sufferers in and about the town of lewes , in the county of sussex , only for their peaceable meetings , & exercise of their consciences in the worship of god ; chiefly carryed on against them by vvilliam snat , priest , and surrogat to the court called , court christian ; and james clark , register to the same court. up or the 5th day of the 8th moneth , 1675 ▪ william sna● priest , accompanied with two other priests , and one robert smith a taylor , went to a peaceable meeting of the aforesaid people , the said william snat and robert smith being the informers , they took the names of several that assembled , and went to henry shully called a justice , and swore against several persons for being at the said meeting at the house of thomas mosely , which was utterly false , for it was not t. mosely's house , and also against a preacher , his name unknown , for which thomas mosely was fined 20 l. and the preacher 20 l. which fine for the preacher the justice laid upon nicholas beard of rottenden 10 l. and for himself 5 s. and 3 l. more upon thomas mosely , and upon mary akehurst widdow 7 l. 5 s. and upon ambrose galloway for his wife being there 5 s. and upon elizabeth shuter 5 s. and upon some other persons five shillings apiece . upon the 10th day of the 8th moneth , 1675. james clark seeing he could make such profit to himself by being an informer , he took up the trade , with his brother william snat the priest , who went to a meeting of the aforesaid people , and brought with them ferdinando bryant and john delves constables of lewes , who took several persons names , and went to richard bridger justice , where the said james clark , william snat and walter jones gave information of a meeting in the house of mary galloway ( mark it was in the same house which priest snat swore but five dayes before to be the house of thomas mosely , and now swear ▪ it to be the house of mary galloway , although there was no alteration concerning the said house ) for which tho. mosely was fined 9 l. 15 s. and ambrose galloway fined 9 l. 10 s. and for himself and wife 15 s. and mary akehurst 25 s. and samuel baker 6 l. 13 s. 4 d. and steven eager 6 l. 13 s. 4 d. and several other persons for being at the said meeting were fined 5 s. apiece , which said fines j. clark informer levied himself , that he might the better feather his nest , for 10 l. 5 s. demanded of amb. galloway of lewes he took goods to the value of 14 l. 15 s. and from thomas mosely for 9 l. 15 s. demanded he took goods to the value of 12 l. 6 s. 8 d. the 20 l. for the house imposed for the first meeting being not then levied ; and from mary akehurst , a widdow , that hath five children , for two fines , being both 8 l. 10 s. took goods to the value of 1● l 18 s. 10 d. and from elizabeth shuter widdow he took two looking-glasse ▪ for 5 s. demanded ; from samuel baker , a blacksmith at newhaven , for 6 l. 18 s. 4 d. fine , was taken half a tun of iron which cost 7 l. odd money . upon the 17th day of the 8th moneth , 1675. some of the aforesaid people being met together at the same house as aforesaid , in their usual manner in lewes , came james clark , william snat and william purser informers , with the afore-said constables , and a lieutenant , and an ensigne ; and two sarjeants belonging to the militia , and also a great number of rude people of the baser sort , who with great violence dragg'd them out of the meeting-house , abusing many , drawing them in the streets , kicking , bruising and beating many , and from some there was blood drawn , and chiefly by the hands of james clark aforesaid , whose beast-like behaviour caused many of the spectators to cry shame of him ; this being done , the aforesaid informers went to nisal rivers iustice , & gave information against several that were there assembled ; and the said justice imposed by his warrant these fines following ; upon john songhurst for preaching 20 l. upon the house 20 l. to be levied as followeth ; upon ambrose galloway for the house 4 l. and for himself and other persons 2 l. 5 s. all being 6 l. 5 s. for the which james clark took goods from the said ambrose to the value of 18 l. 7 s. it being chiefly linnen cloth , never measuring any , the said ambrose not being at home when he thus risted his shop , but afterwards got leave from the man of the house where the goods were lodged , to measure so much as he shewed him , the value of which is above expressed , never returning any thing again . thomas mosely being fined 2 l. which james clark demanded , with 3 l. more for a former fine , the whole being 5 l. he took goods to the value of 12 l. 5 s. john ellis being fined 4 l. the said clark took goods to the value of 7 l. 8 s. thomas bud , a poor shepherd , being fined 25 s. the aforesaid clark forced into his house , he being not at home , and took away nine pieces of pewter , ten cheeses , a pottage-pot , a skillat , a frying-pan , a bucket , with some other things , his bed very hardly escaping , he wanting the tick to carry away the pillage in , but espying a sack , took that , and the bed escaped his hands from tho. robason , a peltmaker , being fined 20 s. the said clark took eight hats . mary akehurst fined 10 s. clark took goods to the value of 18 s. maskall picknal being fined 5 s. [ mark ] the said clark without any officer with him ( that he might the better cover his cruelty ) took four roles of linnen cloth , without measuring any , and refused to let them see it measured . steven manard and his brother nicholas manard were fined 5 s. apiece , for the which was goods taken to the value of 24 s. henry geats for a fine of 5 s. had taken from him a great brass kettle . richard and john scrase fined 50 s. apiece ; edward paine 20 s. samuel web 20 s. thomas banks 20 s. these last fines being not yet levied , and also several other persons being fined , of which we can give no account , because clark doth refuse to let us have a copy of the warrant . upon the 24th day of the aforesaid 8th moneth , some of the aforesaid people being peaceably met together , came ja. clark , will. snat and william purser informers , accompanyed with the constables and about twelve soldiers in arms with their officer as aforesaid belonging to the militia , without any regard to their sabbath-day , they drew friends out of the meeting-house , abusing many with blows and cruel bunches , and set a guard at the house door to keep them out ; then the aforesaid clark demanded of mary galloway a fine of 5 s. for the which he took seventeen new deal formes , that cost near 3 l. which forms were not the goods of mary galloway , and loaded away some of the soldiers with these forms , to carry them along the town whither he did direct ; and when many of the people and constables were gone , the said clark commanded one of the soldiers to break open the door of the house , that he might me his will , there being none but two maids in the house : thus did they continue for the space of four weeks with guards of soldiers , to keep out the meeting from their own house , in the street , in the winter season : also the said clark did upon one of the first dayes afore mentioned , demand another fine of 5 s. of mary galloway , for the which he took a new settle and five deal boards , worth 20 s. which were not the goods of mary galloway . upon information given on oath by thomas levet priest , michael harmer smith , and george shepherd , taylor informers , on the 5th day of the 7th moneth , 1676 to sackvil craves , called justice ; that several persons whom these informers named , were at a meeting at the house of william yokehurst in the parish of westfurle near lewes in sussex , upon the 23th day of the moneth called july , for which the said justice fined clement picknell for preaching at the said meeting 40 l. and william yokehurst for suffering the meeting in his house 20 l. and he fined thirty one persons , as being present hearers , some 10 s. and some 5 s. apiece ; and to be levied as followeth , by reason of the poverty of some , has expressed in the warrant , upon ambrose galloway 10 l. 10 s. and upon mary akehurst 10 l. upon john ellis 10 l. upon thomas weekes 9 l. 10 s. and on john abrook 9 l. 10 s. and on john longly 8 l. 10 s. and upon william yokehurst 50 s. and upon maskall picknell 5 l. and on samuel baker 45 s. and upon richard hudson 5 s. and for the poverty of ten other persons 5 s. apiece all to be levied upon richard hudson , the whole fine being 2 l. 15 s. for which fine the constable and some other officers took from richard hudson a cow and calfe worth 4 l. 5 s. richard hudson knowing that the aforesaid informers had sworn falsly , and several persons that were laid upon him were not there , brought his appeal and prosecuted it at the sessions , where , and before the court , it did appear that these informers had sworn falsly , four persons in the number of ten , for the which richard hudson had 20 s. returned him back again by the sheriff for the four persons they had sworn falsly against , one of the four they swore to be present at the meeting , was dead six years before . the aforesaid appeal being tried before seven justices of the peace in open court , yet never a one did give any reproof to these false informers for these their false oaths . for a meeting at lewes the 12th day of the 7th moneth , 76. several of the aforesaid people were fined by william spence justice , upon the information of walter jones and william purser informers , for two preachers 40 l. and for several persons as hearers , 5 s. apiece , to be levied as followeth , upon ambrose galloway 10 l. 5 s. upon john ellis 10 l. 5 s. upon thomas mosely 10 l. 5 s. and upon henry scrase 10 l. 5 s. and upon some other persons 5 s. apiece . so that the total of the fines that have been imposed upon the aforesaid people for their peaceable meetings in the worship of god , from the 5th day of the 8th moneth , 1675. to the 12th day of the 7th moneth , 1676. doth amout to 252 l. 15 s. besides the unreasonable havock the aforesaid clark hath made upon goods as before related . the 29th of the 9th moneth , 1676. edward howel of willington constable , accompanied with richard whiting , samuel munger , john bet and robert garet of westfurll , did take a marc worth 8 l. , out of the stable of maskal picknel of willington for a fine of 5 l. 15 s. imposed on the said maskal for being at a meeting at westfurl , the 23d of the 5th moneth 1676. by sackvill graves called justice ; 20 s. of the said fine being imposed on him for two others , to wit , thomas banks and sibble pain of bishopston , although the said sibble pain was not at the meeting . upon the 26th day of the 10th moneth 1676. george ty and thomas turle constables of the town of lewes , and james clark overseer for the poor , and edward strudwick steeple-house warden , came with a warrant given forth by william spence justice , upon an information of george jones and william purser informers , that ambrose galloway was at a meeting or conventicle in lewes , where were two preachers , their names unknown therefore the said justice did impose upon ambrose galloway for the preacher , 10 l. and for himself , 5 s. upon the day aforesaid , the officers aforesaid came into the shop that had been the shop of ambrose galloway , but then in the tenure and occupation of ambrose galloway the son of ambrose galloway , who was not at the meeting , as charged ; for the which fine the officers broke open the counter and a press in the shop of the said ambrose , and took away mens coats and breeches , and childrens coats , and other goods to the value of 20 l. 5 s. 11 d. the said ambrose being by trade a salesman . the witnesses names that saw thomas mosely's first parcel of goods distrained , which was done the 28th of the 8th moneth , 75. are , george shelton and thomas wallter . the names of those which saw the second parcel distrained from thomas mosely , which was done the 1 st of the 2d moneth , 76. are , mary ford , benjamin mosely and mary galloway . about the 9th moneth , 75. ambrose galloway of lewes was cited to the bishops court , held in lewes , to appear three days after citation ; amb. galloway did appear accordingly at the time and place , and there was no court held that day ; some time after this court decreed excommunication against the said ambrose , never sending him any other , whereby he might certainly know when there was a court kept , that he might make his just defence , but forth-with denounceth him excommunicated , and about the 26th day of the 9th moneth , 76. the aforesaid bishop sendeth forth a capiendo to carry the said ambrose galloway to prison for a contempt . sufferings in and about the city of hereford . on the 20th of the 6th moneth , 1676. the people of god being met together at their meeting house , being in the subburbs of the city of hereford to worship the god of heaven according to their usual manner , in spirit and in truth , one john rea ( as they heard ) went and informed henry caldicott , then mayor of the city , of the meeting , who with several other officers came unto the meeting , and after some words warned them , not to meet any more , and said , if they did , let it be at their peril , and so went away . upon the 27th of the same moneth , they being in like manner peaceably assembled together again , there came unto them many boyes out of the city in a riotors manner , throwing stones and dirt into the meeting . on the 3d of the 7th moneth next after , being also the first day of the week , they were peaceably met again to worship god , then came boyes , and girles , and young people to a great number , in the same riotous manner , and throng'd in and about the meeting , and became so abusive unto them beyond all humanity , so as to fling their hats at their faces , using all the filthy deriding words towards them they could invent to utter , and with their staves some of them would strike off many of their hats off their heads , of both men and women , and sometimes striking some upon their heads with their staves , and sometimes justling against them , and throwing stones amongst them , and brake some of the glass-windows , and turned in dogs into the meeting , oftentimes bidding them speak by the spirit , and then making a noise with hooping and hollowing ; and some of them fastened burs to some of the men's hair ; and as they sought to force a pig into the meeting amongst them , it happening to be a pig of john rea's , who on that day two weeks before was said to inform the mayor of the meeting , and he seeking to drive his own pig from them , one of the untuly young men broke his head with a stone , which was the new-elected mayor's son , as 't was said . on the next first day being the 10th of the 7th moneth , the aforesaid people were again assembled together in their usual religious manner , and in a short space the street before the house , became filled with people , young & old ; & many young men and boyes came in upon them , riotusly as before , and threw their hats at and amongst them , and fired squibs , and threw amongst them , and then throwing stones against the glass windows , stroke a woman , as she was sate within the room , on the side of her head with a stone : but seeing them so outragious , and desperately cruel , some of the meeting went to the mayor to signifie their doings unto him , who became somewhat displeased at the matter , and also they went to abraham seward an attorney at law , the new elected mayor , whose son was one of the leaders of the turbulent company in their actings , to acquaint him of his son , who seemed to be ignorant of his son's doings , yet somewhat threatned the persons that went to him , with the execution of the law upon them ; & because some of the lads belonged to the free-school in hereford , one of the meeting went to the chief master of the school about them , who presently came and took notice of as many as he could find ; for many of them dispersed at his coming , they having by that time beaten the glass-windows to pieces with stones and staves ; but it was said by some , he was forbidden to correct them , and that the colledge-priests should set them on , and say , they would bear them out in what they did ; and some of the unruly boyes were quiresters . on the 14th day of the 7th moneth they were peaceably met together again to serve the living god , and assoon as they departed many rude boyes came running to find them there , and some of them said , if they had met with them , they would have done their work for them , and sell again upon the glass-windows breaking them . on the 16th day following two friends went to robert simonds and thomas simonds , justices for the city , to let them know of the several riotous assemblies , and the abuses done upon them , who not at all regarded their complaint , but the said robert simonds did endeavour to force some confession of a meeting from one of them , and then protested , if he had confessed , he would immediately have fined him ; then the friend asked him , what if it should please god to suffer another religion to be set up with authority in this nation , would he not think it an unreasonable thing to be forced from , or punished for his religion he now professeth ? he answering said , he should not , but would be subject to the government ; and after said to some others , as we were credibly informed , that if the friend had but confessed a meeting , he would presently have arrested his horses he had then in the town ; and also said , the quakers were well helpt up to come with complaints to them . on the 17th day after , it being the first day of the week , the aforesaid people were peaceably assembled again to worship god , after some time the rude company of boyes & young people came unto them in the former riotous manner ; many of them having sticks and staves in their hands , and they threw their hats , and dirt , and stones amongst them , and squibs , and burned some of their clothes ; and when friends departed , the door of the house being locked , they passing away , saw the master of the school coming hastily again to seek after his schollars , which many of them perceiving , hid themselves from him , and he said unto friends , that it was not fi●ting that boyes should be suffered to abuse them as they did , yet soon after the rude company became more unruly then before ; for they totally brake down the glass-windows that remained , and as many of the pillars thereof as they could , with some of the walls of the house , and entered in and broke the benches and seats they found therein ; and brake open an inner door with other things they could meet with ; and some boyes followed after some friends of the countrey with hooping and hollowing , and throwing of stones after them , about a quarter of a mile ; and it was commonly said , that the master of the school going about to correct some of his schollars for their abuses towards friends , they made such a resistance against him , as violently to throw him over a bench , and giving him threatning words , they being so emboldned in ill practices ; and when several sober people of the city , that saw or heard of the doings of the rude company , crying out against them , they would threaten them ; and one man , because he reproved them , was forced to take up stones in his hands to defend himself from them the 18th day of the 7th moneth , 1676 there being a meeting in hereford of the aforesaid people , to enquire into the necessities of the poor , the widows and fatherless children , that they that are able to work may be imployed , and a●●isted to get their own livelihood , but if unable , then to be relieved , and the fatherless and helpless children to be set out apprentices , which is acceptable service to god , and great benefit to the whole nation , against which work there is no law , nor ought to be ; for it is the command of god , to do good unto all , but especially to the houshold of faith. and in obedience to god and his truth they came together to do this especial good to the houshold of faith , and being peaceably met together in their shattered meeting house , and after some time was spent in the service of truth , there came a great company of rude tumultuous boyes , many of them in a riotous manner with staves , sticks and long splints of wood in their hands , and surrounding the house , and one of them sounding a horn , there came a great company of people of several sorts ; then the boyes began to throw their hats , dirt and stones into the meeting , and hurt some ; and uttering abominable , filthy , reviling words and deriding speeches against the spirit of god , and his worship ; one of them came within the door , and breaking wind backward said , the spirit moved him , and so the brutish rude company fell to laughing , and shouting , and throwing of stones through the broken walls and windows into the house ; and some threw in excrements upon friend , clothes , and then got upon the house and untiled part of the house , and seeing a friend coming into the house , they tumbled down some of the stones upon his head , and so continued breaking the house for some time , and broke down the pale with the young vines about the house . and a friend in the meeting seeing their wickedness , was constrained to bear his testimony against them , exhorting friends to patience , and the tumultuous rude company to moderation ( who like the sodomites about just lot's house , encompassed them about in their cruel emnity ) lest , the lord bring some sweeping judgement upon them and the city . then soon after came some of the magistrates of the city , namely edward king and robert simonds justices , with abraham seward the elected mayor for the year to come , an attorney at law , whose coming was not at all to appease and scatter the riot and rage of the people , but to execute their own and the priests envy and cruelty against friends , which first appeared in the boyes and rude multitude , and then manifested it self in their proceedings ; the said edward king justice , first entring the house , said in a vain , light , scoffing spirit , what be ye ? quakers , or shakers , or candlestick-makers ? and then asked , who was the speaker ? some of the boyes said , such a one ; then abraham seward with the two justices urged him to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy , and did the like to the rest of the men , taking their names , with the names of the women , and then calling for the constables and other officers to take the men to prison , being eight in number , and threatned to fine the women with him that the boyes said , spake , and for the house also ; then they took away the eight men to the town-hall or market house , and in their passage along with the magistrates , abraham seward the elected mayor said , they should never meet there , and had often spake it before , and words to that purpose in a presumptuous spirit . and a friend going with him said , we are a people gathered by the power of the lord , and therefore the power of man cannot scatter us : then he replyed , and said , i will break your meetings . so then they came to the town hall , and there they tendred the oaths of allegiance and supremacy to them , who answering , said , we are christians , therefore cannot break the command of christ to swear at all ; but to render just and lawful allegiance to the king , do not deny nor refuse . notwithstanding this their answer , they made a mittimus , and sent them to prison . about the next day after they were imprisoned , one walter rogers a prebend walking by the meeting house , and observing how it was broken and torn with the rude company , said to some as he passed , that they were very good boyes , and had done their work better then he thought they had , on the 24th of the 7th moneth , being the first day of the week , friends were assembled again to wait upon god , many rude boyes came unto them , and threw their hats at them , one of them pulling a woman by her chin , and poching friends with their staves through the windows ; and when friends departed , many of the boyes followed some of them a pretty way , throwing stones after them , using many taunting and deriding vvords against god's holy spirit and worship . the names of such men who were present at the meeting at hereford , and were eye-vvitnesses of the riotous doings of the rude multitude , and the proceedings of the magistrates against the meeting , the 18th day of the 7th moneth , 1676. who are now prisoners in bysters-gate in hereford , are as followeth : roger prichard , henry price , william oven , of amely . morgan watkins , charles barnet , constantine young of leominster . james exton , robert woodliffe of hereford . the names of some more of the men friends belonging to hereford , who were also eye-witnesses of the riotous doings and several proceedings done against friends at the several meetings before-mentioned , are as followeth : john barber , john carver , james eckley , nathaniel powles . the 1st of the 8th moneth , 1676. the aforesaid people were peaceably met to worship the god of their lives , many rude boyes and young people came about them , and many of them fell to throwing of stones through the windows they had broke before ; and one of them stroke a woman friend on her head with a stone ; and some of them through a window did cast their urin upon the peoples heads ; and as a man sate somewhat high to a window , one of the boyes reached through , and took his hat off his head , and put excrements therein , and threw it in again amongst them ; and some of them , in their vain deriding manner , with bawling words , would act preaching , and oftentimes used shouting . the 22th of the said moneth , being again assembled peaceably together to worship god , being also the first day of the vveck , soon after came serjeants , constables and other officers of the city , and forced friends along with them to come before abraham seward mayor of the city , who kept them at a certain place till the mayor came from his worship , and after a while caused them to be discharged . the 29th of the same moneth they were again met together in their peaceable usual manner , then came many of the officers and constables of the city , and forced them out of the house , and kept them out , taking two men along with them , namely , iames exeon and iohn carver , and brought them before the mayor , edward king , robert simonds and thomas payner , justices ; the mayor called to john jones and christopher jones two of his serjeants , and thomas luggon a constable , to inform of the meeting , when , after they had sworn them , one of the friends spake unto them , to take good heed , and not to for swear themselves , as some of the officers did aforetime , in accusing persons to be present at a meeting , when they were not ; yet presently after they informed against one mary carver for being at the meeting ; and as they were setting her name in the warrant or conviction , one of the men seeing their wilfulness therein , told them , that mary carver was not then there : therefore it is to be seen , whose hearts are bent to cruelty , how little regard they have to their oaths . then one of the two friends asked the informers , wherein they had right knowledge , that it was a meeting exercising religion ? to which they gave no answer ; but the mayor said , it was no matter for that ; will you swear to the contrary ? and withal they tendred them the oaths of allegiance and supremacy , and because they could not ( with good conscience ) swear at all , they committed them to prison till the next assize ; and told them , they should have but straw to lie on ; and commanded the goaler , to put them apart , one from the other . the 12th of the 9th moneth following , being also the first day of the week , the shattered meeting-house being then somewhat repaired , and an inhabitant dwelling therein , friends were there met again to wait upon the lord , there came many boyes and young men again , and beset the house , and threw stones against it , and they were forbidden by the inhabitant thereof , who told them , it was his dwelling-house , yet they violently brake open a window , being made very fast , with boards well nailed , and there came the mayor's officers , and one of them encouraged the rude company to untyle the house , and one — holley a servant to john hipps a chief constable in the city , said , that the mayor's officers , the serjeants , told the rude company , that they should knock out the quakers brains if they would not depart . and the officers came , and forced friends out of the house , and in the evening many rude boyes came again , and told the said inhabitant , they would pull down the house upon his head , using many abusive words against them , and stroke a girle with a stone . some of those that were eye-witnesses to the afore-mentioned proceedings : john barber , james exten , john carver , elizabeth barber , elizabeth exton , mary carver , diana thomas . on the 3d of the 10th moneth , 1676. the aforesaid people were assembled together to worship the lord in their usual peaceable manner , at the city of hereford , then came the mayor's officers , and turned them out of the house , and brought one iohn barber before abraham seward mayor , henry caldicot and thomas payner justices , who tendred to him the oaths of allegiance and supremacy , and because he could not in good conscience swear at all , committed him to prison till the next assizes . and on the 7th day following , the said iohn barber had taken from him goods worth 25 s. for 16 s. demanded for not going to the steeple-house , and then also the said iohn barber , had goods seized worth 26 l. for a fine of 10 l. demanded , and imposed upon him for the house where the meeting was , by warrant under the hands of robert simonds and edward king justices . and on the 10th of the 11th moneth following , then was taken from the said iohn barber , dwelling in the parish of nicholas , goods worth 14 s. for the demand of 12 s. for not going to the steeple-house . and then also was taken from iohn carver of the city and parish aforesaid goods worth 7 s. for 4 s. demanded for the same cause . edward price , warden . thomas gwillim , warden . giles cockes , overseer . evan thomas , overseer . thomas gough , petty-constable . iohn hipps , chief-constable . richard phillpo●ts , assistant . iames exton , iohn carver and iohn barber do remain prisoners in hereford-city prison , upon refusing to take the oath , being committed until the next assizes . iohn haines and iames robbins , both of b●ddenham , are continued prisoners by the writ excommunicato capiendo , for contempt of the bishops court ( as is said ) being committed to the county goal the 23d of the seventh moneth , 1676. on the 20th of the 11th moneth , 1676. the aforesaid people were then met again , in their usual manner , to worship the lord , then came the mayor's officers and forced them away , not suffering them to abide in the open street thereabout ; and one of the officers , a serjeant , called iohn iones , said unto them , they would fire tho house where they met , and broyle them therein . dansey gwillim and henry ●ulia● , with others can witness the same ; these witnesses are no quakers . thomas holt of wickton in the parish of leominster committed to prison the 18th day of the 7th moneth , 1674. and still remains a prisoner for small tythes and easter-reckonings to the value of eight groats demanded . nathaniel smith of leominster committed to prison the 11th day of the 11th moneth , 16●6 . from the quarter-sessions , because for conscience sake he could not swear . sufferers in the county of leicester . the 10th day of the 1st moneth , 1673. samuel harper of harborough was arrested with a bishops writ , for not going to the steeple house , and there still remaineth a prisoner at the suit of matthew bent priest . thomas dash of hincly labouring-man , taken to prison by a bishop's writ , at the suit of george naylor priest of the same , for refusing to pay small tythes ; anthony wells and leonard gasway bailiffs , took him to prison from his aged wife the 24th of the 11th moneth , 1674. where he still remaineth . the 26th of the 7th moneth , 1674. john marriot joyner , and william parker carpenter of long-claxton , alias clanson , were taken by a warrant from thomas stavley and thomas beamont , called justices , directed to thomas faux constable , and brought before them to give in sufficient sureties to answer the suit of john reay vicar of the same town , they refusing were sent to prison by a statute made the 27th of henry the 8th : the priest demands of john marriot 5 s. 6 d. per annum , and of william parker 3● . they both remaining prisoners from their wives and small children . the last day of the 12th moneth , 1674. thomas followes of whetstone committed to prison by the said thomas stavley and thomas beamont , upon the same statute , for refusing to become bound to answer the suit of thomas robeson priest , in a cause of tythes , his demand about five shillings and six pence per annum ; and yet remaineth a prisoner from his wife and family . the 18th of the 1 st moneth , 1676. george power of swanington in the parish of whitweek , was taken by samuel sterkey of ashcrdel●zo●ch at the suit of john brintnal priest , in a case of small tythes , part of which was demanded by a former priest more then one half , and since he was prisoner this john brintnall hath taken a lamb out of his fold , and he still remaineth a prisoner . the 2d moneth , 1676. william tuninges of syleby shepherd , was subpoened into the exchequer by richard sanders impropriator , and for not appearing was cast into prison for small tythes , to the value of 3 s. 4 d. and there continues . the 1 st of the 5th moneth , 1676. samuel brown of leicester apothecary , was taken by a bishop's writ for not coming to the steeple-house , by anthony wells and leonard gasway of leicester bailiffs , about the tenth hour at night in his bed , and still remains a prisoner . the 13th of the 8th moneth , 1676. john johnson of northkilworth shepherd , taken by a bishop's writ for not coming to the steeple-house by leonard gasway and anthony wells of leicester bailiffs , and iohn iackson of humberston bailiff , where he remaineth a prisoner , being the chief guide of his mother's business , she be being aged about eighty . the 24th of the 8th moneth , 1676. john wilsford late of nether-broughton , jersey-comber , taken by a bishop's writ for not going to the steeple-house , by leonard gasway and anthony wells of leicester , iohn iackson of humberstone , and henry bunnes of melton mowbray an old informer , and the rest bailiffs , took him out of a peaceable meeting in long-clanson ; the before-said henry bunnes broke the meeting house windows , tore a woman friend's hood , stroke an old woman-friend on the breast , hurled ale in iohn wilsford's face ; he still remaineth a prisoner from his wife and small children , near 40. miles in leicester county goal , their livelihood chiefly depending upon his hand-labour . the 18th of the 11th moneth , 1676. daniel fox of thrusington was taken by a bishop's writ for not coming to the steeple . house by leonard gasway of liecester , and iohn iackson of humberstone , and there continues . the 19th of the 4th moneth , 1676. sufferers for meeting to worship god. the 22d of the 1st moneth , 1675. taken from iohn swann of little-peatling for being at a peaccable meeting at william wall 's of knighton , upon the 20th of the 4th moneth , 1675. by a warrant from thomas beamont called justice , was fined 50 s. for which fine he had a cow taken from him to the value of near 4 l. by iohn marriot constable , and francis pearce informer ; the constable confessed that he sold the cow for 3 l. but nothing was returned again . for the same meeting michael woodcock and iohn ward●n had each of them a cow taken from them , for 50 s. fine a● piece . the 5th of the 1st moneth , 1675. taken from william wells of knighton , by a warrant from thomas beamont called justice , charles gibbins of kimcoat , and francis pearce of armsby informers , for having a peaceable meeting at his house , upon the 20th of the 4th moneth , 1675. seven milch and incalved beasts , to the value of near 30 l. ioseph pipin and richard jug church wardens , and vvilliam vvard overseer of the poor , the fine 20 l. samuel brown of leicester apothecary , being at a peaceable meeting at william well's of knighton , charles gibins of waltharn kimcoats , corporal to the militia , and francis percy of arnisby , militia-soldier , informed justice beamont so called , of stouten-grange near leicester , of the same , whose readiness to assist them in their ungodly designs was publickly manifest , insomuch that he granted out warrants against several for that meeting , directing one to iohn brown constable of the bishop fee , against samuel brown , to distrain of his goods to the value of 5 l. 5 〈◊〉 . 5 l. for the poverty of the preacher , the rest for his own offence , as they call it ; the aforesaid constable wanting opportunity to make distress , was much threatned by the justice to be distrained of for neglect of his office , receiving another warrant to distrain for 6 l. 5 s. for the same meeting now the constable of gilmorton having distrained of friends there by a warrant from the said justice for the same meeting , and the constable , informer and other officers expending part of the money which the warrant expressed , he aid 20 s. more upon the said samuel brown ( there he broke that law , because he levied more upon samuel brown , being 〈◊〉 poverty could be supposed ) and the justice to some said , that he acted for fear of the penalty of 100 l. calling the sufferers rebbels , and said , they deserved to be punished as such . notwithstanding their and his personal resolve to distrain , he appearing and receiving intelligence of disappointment , one day he called out in great rage to the a oresaid s. b. saying , brown , you have a conventicle in your house ; the reply was , no persons save our own be at this time in my house , the justice still rageously saying , he would break open his doors to set ; then actively riding in his own person from officer to officer to get them together to fulfil his wicked desire , at that juncture of time elizabeth carr and edeth brown went to him to inform him that there was no meeting at that time , and further exhorted him to fear god , and desist from assisting the informers in these destructive designs , further declaring unto him , that if he did not , god's hand of justice would soon overtake him , and reward him according to his deeds ; to which he replied , do you curse me ? and stood up trembling and said , get you out of the room , you disquiet my spirit ; so they left him , and he coming down with the informer and other officers , the people on heaps being gathered together to see what he would do , finding the woman of the house standing at the door with her little babe , laid hand upon her , plucking her away in an uncivil manner , commanding the informer , to go to the smiths to borrow hammers to break open the doors , they being deny'd , still commanded them to threaten the smiths to lend them upon pain of impirsonment , they still denyed , saying , they should net lend them to do their honest neighbour any harm ; so the informer was forced to make use of a great stone to break open the doors , the justice entring first said , they have caried away their goods ; reply was made , no , the informers have twice taken them away before ; have you been so long rebbels ? said the justice , you shall suffer for it ; so he asking who such a person was , the reply being , that he was well acquainted with that person 's husband formerly , when they together were officers in oliver's army , at which charge , his coat appearing so manifestly turned , he retreated his ground and left it in charge , that they should take enough of the goods away , and to be further revenged on the said samuel brown , tendered him the oath of allegiance , to which he replied , that active obedience in this case being first due to the king of kings , who said , swear not , and passive obidience to the ordinance of man for conscience sake ; but through the interest of one of the officers freely extending to the justice on the behalf of samuel brown , was prevalent to divert his malicious design , as the justice himself confesled . the officers returning an account of what they had taken away , he commanded them saying , we have spent several dayes about this , and we had need have more to bear our charges , the constable engaged that what money was wanting , more then the goods would amount to , he would make up . note , charles gibbins the first and chief informer in this county , was found dead off his horse , going from lutterworth market , soon after his information about this meeting ; and the said justice was in a few weeks after this his wicked act , by death cut off . the goods taken away was bedding , to the value of about 8 l. to the truth of these things , there are many people witnesses . sufferers for tythes in long-clanson , in the vale of belvire , in the county of leicester . the 3d. week of the 5th moneth , 1676. iohn reay vicar or priest went to the lands of william hanly , and took to the value of the 5th part of his barley , besides 13. wheat-sheaves ; iohn moor , henry hibb and robert wright let this part to the vicar , witnesses iohn iackson , richard hanley . the 21st of the 5th moneth , 1676. taken from edward hallam about thirty wheat-sheaves , by thomas marriot , thomas hicling and george manchester . taken from iohn dubleday , by the same three men , to the value of one quarter of wheat and rye . the 24th of the 5th moneth , 1676. taken again from iohn dubleday , by the said men , four load of barley . taken from edward hallam , by the said men , and upon the aforesaid day , three loads of barley . the 26th of the 5th moneth , 1676. taken again from edward hallam , by george manchester the elder , two more loads of barley . the 2d of the 6th moneth , 1676. taken again from edward hallam , by george manchester the elder , thomas marriot , john manchester , and others , three loads of beans and pease . taken from john dubbleday the same day , by tho. hicling and the others aforesaid , three loads of pease and beans . the 30th of the 6th moneth , 1676. taken from valentine gregory by the priest his wife and her son , and his man , and the clark of the town , who came into his orchard , and did get up into the trees , and broke the boughs , and did the trees much hurt , and carryed away pears and apples about four strykes . william willowes , a poor man , was cast into prison the 12th of the 1st moneth , 1667. from five of his children , by edward ward priest , for small tythes , and there remained a prisoner four years and upwards ; and then , by the said priest , and robert johnson , and william webster , had taken from him the 11th day of the 7th moneth , 1676. one brass pan worth 10 s. and four sheep worth 〈◊〉 l. 12 s. sufferers in derby-shire in the year 1675. thomas holland in the parish of heanor , for having a meeting at his house the 3d day of the 8th moneth , 1675. was sined by john lowe , called justice , 5 l. and 〈◊〉 ad goods taken from him to the value of 8 l. by roger cheetam constable , and other officers . george hawley thomas necdam informers . william markeall of ilson , for being at the above-said meeting , was fined by the same justice 5 l. 5 〈◊〉 . and had goods taken from him to the value of 9 l. 10 s. by john gregory of the same town , constable . iohn hanks fined for being at the said meeting 5 s. and had goods taken from him to the value of seven shillings and six pence . richard malthy fined for being at the said meeting , 5 s. and had goods taken from him to the value of 6 s. 8 d. by philip swern of shiploy constable . samuel ro● fined 5 s. for his wife 's being at the said meeting , and had goods taken from him to the value of eight shillings . iohn lynam and edward searson fined either of them 5 l. 5 s. for being at the said meeting , and iohn lynam fined 5 s. more for his wife , though she was not at the meeting , and had goods taken from them to the value of 〈◊〉 l. by iohn rowland constable , and other officer belonging to the parish of pentridge . william wooly and his wife fined for being at the said meeting 10 s. and had goods taken from them to the value of 1 l. 2 s. thomas vallens fined 5 s. for being at the said meeting , and had his wages deteined by one of the officers , he then working for him . daniel bettridge fined 5 s. for his wife being at the said meeting , and had goods taken from him to the value of 8 s. all this was done by warrants from iohn lowe , called justice . by george hawley thomas necdam inform●●s . witnessed by iohn wa●st ●ff , william day , luke hanks . joseph wats of wadshelf , in the parish of brampton and county of derby , who could not for conscience ●ake pay richard mathyman priest of brampton that which he called his dues , as tythe-wool and lamb , and easter reckonings , which in the whole did amount unto but about two shillings and six pence , was served with a suppoene to appear at london ; and after some time was arrested by joseph parker and william kirk of chesterfield bailiffs , who would accept of no bail , but he must either pay what the priest demanded or go to prison , and because he had not freedom to pay , they took him to prison to chesterfield , the 9th day of the 7th month , 1675. the priest gave order to the goaler , that he should not have liberty to work ; he was there kept prisoner above twenty two weeks . witnessed by robert haslam , cornelius arnold , henry harvey . an accompt of the sufferings of the people of god within the county of derby in the year 1676. thomas farnsworth within the parish of heanor in the said county , for being at a meeting at john lynam's was fined 5 s. for himself , and 3 l. ●5 s. for fifteen unknown persons , and had goods taken from him to the value of 6 l. by robert towe officer , by a warrant from john ●oc called justice , iohn bradley and iohn bruckshew informers . iohn wagstaff within the parish of pentridge , in the said county , for the same meeting was fined five shillings for himself , and 15 s. for the poverty of three persons , by warrant from the said justice , and had goods taken from him to the value of 1 l. 4 s. by iohn roland constable , and other officers , iohn bradly and iohn bruckshew informers . iohn lynam for the same meeting was fined 10 s. for his wife , and edward searson 5 s. for his wife , and had goods taken from them to the value of 1 l. 15 〈◊〉 . by the same officers , by warrant from the said justice , and also the same informers . thomas valens fined for the same meeting 10 s. for himself and wise , and had goods taken from him to the value of 19 s. 6 d. by the same officers , justice and informers . samuel roe for friends coming to his house to accompany him to bury his wife , was fined 20 l. and had goods taken from him to the value of 30 l. by iohn willon constable of ilson , and other officers , by a warrant from iohn loe , called justice , iohn wilson priest of ilson and iohn wagg collier informers . iohn lynam , for being at the same burial , was fined 5 l. 10 s. and had goods taken from him to the value of 6 l. 10 s. by iohn roland and other officers of the parish of pentridge , by warrant from the said justice , iohn wilson priest of ilson and iohn wagg collier informers . iohn blunston of little-hallam in the parish of ilson , for being at the said burial , was fined 5 s. for himself , and 10 l. for the poverty of the preacher , and had four cows taken from him to the value of 14 l. by iohn willot constable , and other officers of the said parish , by warrant from iohn loe , called justice , iohn wilson priest and iohn wagg collier informers . iohn hanks and ann his wife for being at the same burial , were fined by the said justice 20 s for their second pretended offences , whereas his wife was never convicted before , and was distrained of by the abovesaid officers , and the same informers instruments . robert towe and iohn willott can witness the abovesaid sufferings . hugh mastin and george ellis , both of baslow in the parish of bakewell in this county , now prisoners in the county-g●alat d●rby , where they have been kept close prisoner , since the 29th day of the last second moneth called 〈◊〉 , by an excommunicato capiendo out of the bishop's court of 〈◊〉 , and as pretended , for not appearing at that court , although they were never cited thereto . persons fined for being at a peaceable meeting at tupton the 15th day of the last 12th moneth , as followeth . iohn fletcher of tupton fined 10 l for the meeting house , & had his goods seized upon for the said fine , although the said iohn was not at that meeting , nor interested in the house more then another friend ; for the land was sold by iohn several years since . nicholas swift of brampton was fined for being at the said meeting 5 s. and for an unknown preacher or teacher , as the words were , fined 5 l. and had goods taken from him to that value , and 10 s. more the officers took for distraining , by ralph renshaw , william d●bb , and other officers . thomas brocksop of little-normanton , for being at the said meeting , was fined 5 s. and 5 l. more for an unknown preacher or teacher , and had a bullock taken from him and sold by william allwoed and richard cooper , but whether for so much money or no he knows not , but believes the whole fine was paid by the officers . susanna frith of chesterfield fined 5 l. 5 s. for the said meeting , but the officers coming , and finding her door put to , returned and made no distress . iohn clay fined for the said meeting 5 l. 5 s. but he being a single man , and boarding with his brother , and having no personal estate that was apparent , the officers could make no distress . richard clayton , for being at the said meeting , was fined 5 s. but being a servant to one that is called sr. henry ●umlock , the officers could make no distress . this was done by warrants from thomas gladwin called justice , iohn coope thirdborough and robert mosely informers , but were constrained to be so by the said justice . william allwood and ralph renshaw can witness these things . several warrants more are forth against several friends , for being at a peaceable meeting at tupton the 29th of the last 7th moneth , but not all of them being as yet executed , there is no account given of them at present . stafford-shire . in the 10th moneth , 1675. thomas hinks , thomas wall and john dible of woolverhamton , were brought prisoners to staffood goal upon a writ excommunicate capiendo ; t. hinks and t. wall continued prisoners about three moneths , and iohn dible remained prisoner about six moneths . 1676. william riding of lyn was taken prisoner by benjamin lant apparritor , about the 5th moneth , upon the above said writ , and remained prisoner twenty one weeks . michael nickens , a poor man , was taken upon the above-said writ , and remains still prisoner . william morgia was taken prisoner about the 11th of the 6th moneth , and still remains in prison upon the abovesaid writ . thomas hamersly was taken prisoner by humphry sutton , at litchfield apparritor , about the sixteenth of the seventh moneth , and 〈◊〉 remaineth a prisoner upon the abovesaid writ . in the 7th moneth william alcock of fordwelly , near leek , had taken from him one great kettle , a goeat pot ▪ a little kettle , and two pewter dishes , to the value of fifty shillings , at the suit of george ●oods priest of leek , for the value of six shillings , which he demanded of him for easter-reckonings , by thomas hamersly bailiff , and his men . prisoners upon the account of truth in the county of somerset at ivelchester the 26th day of the 11th moneth , 1676. john sage of chewten , aged about eighty years , hath been prisoner since the 8th moneth , 1666. upon an exegi fac . for not paying tythes to the suit of ann kingsmell widow , impropriator ; the value of tythes worth about 9 or 10 s. william liddon of wythell , upon an exegifac . imprisoned the 11th moneth , 1670. for not paying tythes at the suit of iohn hillacri farmer of tythes . arthur ieffrey of south-brent , imprisoned in the 9th moneth , 1670 upon a kings-bench writ , to the suit of 〈◊〉 plumley , thomas brigham and willoughby leyne spinster , for not paying tythes to the value of about 16 s. 8 d. marmaduke coate of haucbridge , imprisoned in the 6th moneth 1670 upon an attachment out of the exchequer , upon contempt , as charged , to the suit of robert bambury impropriator , for not paying tythes . gregory ce●ly of north-curry , aged about 69 years , imprisoned in the 2d mon. 1673. in execution for not paying tythes to the suit of robert hill farmer of tythes , wherein he chargeth above nineteen times the value , and besides , hath taken his goods in part , and yearly takes away his corn also , contrary to law. note , at one assizes hill's witnesses prove the tythes to be worth 3 l. at another assizes the same witnesses swear the same tythes to be worth twelve pound fifteen shillings , for which the execution is one hundred forty four pound , which is above eleven times more then proved , the single value for three years being 7 l. 10 s. iames paple of stawell , imprisoned the 28th of the first moneth , 1674 , in execution for not paying tythes to the suit of william bull an impropriator , who is since dead . iohn d●nny of weston loyla●d , a poor husbandman labourer , imprisoned in the 10th moneth , 1674. upon a writ de excommunicato capiendo , for not paying small tythes to william owel impropriator , the value of tythes being about 9 d. for three years . ieremy powel of michael-creech , imprisoned in the 11th moneth , 1674. upon a writ de excommunicato capiendo , for not paying tythes and offerings to john gale priest of creech , to the value of about 4 d. thomas browning of lymington , imprisoned the 24th of the 1st moneth , 1674. upon an attachment out of the exchequer , for not appearing to the suit of matthew brayn priest of lymington , for small tythes , the value being about 25 s. for five years , and the priest took away his corn by force . william ford of curry-mallett , imprisoned the second moneth , 1675. by an attachment out of the exchequer for not paying tythes to the suit of thomas beal , priest of curry-mallett for tythe-apples . walter hodges of kingsbury , imprisoned on the 3d of the 1st moneth , 1675. upon an attachment out of the chancery , for not paying tythes to the suit of william 〈◊〉 : impropriator . iohn wride , robert tutton , iohn brice and robert 〈◊〉 of burnham , imprisoned the 2d moneth , 1675 by a 〈◊〉 from several justices of the peace , for contempt , as alledged , for not appearing at the bishop's court at walls , upon a citation to the suit of rober collier priest of ●uarde , who lives there , and yet demands the tythes of 〈◊〉 also , being about twenty miles distant ; it is for small tythes . note , that this was done upon a citation only for not appearing , without any other proceedings , decrees or sentence ; and the words are conjunctively for contempt of proceedings , sentences and decrees ; see the statute . iohn parsons of middlezoy , imprisoned in 1675. upon a writ de excommunicato capiendo , to the suit of william powel impropriator ; in a case of with-holding tythes , upon which he was removed to london , & remanded to the cost and charge of the sheriff by the promotion of one hartrye ; the said impropriator's agent , who is since cast into prison himself by his master for his unjust dealing . iohn chapple of worle imprisoned in the 11th moneth , 1675. upon a writ de excommunicato capiendo , to the suit of samuel willan priest of weston and kewst●ek , for not paying tythes to the value of about 14 groats after the priest's rate . edward silcocks of ●eston super mart , a poor man and a labourer , brought to goal in the 2d moneth , 1675. upon a writ of excommunicato capiendo , fo●●om● small tythes of fish , &c. which came to about 10 s. for five years , to the suit of the said priest willan , who is an envious , persecuting proud-spirited man. note , this was for not answering upon oath to the priest's articles in the bishop's court at wells , which to impose is contrary to the statute 13 car. 2d 12. robert wills of chisselborrough , imprisoned the 25th of the first moneth , 1676. upon an attachment out of the exchequer for not paying tythes to old priest ●aular , who is dead . thomas powell of greniton , imprisoned in the fifth moneth , 1696 upon a writ de excommunicato capiendo , for not answering upon oath to the articles of william powell impropriator , in a case of tythes , the value at utmost for six years stints of meadow six shillings nine pence , & for nine cocks of barley worth about three shillings four pence , though the sch●dule mentioned in the libel which begins , in d●i nomine awen , chargeth 12 acres of wheat , 15 acres of barley & 1●0 acres of meadow elianor powel wife of the said tho powel , by the name of elianor watts ( the suit being begun before they were married ) imprisoned the 15th of the 6th moneth , 1676. upon an execution out of the kings bench to the suit of priest collier , for not paying tythes , though he by violence took them away , and got bad fellows to swear for him at the assizes ; one of his witnesses called philip samm , swore in the priest's presence in the court , that the vvheat was worth 15 l. an acre , to make up the matter . vvilliam goodridge and samuel sayor of banwell imprisoned the fifth day of the 7th moneth , 1676. by an attachment out of the exchequer for not paying tythes to the suit of iacob crosman priest . edmund chapple of vvorle rendred himself prisoner the 20th of the 11th moneth , 1676. upon the statute 5 eliz. 23. within six dayes after proclamation , or else had incurred the penalty of 10 l. he being formerly excommunicated for not answering upon oath to priest vvillan's artcles and libel in the bishop's court at vvells , and the sheriff having returned that he was not to be found upon the writ de excommunicato capiendo , though he did not abscond but followed his occasions . and this also in the ground was for not answering upon oath , the tender whereof is contrary to the statute 13 car. 2d 12. iohn anderdon of bridgewater , imprisoned upon the false swearing of wicked informers , and hath been prisoner since the 3d of the 6th moneth , 1675. and for refusing to swear was lest upon kalender as premunired by judge rainsford at the assizes at taunton , the 21th day of the 1st moneth , 1675 the wicked accusation of the informers coming to nothing , the chiefest of them having stood in the pillory for wilful perjury . note , no iury past upon him , nor sentence given in court according to law , though the prisoner had pleaded as to matter of fact for refusing to take the oath . sufferers in cheshire . samuel rayle meeting with ieffery shackerly governour of the castle of chester , and not putting off his hat , he the said governour threatned him , and soon after sent a warrant to fetch him before the monethly meeting , and there tendred him the oath of allegiance ( that insallible snare ) and because for conscience sake he could not swear , committed him prisoner to the castle , where he hath remained since the 28th day of the 8th moneth , 1676. ioan edge widdow , aged sixty years , for not paying tythe-hay and easter-dues , was sued in the bishop's court , and committed to prison , where she hath remained since the 15th day of the 10th moneth , 1676. sufferers for the truth 's sake in suffolk , the 9th of the 11th mo. 1676. william seaman of melton was cast into prison upon the 28th of the 2d moneth , 1668. at the suit of priest beest●n of the same town , for not paying tythes , upon which suit he still continues a prisonerin the said melton-goal . robert britwel of ufferd , because for conscience sake he could not pay tythes , was cast into melton-goal , upon the 14th day of the 7th moneth , 1670. at the suit of richard lufkin priest of the same town , where he still continues upon the account afore-said . iohn downam was cast into bury-prison , upon the 28th of the 3d moneth , 74. by a significavit , at the suit of iohn garrad priest of assen , where he still continues . edward higns by the same writ , for not paying to the steeple . house rate ( the sum of 5 s. ) was committed to bury goal the 7th day of the 6th moneth , 1675. at the vvardens suit of gregory parish , in sudbury . william scarce , by a significavit , for not marrying according to the national way , and yet he was married before he came amongst the people called quakers , committed the 2●th day of the 6th moneth , 1675 to bury prison , at the suit of the priest or parishoner of wortham . william fackner and iohn manning of aldeborough , were taken prisoners the 28th of the 11th moneth , 1675. upon a significavit , for not going to hear common prayer ( so called ) and committed to the county goal in ipswich , being 18 miles from their own habitations having wive and children note their emnity ; for aldeborough is a corporation . town , and a goal in it , yet notwithstanding ipswich being 18 miles , as above said , they were sent thither , where they remained prisoners this 6th day of the 11th moneth , 1676. iohn burch of snape , upon the same account , and in the same goal , was committed prisoner the 3d day of the 12th moneth , 1675. being 14 miles from his own habitation , from his wife & children , notwithstanding bliborrough goal belongs to t'at town , and is not above five or six miles from him , and doth also remain prisoner in ipswich goal afore-said this 6th day of the 11th moneth , 1676. george glamdfield of chelmondiston , was taken prisoner the 17th day of the 4th moneth , 1675. upon a significavit for tythes , at the suit of daniel smart of chelmondiston , a priest , and was prisoner there the 3d day of the 11th moneth 1676. upon the same account . iohn beardmore priest of arrington , took from george deen , in the 4th and 6th moneths 76 at several times , viz. one pig , and by estemation , as followeth , two bushels and an half of wheat , two bushels and an half of rye , one bushel and an half of oats , seven bushels and an half of barley , one bushel of apples , and ten pounds of hops , all valued at 1 l. 18 s. 4 d. witness iohn franks , george fenner and others . iohn britewel took from nathaniel keeble of tunstal , in the 4th and 6th moneth , 1676 , at several times , viz. certain clover valued at 8 s. rye judged by the reapers to be seven combs of it , barley judged to be five combs of it ; witness ioshua poynts , robert scotsmer and others . edmund stubs priest took from the said nathaniel keeble , at several times in the fifth and sixth moneths , 1676. viz. vvheat judged to be eight combs of it , pease judged to be six bushels ; moreover he took for one years tythes of about 9 l. per annum , eleven cows and heifers , and one bull , which cattle were valued to be worth 40 l. witness ioshua poynts , thomas keeble and others . this account was sent up , but there is a report , as if some of nathaniel keeble's wife's kindred , who are no quakers , had compounded for the cattle , and that he hath them again . the said e. stubs priest took from robert davie , of tunstal afore-said , on the 8th day of the 6th mo. 76. for one years tythes of 21 l. per an . 6 cows & one bull , & 7 calves , but the calves got away from the bailiffs , which said cows and bull were valued to be worth 22 l. witness nathaniel keeble and others . mary pollard of branson widow , an aged woman , was committed to melton prison , the nineth of the eighth moneth , 1676. at the suit of william ribands of crecingham , being one that hired an impropriation of tythes , and she remains a prisoner there upon the same account , the sixth day of the eleventh moneth , 1676. the same william ribands in the eleventh moneth , 1672. took from the said mary pollard , without proceeding against her in due course of law , two cows , which were valued to be worth 7 l. the sixth day of the 5th moneth , 1676. george pippen priest of ringshal , by a warrant out of the county-court holden at ipswich , caused to be taken away from william greenwood dwelling in briset , two cows , which were reasonably valued a● 8 l. for two years tythes , at ●0 s. per annum ; and the bailiffs were ambrose pulford and george pooley of needham ; and the cows were prised , one at 50 s. and the other at 55 s. by william rosse and richard●cotchmer bought by thomas love of nedeham . market . on the 25th day of the 9th moneth , 1676. there was taken from william greenwood of briset , within seven miles of ipswich , two cows for tythes , which they pretended was 3 l. the cows were prized at 5 l. they being reasonably worth 7 l. this was done by warrant out of the county court holden at ipswich , upon the account of christopher sherman impropriator of the said town of briset ; the bailiffs names are john coal , richard francis. samuel parmiter of otten . belchamp in the county of essex , was arrested for tythes at the suit of oliver rayment impropriator , of water . belcham , and was sent to prison at chelmsford in the county of essex , the 7th day of the 9th moneth , 1676. sufferers in nottingham-shire . for being at a peaceable meeting at hucknall , the 16th day of the 2d moneth , 1676. francis clay was fined 5 s. and ten pound for the pretended poverty of a preacher . and william clay was fined 10 s. for himself and his wife , for which he had goods taken from him worth 2 l. which the officers sold for 10 s. robert thorocon , the justice , so called , bidding them , sell the goods for what they could get , if they could get for ten pounds worth but thirty shillings ; and because the officers could not sell the goods so soon as he would have had them , he fined them 5 l. a man , and distrained their goods . richard bateman was fined for the same meeting 5 s. and 10 l. for the pretended poverty of the preacher ; and the said richard being but a poor man , they took most of the goods in his house , to the value of 2 l. and sold them for 3 s. 6 d. elizabeth clay and anthony tomlinson fined 5 s. apiece . christopher brandreth fined 5 s. and 1 l. 5 s. for the pretended poverty of five others , for which they took a mare from him to the value of 4 l. which they sold for 30 s. thomas cockram fined 5 s. for himself , and 10 l. for the pretended poverty of the house , for which he had two oxen taken from him worth 10 l. 10 s. george cockram for the same fined 5 s. had taken from him goods worth 11 s. john bullivent the elder fined 5 s. for himself , and 10 l. for the pretended poverty of the house , for which he had a mare and goods taken from him worth 3 l. the said john bullivent being a very poor man and not keeping house , but dwelling in his shop , being a nailor , the aforesaid justice bid the officers take all he had , his coat off his back , and his hat if it were on his head , and his hammer he workt with . john bullivent the younger fined 5 s. for the same . the aforesaid goods were distrained by warrant from rob. thoroton called justice , john smith of remson and tho. sharp of newark informers ; the said john smith was very rude in his carriage in the meeting , using threatning words to the persons assembled , saying to one , with his faucheon drawn in his hand , that he would thrust it down his throat ; and to another , he would cleave him down , and run it into his buttock . at another meeting the 23d day of the 2d moneth , 1676. at the house of robert grace in sutton in ashfield , these several persons following were taken by the afor said john smith and thomas sharp informers , and had before arthur stannup called justice , who fined them as followeth ; robert crace , for having the meeting at his house fined 4 l. for which samuel brittain took away part of his houshold goods . william clay fined 10 s. for himself , and 10 l. for the pretended poverty of the owner of the house . thomas cockram fined 10 s. for himself , and 5 s. for his wife , and had two young beasts taken from him worth 3 l. which the officers sold for 1 l. 8 s. elizabeth clay fined 10 s. for her self , and 10 s. for her daughter mary leadbeater fined 10 s. for her self , and 10 s. for her son. vvilliam maulson ( m. l's son aforesaid ) was fined 5 s. for himself , and 1 l. for the poverty of two others , for which two last fines the officers took away a cow & houshold goods to the value of 5 l. 4 s. which they sold 2 l. 10 s. officers names are francis scarcliff constable , tho. urdidge thirdborrough . the 28th day of the 3d moneth , 1676. the aforesaid people were by the officers kept out of their meeting at sutton in the street , where the aforesaid informers finding them , took several with them to a justice's house , but it being late at night the justice appointed them and the officers to come the next day , the officers came , but the informers went to robert thoroton another justice , who they thought might be readier to do their work , who fined these persons following , and granted warrants to make distress on their goods . robert grace , anthony tomlinson , joseph roberts , fined 10 s. apiece , the distresses made by samuel brittain constable and other officers . george cockram fined 10 s. for himself , and 1 l. for the poverty of two others , and had a cow taken from him worth l. 5 s. 4 d. john fullwood fined 5 s. for himself , and 10 l. for the poverty of a woman pretended to be the preacher , although some of the officers present all the meeting time , did testifie to the justice , before whom the sufferers were first brought , that they did hear no words tending to either preaching or teaching ; yet this thoroton , upon the informers false swearing , did grant a warrant to make distress upon two persons goods for 20 l. for the preacher that day : and the aforesaid john fullwood had eleven quarters of mault taken from him worth 10 l. 9 s. and william day for the pretended preacher was fined 10 l. and had his goods distrained . george hopkinson had goods taken from him worth twelve shillings . robert marriot fined 5 s. for himself , and 3 l. for the poverty of six others , and had a mare taken from him . edward richardson of kilverton , for being at a peaceable meeting at rowland dabey's house was fined 10 l. and they took away his working-tools , his coals , hay and corn , beds and bedding , and other houshold goods , and his childrens cloaths , to the value of 16 l. being almost all the poor man had , ( he being a black-smith by trade ) to the undoing of his wife & children as much as lay in the hands of wicked men ; but great are the mercies of the lord. distrained by warrant from robert thoroton of carcouson , tho. girton constable , christopher dent of bingham , and robert wycam informers . william maultly of orston for the same had 7. strike of barley taken from him worth about 17 s. by warrant from robert thoroton called justice , christopher dent , and robert wycam informers , taken by vvilliam dawson constable , and hugh lamb officer . robert bullivant of over-broughton , was fined 10 s. and they took away his houshold goods by warrant , from justice how 's of langer , john hickling constable , iohn dably and vvilliam bilkinton officers , iohn camsells of everton was fined 5 s. and had goods taken from him worth about 10 s. iohn smith of everton for the same was fined 5 s. and they took from him a pair of boots worth above 8 s. distrained by warrant from justice sands of screwby , iohn b●ily , thomas rea●s , robert flower , and robert mew officers , the informers not known . iohn ouidam of calverton for being at a peaceable meeting at the house of robert bradshaw of oxen wa● fined 5 l. and they took away his working tools and a pair of ●o●ts worth about 3 l. 9 s. and seized upon the rest of his working gear ( he being by trade a weaver ) since taken away ; distrained by warrant from robert thoroton , william hernsly constable , henry marshall , and william martin , and th● . hutchinson officers . william wilson of girton for having a meeting at his house peaceably to wait upon god , was fined 5 l. and they took away from him two cows that were none of his own , but lent him by his friends to give his children milk , when his goods were taken before upon the same account and they sold the cows which were worth about 6 l. thomas crane of north-scarle for going to the same , had houshold-goods taken from him , by iohn cheeswright constable , to the value of about 5 l. for a fine of 55 s. stephen swinsco and his wife of south-collingham , for going to the same meeting was fined 5 l. 10 s. and he being a labouring man , and not having to answer the fine , the constable took goods from him worth about 2 l. 16 s. and the constable was fined 5 l. for not taking a cow that this poor man had , which the persecutors heard of , though she was gone out of the lordship three dayes before the constable came to distraine or had his warrant ; so he was forced to give the informers 20 s. to agree with them . another poor woman in the same town having almost all she had taken from her formerly upon this account , she having since got some bedding , and other necessaries , they have now stript her of all , and she forced to go seek lodging in the town ; and her land owner having a bedsted which was left in the house as an earlcome , durst not let it stand , though willing of himself , their threats were so cruel , being without pitty or mercy . robert carnell of north-collingham for going to the same meeting , was fined 10 l. and they took from him almost all his houshold-goods , he being several times before distrained upon for the same thing ; and although formerly one that had plenty of such things , yet now is ingaged to a neighbour for a bed to lye on . tho. fox for going to the same meeting was fined 5 l. 5 s. and they took from his brother thomas leevesly as ma●y spokes and hewen fellows as were worth about 6 l. 6 s. 8 d. which said spokes and fellows were made over unto the said thomas leevesly by bill of sale for some sum of money the said thomas had paid for his brother , and was made appear so to be before the justice ; yet the said justice refusing to do right put the constable to distraine . matthew hartly , a very poor man , for going to the same meeting was fined ●5 s. and being gone forth of the town to get his livelyhood , spinning woell for 2 d. th day , the officers broke open his door , and took most of what he had there , being very little . john trusswell for going to the same meeting was fined 5 l. 5 s. and they took away his houshold-goods , not leaving beding to cover them , but as it is lent them by others ; and some of the family lodge in the town for want of bedding ; this being a man also that has had plenty of these things for his own family , and also hath helped to relieve others before this act came forth , since which he hath often suffered much ; and thus the scripture is fulfilled , they that depart from iniquity are made a prey . all these warrants granted by robert thoroton of carcouson , john smith of remston , and robert wycam of orston informers . the names of the sufferers , and the towns where they live are as follow , of gerton , richard carter constable , roger baradale warden , tho. wilson overseer ; these three were fined 5 l. apiece for turning back two cows when owned , and forced to take them again , and sell them . north-collingham , richard longmate constable , john roades , robert trawly wardens , william hall , richard gods●●● overseers . south-collingham , john tinsley constable , fined 5 l. for not taking a●ow that was gone three dayes before the warrant came to his hand , iohn crane overseer , robert millnes , bartholomew perkins wardens . north-s●arle , iohn cheeswrite deputie-constable , iarvis partridge warden . ralph bateman and iohn bateman of fransfield , for being at a peaceable meeting was fined 20 l. and had sheep taken from them worth 33 l. by warrant from penistone whaley , robert brown constable , edward baington , iohn gunthorp wardens , richard bean third-borough , thomas hickbone overseer , christopher dent of bingham , and john warin of westhorp in formers . william watson of fransfield , for being at the same meeting was fined 20 l and had goods and cattel taken to the value of 30 l. and had houshold-goods , with corn upon the ground not ripe worth 30 l. more , yet sold all together by the aforesaid officers . andrew hodson for his wife and daughter being at the same meeting , had two swine taken from them , cost 1 l. 10 s. mary handly of edenly for being at the same meeting was strained of , and the officers thinking they had . not taken enough , she being from home , they brake down the vvall and shot the lock , and took most of her goods to the value of 1 l. 18 s and left goods not worth 3 s. john horner and john dallimor vvardens , charles ward third-borough , by vvarrant from penistone whaley . john wood , for being at the same meeting had goods taken to the value of 10 s. stephen moor , for being at the same meeting , had a table taken worth about 13 s. 4 d. by the same officers . edward wood of ekrin wheelwright , for being at a peaceable meeting at his own house , was fined 20 l. and had six cows and rwo heifers taken from him to the value of 19 l. 14 s. 6 d. when sold they wanted 6 l. to make up the fine and charges , and a neighbour ( called william hurt ) laid down 6 l. and took away wheel-timber for the same ; distrained by john holmes constable , richard tomson senior , richard peck sen . william moore sen . william johnson jun. and thomas peck officers of ekrin , christopher dent and robert wycam informers , by warrant from robert thoroton . john cam of kirsal in the parish of kneesal , for being at the same meeting was fined 5 s. and for the poverty of the preacher , as they pretended , 10 l. and had two cows , one horse and a mare taken from him to the value of 10 l. 5 s. by john key constable of kneesal , and john wright of kneesal warden . thomas estwood for being at the same meeting was fined 5 s. and had one great bible , one warming-pan , one pewter-dish taken from him by the same officers . richard hind of welley sen . for being at the same meeting was fined for himself and the pretended poverty of nineteen persons more 5 l. and had taken from him two cows , one yearling-calf , worth about six round ten shillings , cuthbert walker constable , samuel tongue and james byllyate overseers . richard birkit of knapthorp for the same meeting was fined 5 s. and for the poverty of the preacher aforesaid 10 l. which 10 l. 5 s. was paid by his brother peter birkit into the sessions at newark . roger noble of kersal for being at the same meeting was fined 5 s. and had pewter and brass taken to the value of 12 s. by john key constable , and john wright warden . elizabeth johnson for being at the same meeting was fined 5 s. and it was paid by her husband george johnson . robert bradshaw of oxen for having a peaceable meeting at his house was fined 20 l. and had taken from him two mares , four beasts to the value of 20 l. william a●lcock constable ; robert bush and robert stox overseers , tho. farnell , gabrid martin wardens , christopher dent and robert wycam informers , by warrant from robert thoroton . for a meeting at knapthorp , in the parish of conton , in the said county , the 11th of the 4th moneth , 1676. by warrant from robert thoroton senior ( by christopher dent of bingham , and robert wycam of orston in the county aforesaid informers ) directed to the constables , church-wardens and overseers for the poor of knaptkorp , kirsal , kneesal and kirton , and to every or any of them ; the tenour whereof was on this wise , whereas i am credibly informed , that there will be a meeting at some of your said towns , or within your respective liberties , or thereabouts , on pretence of religion , otherwise then by law is established , these are therefore in his majesty's mame to will and require you , and every or any of you to bring the said persons so assembled before me , or some other of his majesty's justices of the peace for this county to be dealt withal according to law ; thereof fail not , &c. given under my hand and seal , the 13th of april , 28 car. 3. anno dommini 1676. robert thoroton . so there being a peaceable meeting in silence by the high-way-side ( being kept out of their ordinary meeting-house ) was taken by richard taylor constable , and richard greaves and row ▪ and wilson church-wardens of conton , and had before william cartwright of osington , and were fined as followeth , and warrants granted to distrain , iohn cam of kirsal for himself , his wife and his brother iohn hall 15 s. and the money was paid by his wife's father william hall of maplebeck , who took away goods from iohn cam to satisfie for the same . iohn machon of kneesal for himself & his vvife fined 10 s. and had goods taken from him to the value of about 10 s. by thomas hay constable of kneesal , and samuel lee overseer . ioseph humphrey of kneesal fined 5 s. and they took from his father richard humphrey three pewter-dishes worth about 7 s. by the aforesaid tho. hay and samuel lee. william kent of kirton fined 5 s. and had 5 s. taken by john prestwood constable , and francis roberts and iohn woodcock officers of kirton . roger noble of kirsal fined 5 s. which was paid by his mother in law mary wright of kirsal . richard hind of wellow jun. fined 5 s. and a brass-pan , and a pewter flagon worth about 6 s. 6 d. was taken from his father richard hind , by cuthbert walker constable , and iohn challerton and william whitlam wardens , and iohn bullivant and edward gilbert overseers . iames hind of wellow fined 5 s. had a bed-hilling and a blanket taken to the value of about 10 s. 6 d. by the same officers . for a meeting at kirsal in the parish of kneesal , in the said county of nottingham the 18th of the 4th moneth , 1676. which meeting was peaceable , and in silence , by the high-way-side on the common , being kept out of their ordinary meeting house , the informers came and took what names they plea●ed , and they were fined as followeth , by warrants from robert thoroton , christopher dent and robert wycam being informers . edward wood of ekrin in the county aforesaid wheelwright fined 10 s. for himself and his wife , and 10 l. for the poverty of the place ( which particularly belonged to none except the queen , to whom they pay common fine ) which 10 l. 10 s. was paid into the quarter sessions at newark the 12th of the 5th mo. 1676. by the officers of ekrin , who took his timber , and almost all his houshold goods to the value of the same ; the officers that distrained were iohn hollin constable , rich. townsend senior , william moor senior . thomas peck and the. machen thirdboroughs , martin cam overseer , and william moor junior and thomas salmon wardens . thomas oakland of knapthorp in the parish of conton fined 10 s. for himself and his wife , and 10 l. for the poverty of the place aforesaid , and had almost all his goods taken and sold for 5 l. by richard taylor of conton constable , ruhard greaves and rowland wilson wardens . iohn cam of kirsal in the parish of kneesal wheelwright , fined 20 s. for himself and his wife , and 40 s. for the poverty of michael embly , isabel roberts , esther scrimshaw , roger noble and ionathan humphrey , and 3 l. was paid by vvillam hall of maplebeck his wife's fa●h●r , who took away goods for the same , and seized of that little he had left . iohn kent of norlayth●s in the parish of rufard husbandman for being at a peaceable meeting at kne●sal the 25th of the 4th mo. 76. was fin d 10 l. 10 s. and had eight 〈◊〉 beasts taken from him to the value of 17 l. by iohn gray constable of rufard . iames hind of vvellow tailor for being at the same meeting was sined 10 s. and had the bed-clothes taken from off their beds , insomuch as the boy about four years old , the 2d of the 11th mon. 75. said , now i must be fain to lie in my clothes ; for we have nothing left to hap us ) to the value of about 1 l. 13 s. by cuthbert walker of vvellow constable , iohn challerton , vvilliam vvhittham vvardens , and edward gilbert overseer . richard hind junior of vvellow for being at the same meeting was fined 10 s. and they took from his father richard hind a swine worth about 18 s. by the aforesaid officers . edward wood of ekrin was fined 10 l. 10 s. for the same account as they pretended , though he was not there at that time , john warin of westhorp in the parish of suthwell and one johnson of bingham informers , who came to the town and informed the constable thomas hay of the meeting , and we●t their way , and the constable was fined 5 l. and a warrant granted out to distrain by robert thoroton for the same , although he had set watch-men to keep friends out of the house where the meeting was to have been , and himself came into the yard where friends were peaceable together , and the meeting was dispersed soon after ; so he went to the justice with the officers that had the warrant to distrain of him that he might take in the warrant , and another townsman william trulove with him , and they gave in the names or consented to the names of friends that the justice read to them . the fines above-mentioned and the goods distrained was by warrant from robert thoroton of carcouson , a copy of one of the warrants follows . to the constables , church-wardens and overseers for the poor of wellow , and every or any of them . forasmuch as james hind and rich. hind of the said town are lawfully convicted before me , for having been present at a conventicle or unlawful assembly , on prètence of religion , otherwise then by law is established , in kneesal , on sunday , the 25th of june last past ; these are therefore in his majesty's name to require you to levy of each of the offenders 10 s. apiece , being formerly convicted , by distress and sale of goods ; which sams you are to deliver to me , to be distributed according to law ; hereof fail not , as you wil answer the contrary at your peril . given under my hand and seal the 27th day of july , 28 car. 2. anno dom. 1676. robert thoroton . the 9th of the 5th mo. 1676. the aforesaid people being met together to wait upon the lord at mansfield , they being kept without the gates to the street-ward , which some call lordswaste , others the king's high-way , and there came three informers to the meeting , viz. john smith of remson , edward simson of lenton , the third not known by us , and they hearing no declaration when they came , they sent for the constable and took the names of them they knew , and those they knew not they drew out of the assembly , and put them to the constable to have them before a justice , and one woman when she was put to the constable did speak some words to one of the informers , which he said he would make preaching , so having sent some to one called justice stanhope of linby , they went to robert thoroton of carcouson ( a fit instrument for their purpose ) who granted warrants , and fined them as followeth , george hopkins of mansfield for being at the said meeting was sined 5 s. for his own offence , and 10 l. for the poverty of the preacher or teacher , as they pretended , which was but the woman that spoke to one of the informers , as aforesaid , for which fines the officers took 7 quarter & 7 strike of mault , he being a maultster , and they came into his house , and looked into all his rooms and said , they would have all his houshold goods , they would not leave him a spoon . robert moor for his wife being at the said meeting was fined 10 s. for which the officers took two pair of shoes , and one pair of boots , the said robert being a shoemaker . john fulwood maultster for being at the said meeting was fined 10 s. for his own offence , and 50 s. for the poverty of iohn bullevant sen and iohn bullevant jun. mary leadbeater , thomas leadbeater and vvilliam malson , these five lived at s●●gby ; the officers names iames hardy and francis vvatson constables , thomas clark and iohn pumtree thirdboroughs . george cockram of scegby for his vvife being at the same meeting was fined 10 s. for which the officers took an heifer worth 1 l. and they sold her , as george did hear , for 18 s. not offering to return any overplus again to him ; the officers names were francis searcliph constable , and thomas urdidge thirdborough . robert grace of sutton for him self and wife being at the same meeting was fined 20 s. elizabeth brandrith for being at the same meeting was fined 10 s. john blackburn , samuel whitworth , elizabeth whitworth and elixabeth fell , for being at the same meeting were fined every and each of them 5 s. margaret whitworth for being at the same meeting was fined 5 s. for her own offence , and 40 s. for the poverty of richard bateman , joseph-roberts , sarah clay and francis clay . richard cooper of mansfield-woodhouse for being at the same meeting was fined 5 s. for his own offence , and 10 l. for the poverty of the place where the meeting was kept , it being without the gates to the street-ward , as is before mentioned . thomas scoaley of warsop for being at the same meeting was fined 10 l. for the poverty of the place aforesaid . here followeth a copy of one of the warrants . nott. to the constables , church wardens , and overseers for the poor , and thirdboroughs of sutton in ashfield and hurknal , and every or any of them . forasmuch as robert grace and his wife , eliz. brandrith , jo. blackburn , sam. vvhitworth , eliz. vvhitworth , eliz. fello and sarah clay , richard bateman , joseph roberts , fran. clay & margret vvhitworth of your said towns , are lawfully convicted before me ●●r having been present at a conventicle or unlawful assembly , on pretence of religion , otherwise then by law is established , in mansfield , on sunday the 9th of this instant july ; these are therefore in his majesty's name to require you to levy of the said rob. grace for his own offence and his said wife's offence the sum of 1 l. being formerly convicted ; and the said eliz. brandrith the sum of 10 s. for her own offence , being formerly convicted ; & the said john blackburn , sam. whitworth , eliz. whitworth and eliz. fello , of every or each of them the sum of 5 s. apiece ; and of the said margret whitworth the sum of 5 s. for her own offence , & the sum of 2 l. by reason of the poverty of rich. bateman , joseph roberts , sarah clay & francis clay formerly convicted , by distresses and sale of goods ; which said sums you are to deliver to me , to be distributed according to law ; hereof fail not , as ye will answer the contrary at your perils . given under my hand and seal the 25th day of july , 28 car. 2. anno dom. 1676. robert thoroton . william day of newmenl●as milner near eastwood being at a meeting at sutton in ashfield , the 28th of the 3d moneth , 76. was fined 5 s. for his own offence , and 10 l. for the poverty of a preacher or teacher , there being no preaching or teaching , as the informers pretended , as the officers which kept us out of the meeting-house did testifie before arthur stanhope justice in mansfieldwoodhouse , and several others affirmed the same , nevertheless the informers went to robert thoroton and he granted a warrant against the said william day , and they took away from him a mare and a heiser , besides pewter and brass , and bedding to the value of 14 l. 10 s. 4 d. iohn smith of remson , thomas sharp of nework , ioseph wilkinson of nottingham informers ; thomas gristed constable , robert howet and henry winfield wardens , ellis england thridborough ; and the said william day went to robert thoroton called justice to let him know that he was wrongfully fined , and told him that there was neither preaching nor teaching , and if he , would give him leave he could produce several that would testifie to the truth of it , and the said iohn smith informer standing by said . did not widow leadbeater go on with a narration of words ? and william day answered , that what words she spoke was in answer to him , and the justice said , if it was but one word , it was enough . witnesses to the truth of this , bartholomew mastin , luke hanke , thomas mee and ioseph potter . edward wood of ekrin , in the county of nottingham wheelwright , for contempt of the ecclesiastical-court at york ( as is pretended , to answer george higgins in a certain cause of tythes ) was attached by a warrant from peniston whal●y and robert thoroton justices , dated the 2d of march , ●5 . and by cerificate from henry watkinson official-principal of the afore-said court ; and 37 s. was paid by richard thomson junior of ekrin , for about 12 s. in the principal demanded . michael embly of ekrin had two lands of pease ( worth about 13 s. being all he had ) taken by george higgins of ekrin impropriator , for the pretended tythe of an acre of barley , whereof four cocks & half he pretended due to him for tythe . thomas farnsworth of scaftworth for being at a peaceable meeting had taken from him five cows worth about 14 l. robert. spauld for the same had five cows taken from him worth about 13 l. robert nicholson for the same had one heifer , worth about 1 l. 3 s. 4 d. taken from him . zacharias bower for the same had one cow taken from him worth about 2l . 10 s. witness iohn camsal , thomas denton , iohn birks , iohn glover . the officers names that distrained , william chapman constable of eaverton , edward chapman and iohn batts wardens , iohn rayner and francis vvilliamson overseers , george gantley constable and warden for scaftworth . iohn seaton of blythe for being at a peaceable meeting was fined 20 l. and had four oxen and one horse takenfrom him worth 22 l. george greaves for the same meeting was fined 10 l. 5 s. and had four cows taken from him worth 13 l. iohn wilson for the same was fined 3 l. and had a mare taken from him worth 4 l. 10 s. gervase crease for the same was fined 10 s. and had fourteen pound of pewter taken from him worth 14 s. distrained by warrant from robert thoroton . the officers names are , robert williamson and richard malken constables , gervase pye and richard emerson wardens , henry noedin overseer , iohn brown and thomas moresin thirdboroughs . witness thomas farnsworth , ioseph hudson , iohn couson . iohn torr of scrooby for being at a peaceable meeting was fined 5 s. for his own offence , and 10 l. for the poverty of a certain blind man unknown , for one meeting , and 1 l. fine for another meeting , both warrants amounting to 11 l. 5 s. and they took from him 4 oxen worth about 14 l. 10 s. and another warrant from justice sands for the sum of 10 s. and 1 l. which the officers run in charges about selling the oxen , which they had taken away by virtue of the other two warrants , more then they sold the oxen for , as is pretended ; so they took an heifer from him worth about 2 l. 10 s. william kirkby of geatforth , for being at a peaceable meeting , had taken from him seven beasts worth about 12 l. 10 s. by warrant from robert thoroton . adam hut●hinson and charles tollet constables , william br●fit and george norman wardens . witness iohn raganal , peter ancliph . note , there was formerly taken on this account , from several innocent persons in this county , goods and cattle to the value of 695 l. and upwards ; and two persons great sufferers formerly , appealing to the sessions , they ordered them their money again , but this great persecuting justice , peniston whaley , fraudulently detains 60 l. in his hands , contrary to the orders of sessions . john seaton of blythe , for having peaceable meetings at his house to worship the lord , was fined 20 l. and 10 s. for himself , and 35 s. for his wife 's being at four meetings , and 5 s. for his servant , in all fined 62 l. 10 s. and had his goods distrained , viz. all his houshold goods , horses , ma●es , kine and swine , his carts and other wooden ware , with old wood , stone and brick , to the value of 100 l. and upwards . the officers names that distrained , robert williamson , richard malkin , constables ; richard emerson , gervase pye , wardens ; henry nodin , overseer for the poor . george greaves of blythe shoemaker , for meeting peaceably at the house of john seaton , was fined for himself 40 s. and for the poverty of several other persons , and four unknown , 4 l. 10 s. and they distrained of his goods , as bedding , pewter , shoes and boots , by the above said officers , to the value of 11 l. and upwards . george greaves for being at a peaceable meeting at john seaton's , was fined 10 s. and 3 l. by reason of the poverty of six other persons , and 10 l. by reason of the poverty of the owner of the place ; and they took in hay , corn , barley , mault , one mare , two swine and a calf , and houshold goods to the value of 25 l. and upwards . the officers names that distrained , richard boulton and robert b●llyet , constables ; gervase pye and richard emerson watdens ; john malkin and michael judson , thirdboroughs ; henry nodin , overseer of the poor . gervase cressie of blyth● being one of the overseers of the poor , for neglect of his office , because he did not assist them in breaking up the meetings of the said people , was fined 5 l. for which fine christopher snowdin high constable , took from him two cows , and other houshold goods , and one bundle of candle weke , in all to the value of about 9 l. 4 s. henry upton of harworth for being at a peaceable meeting was fined 20 s. for himself and his wife , and 6 l. 10 s. by reason of the poverty of thirteen other persons named in the warrant , and had two oxen and three cows taken from him , worth about 14 l. william kirkby for being at a peaceable meeting in the high-way , the said people being kept out of their meeting house , was fined 10 s. for himself , and 10 l. by reason of the poverty of the owner of the place . for which fine the officers took from him six beasts and five horses and mares , with the rest of his goods in the house , to the value of 25 l. and upwards and sold in the presence of richard champio● , john ridginal , john wilson ; officers , john champion , edward tomlinson , constables . joseph hudson of mattersey for being at a peaceable meeting , was fined for himself 10 s. and 6 l. 5 s. by reason of the poverty of twenty five unknown persons ( then and there present , as the warrant specified ) and the officers distrained for the said fine , 5 cows , 10 swine , some pewter and bras● , 2 beds with furniture , and other houshold stuff , and a parcel of corn , and a parcel of hay , to the value of 12 l. 10 s. by thomas barker constable ; william morley and henry iessop wardens . witness william broundley , george goodyear ; all the afore-said goods and cattle were distrained by warrants granted by robert thoroton . thomas farnsworth being impannelled upon a jury at a court-leet , and because he could not swear , was fined 3 s. 4 d and had a pewter dish taken from him worth about 4 s. 6 d. iohn birks for the like had a flaggon taken from ●im worth about 5 s. 4 d. zacharias bower for the like had two pewter dishes taken from him , worth about 6 s. these taken by roberts graves the bishop's bailiff . iohn birks of scaftworth for being at a peaceable meeting with several other friends , though kept out of the meeting-house , and driven into the street , was fined 10 s. for himself , and 10 l. by reason of the poverty of the owner of the place , ( though it was in the street or high way ) and he had taken from him five cows , worth about 14 l. 5 s. zacharias bower for the same was fined 10 s. for himself , and 10 l. for the poverty of the owner of the place , and had taken from him five cows , worth about 15 l. by warrant from justice sands . the officers names , william chapman constable ; edward chapman , iohn bates wardens ; iohn raynes and francis williamson overseers for the poor . witnesses , robert spanold , robert nickelson , edward ieptson . thomas denton for being at the same meeting fined 10 s. and had goods taken from him to the value of about 17 s. thomas fa●nsworth of scaftworth , for being at peaceable meetings was fined 10 s. for himself , and 3 l. for the poverty of 12 unknown persons ; and by another warrant 10 s. for himself , and 10 l. by reason of the poverty of the owner of the place , by warrants from peniston whaley , and his goods were distrained and sold ; first , three horses , one mare , two cows , four calves , one parcel of rye and a parcel of barley , two parcels of hay , his carts , ploughs and horse-harness , and other things in the yard , at 28 l. 6 s. 4 d. also within the house four beds and several houshold goods at 12 l. 4 s. 8 d. iohn birks of the same , for 20 s. fine , had a fillie taken from him , worth about 1 l. 15 s. zachariah bower of the same , for the same cause was fined 13 l and had taken from him seven horses and mares , five calves , three carts , two ploughs and one harrow , with horse-harness , hay and corn , and wood at 20 l. 8 s. 4 d. goods in the house , as four beds , pewter and brass , and several other goods worth about 16 l. 4 s. 2 d. by two warrants from peniston vvhaley . the officers names , william chapman constable ; iohn raines , francis williamson overseers ; iohn bates , edward chapman wardens ; and george gantley constable of scaftworth , all of everton . witnesses robert nickelson , edward ieptson , robert spanold . henry upton of harworth , for being at a peaceable meeting at blythe , was fined 10 s. for himself , and 10 l. for the poverty of the preacher ( as they pretended ) and the officers made distress , & ●sold all his goods & chattels which he had left , for the raising of the said sums , by warrant from robert thoroton . the officers names , john ellis constable ; thomas rowood and robert sissans wardens ; robert fetherly and john ellis overseers : vvitnessed by bartholomew white senior , george wagstaff , charles hopkinson . john birks fined 20 s. for being at two peaceable meetings , and had a mare taken from him , worth about 40 s. thomas denton for a fine of 5 s. had taken from him two calves , worth about 40 s. by vvarrant from p. whaley ; witness thomas saintpall , dorothy gledge . edward hickson of tickhil for being at a peaceable meeting was fined for himself , and the poverty of two others 30 s. and had taken from him an heifer , worth about 3 l. 5 s. john lambert of tickhil for being at a meeting was fined for himself and the poverty of five more persons , 3 l. and they took from him an heifer worth about 3 l. 10 s. by warrant from ralph knight . the officers names that distrained , james houson , samuel scorar constables ; john bradford , richard hole overseers ; william lee church warden ; witness john bradford , john hickeon , elizabeth ties , iohn fairf●ot . gervase lambard for being at peaceable meetings at blythe was fined 40 s. by warrants from peniston whaley , and they distrained his goods , viz. some pewter , brass , his beds and bedding , with some leather and his working tools , with all other goods in the house , with his hay , to the value of about 8 l. iohn camsal fined 30 s. for being at peaceable meetings , and had taken from him some corn in the barn , with two beds and bedding , with other goods to the value of about 10 l. the officers names , william chapman and george gantley constables ; edward chapman and iohn baytes wardens ; iohn raines and francis vvilliamson overseers of the poor . witnesses , i seph camsel , thomas saintpal , george flecher . the 22d of the 10th moneth , 1676. an account of goods then taken from vvilliam emley of mansfield in the county of nottingham mercer , for a fine of 10 l. 5 s. for being at a meeting the 17th day of the same , at hucknal-hoofet , in the parish of sutton in ashfield , and thereof convicted the 19th of the same , by iohn smith , one sharp and obadiah anthony informers , before robert thoroton of carcouson , in the county asore-said , justice , viz. 10 l. for the poverty of the preacher , and 5 s. for him elf , and by warrant from the said robert thoroton directed to thomas innocent and francis vvatson constables ; richard burbidge apothecary , john garner mercer , ralph croshey dyer , thomas wheat butcher , overseers of the poor ; george cook malt-maker , and john clay tanner , church-wardens ; john plumtry and thomas clerk thirdboroughs , all of mansfield in the county aforesaid ; he had shop goods taken from him to the value of 23 l. and upwards . george hopkinson for being at the same meeting was fined 10 s. for which he was distrained , by thomas innocent constable , iohn plumtry and thomas clerk thirdboroughs , as followeth , one coverlet worth 10 s. one pewter candlestick worth 1 s. one chair worth 4 s. a relation of a notorious piece of deceit , acted by the persecutors of these poor affl●cted people called quakers in this county . upon the 26th day of the 9th mo. 76. some of the said people being peaceably assembled together , in the parish of blythe and waiting in stilness and silence upon the lord , there came in amongst them one edward butterworth , who sate down a while amongst them , till the informers came in , viz. iohn smith , obadiah anthony and thomas sharpe ; then edward butterworth stood up and said , blessed be the peace-makers , with some other words that were not understood , by reason tohmas sharpe one of the informers pulled him forth , the constable meeting them near the door , asked why they pulled him out ? the informer said , if another speak i will pull him out also , so the officers had this pretended preacher before justice sands , who upon examination said , he lived at broughton within eight miles of lincoln ; but there being some suspition that he was a cheat , ordered the officers to secure him , and to bring him before him again next day ; where before the said justice sands and sr. ralph knight , being again examined he still said , he lived at broughton , and thomas sharp , one of the informers being asked upon his oath , whet her he knew the said butterworth , did affirm , he never saw him before in all his life ; but a certificate was produced before the justices to prove they both lived in newark , a copy of which is as follows . this may certifie whom it may concern , that we whose names are under-written do testifie , that edward butterworth and thomas sharpe of our town of newark , are very well acquainted , and very near neighbours , living together in our town , and both in a street , most of our town well know it . john milnes . thomas merryweather . after examination the justices seeing their deceit , committed butterworth to nottingham goal , except he found sureties to appear at redford sessions , and as the constable was conducting this pretended quaker to the goal , smith and anthony two of the informers being with him , he rode away from the constable ; but about three dayes after he went to justice sands , and obadiah anthony and thomas sharpe two of the informers with him , who were bound for his appearance at redford sessions . a short relation of the proceedings of the justices of the peace , at nottingham quarter-sessions , the eighth day of the eleventh moneth , 1676. where many of the people of god , in scorn called quakers , came to appeal for justice from the illegal proceedings of the cruel informers , who acted by virtue of several warrants granted forth by robert thoroton justice of the peace ; there being about 20 appeals which were promised to be tried at this sessions , and but three of them put in , the manner of their trials was as followeth , as near as can be remembred . upon the 8th day of the 11th mo. as afore-said , the court being sate the council for the informers spoke to the justices and the rest of the court , that it would be a dishonour to the king , and to his honourable justices of peace , that the appeals should be tried ; for if they were , it was as much as if the iustices had not done according to law , and if it should be brought in for the appellant , it would be a dishonour to them , or words to that effect . the council for the appellant , it is not any dishonour to the king , or his justices , but whether the informers acted according to law or no , that is the question ; and if any look upon themselves to be grieved contrary to law , they may be tried by a iury of twelve men , which the law doth allow ; and further , he desired the tryals might be in the informers name , and not in the name of the king , but it would not be granted . so when the justices had ordered the appeals should go on to tryal , a jury was impannelled and sworn , and the warrant of robert thoroton's conviction of the meeting at blythe such a day , betwixt the king of the one part , and iohn sayton and the other appellants on the other part , by which warrant the said iohn sayton was fined 20 l. for suffering a conventicle at his house ( as they said ) in the parish of blythe . so the witnesses were called and sworn . witness , i was there on that day , and there were several people met , but were all silent , and no words spoken amongst them but did not see iohn sayton there . council for the appellant , now in the first place , forasmuch as there was neither preaching , praying nor reading , as their own witness doth testifie , therefore it was no conventicle . 2dly , being they cannot prove he was there , therefore how can it be judged , that he did either wittingly or willingly consent to that meeting , if they could make it a conventicle , with much more to that purpose . informers council , now as to the first , although there was neither preaching , praying nor reading , yet it was evident enough that they met under a pretence of a religions exercise , & seeing there was more then five , & not of iohn sayton's family , therefore it must needs be a conventicle . and as to the 2d , seeing they cannot prove he was there , we must leave it to the consciences of the jury , whether he did willingly consent to that meeting , or no. so when the council had spoke on both sides , peniston whaley one of the justices , who sate in the chair , as judge of the court , stood up and spoke to the jury to this effect , and said , although there was no visible exercise that can be proved , yet the quakers say , they worship god in spirit and truth , and we know their manner is , to sit sighing and gr●aning , and such like dumb actions ; and did very much labour to insense the jury ( not like an impartial judge ) and told them , they must find it for the king ; and so the jury went forth in order to bring in a verdict . so another jury was impannelled , in order to a second tryal of iohn sayton's , he being sined 20 l. more for a meeting in the parish of blythe as aforesaid ; so the witnesses being sworn , their proceedings were much like the former , only one passage is to be taken notice of , concerning one thomas sharp an informer , who not long before did forswear himself before a justice of peace in the county , and evidence being ready in the court upon his oath to testifie the same , in order to invalidate hi● evidence , was called to know what he could say concerning sharp , but the informers council would not suffer him to speak to that matter , but instead thereof , asked the witness several ensnaring questions , and sharpe's testimony was taken . counsellor leake being for the appellant , asked the said thomas sharpe , vvhether he was to have part of the fine by the oath he had taken ? and he said , nay : he was then asked , vvhat he did at blythe that day , and what was his rusiness ▪ and he answered , to look after meetings . so this we leave to sober people , to judge whether he was concerned or nay , he being one of the informers . note also , that iohn sayton was above sixty miles from home the ●ame day that he was fined 20 l. as was made appear in open court by substantial evidence . so the jury went forth , and the first jury immediately came in with a verdict . then they were asked , if they were all agreed ? jury , and they said , yes . court , vvho shall speak for you ? jury , our fore-man . court , do you find it for the king or for the appellant ? jury , for the appellant . upon this verdict coming in , penistone vvhaley , one of the justices ( the rest of them being pretty moderate ) bid them go forth again ; but one of the jury-men stood up & said , they were agreed , and they had considered it very well ; whereupon he fell into a great rage , and flung off the bench , and said , you deserve all to be hanged , and said , they were as ill as highway-men , and cursed them , and further said , as if he hoped the king would take away iuries , for this way will not do . then lawyer athrop , the appellant's atturney , answered and said to the court , you know how iudges have been reproved for threatning iuries , and striving to force them contrary to their consciences , or words to this purpose . so the second jury came in , and was asked , if they were agreed ? they said , yes . court , do you find it for the king or the appellant ? jury , for the appellant . which verdict was to the great satisfaction of most people , who had heard or known of the informers cruelty and ungodly proceedings . upon the nineth day , being the next morning , the court sate , again , and proceeded in order to a tryal of vvilliam hudson's of little-greenley , near redford , for which he stood convicted by robert thoroton , and fined 20 l. and vvilliam hudson was called , and did appear , and was bidden to come up to the bar , but as he was coming up , one pulled off his hat , and penistone vvhaley seeing that , bid give the man his hat again , so vvilliam put it upon his head , and for so doing p. vvhaley fined him 5 l. and committed him to prison , and said , vve need no iury for that . note , that these two former juries were impannelled by the sheriff according to law , being all substantial men , without exception when they were sworn , and only intended to try the causes depending ; but the judicious care of the jury men not suting the humour of some of the justices in bringing in their verdicts the day before , must now all be turned off , and to work they go to impannel a new jury to answer their ends ; and one billige was called and placed the fore-man , which is or hath been bailiff to p. vvhaley , and one howett that is his clark , and others whom they pleased . so the jury being sworn , and the witnesses also , which were two informers , viz. thomas sharpe and obadiah anthony , and another poor man , which did say , vve saw many people met together about sixteen , but they were silent , without speaking any words ; but they could not say , they saw william hudson there . thomas sharpe was asked , if he knew william hudson ? and he said , yea , and that is he , pointing at one , of which several took notice of him , vvilliam hudson being then in prison [ a notorious forsworn informer . ] the appellant's council seeing their illegal proceedings in impannelling another jury , whom they pleased , and would not admit of any exception , nor have regard to law , would plead no more , but did forthwith rise up , and said , if this be your law , i have done , or words to that purpose . but the informers council made use of his silence and departure to their own unjust ends , & wronged him , saying to the jury , you are upon the matter of fact , and you see the case is so clear that their council hath nothing to say ; therefore you need not stand long about it , but bring it in for the king. so the jury went out , but notwithstanding their illegal choice of them , in hopes of a speedy and free verdict to answer their ends , yet it proved far otherwise , as will be manifest in the sequel . for after they had waited a long while , and the jury came not in , they sent a bailiff to know if they were agreed ? then he returned and said , they are not agreed , and they think they shall not agree . so when they had waited very long , and had done their other business , they sent again to them , that if they would have information in matter of law , they would inform them : so the bailiff brought them into the court , and penistone whaley said , are you agreed ? and billidge the foreman said , we are eight that would bring it in for the king , and there are four that will not agree thereto . penistone whaley , why , what four are these that will not agree ? one of them stood up and said , in the first place , i am not satisfied that william hudson did wittingly and willingly consent to the meeting at his house ; and 2dly , there being neither preaching nor praying , nor any visible exercise of religion , it cannot be a conventicle . the informers atturney said , that as concerning it being a conventicle , the quakers themselves did grant , and several of them that w●re at that meeting had paid their fine . note , this was false ; for none that were at that meeting had paid any fines ; but by virtue of robert thoroton's warrant the officers and informers had taken their goods , and because they did not put in their appeals , this is called a confession of the fact. and so they went out again , but could not agree , and about eight by the clock at night one of the four being weak , and ill of a cold , and wanting refreshment , something condiscended , partly through the threats of penistone whaley , threatning them , who said , if they could not agree , there they were likely to stay until they dy●d , and as one dyed they would chuse another , until they were all dead . so at last they delivered in a private verdict against the appellant , after the court was adjourned which t●e justices receiving , charged the jury to appear the next day at newark ; sessions in open court : so the next day the jury appearing at newark , some of them being dissatisfied with what was done , desired to know of the justices , if it was not lawful to go out again , that they might consider better of it , in regard they had agreed to a private verdict , because they were threatned to be kept without meat half a year , and believing the other part of the jury would have more liberty ? but the justices told them , it was not lawful to do it , but was a cheat to the king , and a dissembling with god almighty . but the appealant's atturney desiring to prove the lawfulness of it , was threatned to be bound to his good behaviour if he spoke anything before the verdict was delivered in open court. so at last they were forced again to condiscend , and the verdict was given in against the appealant , although it was contrary to their consciences , being forced thereunto , as some of them declared in open court , and to this day some of them remain dissatisfied . so the court being now sate at newark , and a jury impannelled in order for another tryal of william hudson , he being the appealant , the goaler gave william hudson leave to be there . the jury being now impannelled , pen. whaley gave his judgment , and said , although that there were no words proved as preaching , it must be found for the king , if you believe they were met to worship god ; for ( said he ) some worship one way , and some another , and the quakers worship is dumb worship . and robert thoroton ( another of the justices ) said , the quakers worship is with sighs and groans which cannot be uttered . whereupon one of the jury-men desired to be satisfied , for said he , it may be they met not to worship god , but were sa●e sighing and mourning for their abominations . robert thoroton replyed , that 's the quakers worship , the wickedest thing in the world. but said the man , i would gladly do equity . robert thoroton replyed , you have nothing to do with * equity . * how shall the oppressed come to have justice done them , when the court they appeal to told the jury , they have nothing to do with equity ! so they went out , and some of the jury being not satisfied concerning the meeting , being it was in silence , did think to have found it for the appealant , as they have confessed ; but presently they procured one obadiah anthony , an informer , who told them , that there was preaching , and they were kn●●led down upon their knees : so then they concluded against the appealant . this one of the jury-men confessed ; and the said obadiah anthony was seen with the jury by john sayton and samuel ell●z of newark , and francis hawoth , and many others , and one of the bailiffs standing by with a candle . so when the jury brought it against the appealant , then they gave william hudson his liberty . so complaint being made to the court , that the informer was allowed to be amongst the jury , which made thirteen ; their answer was , charge the bailist to look better to the next . also , when john sayton's appeal was tryed at newark , the foreman of the jury , william arnall by name of carcouson ( robert thorton's neighbour ) did much rail in the court against the people called quakers ; and one heard him say , i will serve the quakers turn this time ; we will be troubled with them no more . several that were called upon the jury they excepted against , and shewed no cause why , and would have none but such as were ready to answer their cruel ends. so the appealants seeing their illegal proceedings , and that wrong judgment proceeded from them that sate in the place of justice , notwithstanding all that was said or spoken , and although they cryed for justice , they could not be heard ; and if the appealants atturney ( having no man else to plead for them ) did speak any thing contrary to their wills , either by excepting against any of the jury ( which the law allows , if cause be shewed ) or any other thing that they did not affect , although lawful , he was threatned to the good behaviour , or some other opprobious terms ; so that now having got their desire upon the innocent , they went on without controle ; and the jury being levened by them , what appeals were afterwards tryed , were brought in against the appealants , who having now no other to appeal unto , but almighty god , did wholely commit themselves , with what they have , into his hands , being fully satisfied it is for his name 's sake they now suffer ; and whosoever so looseth either house or lands , or any other thing , shall in this life receive a reward , and in the world to come life everlasting . justice whaley said at newark sessions to the jury , that if they did believe that the quakers did meet to make marriages or turn pan-cakes , they might find it for the appealant ; but if to worship god , they might find it for the king. prisoners in the county of york , as followeth . joshua smith excommunicated for not taking the oath of a warden , pronounced by henry watkinson chancellor and a capiendo sued out by thomas holms procter , committed the 13th day of the 9th , moneth , 1673. where he still remains in the castle of york . christopher stockton committed to the castle of york , by william rayley knight , and francis driffield , both justices of the peace , in the north-riding of york shire ; their warrant grounded upon a statute of henry the 8th , bearing date , the third of the nineth moneth , 74. and by certificate from the judge of the consistory-court at york , henry watkinson certifying his excommunication , and this done at the suit of thomas flather priest of lestingham , for substraction of tythes . nicholas raw committed to prison by him called lord st. johns and others , by a significavit of his being excommunicated , at the suit of tobias west priest of grunton , their warrant bearing date the 7th of the 9th moneth , 74. christopher walkinton of hutham committed to prison upon a capias for nonpayment of steeple-house tax , and other contempts of the church so called , the 8th of the 11th moneth , 74. robert squire proctor . ioseph trevis of the parish of owthorne arrested by william marshal apparitor , with a capias sued out by robert squire procter , and committed the 20th of the 11th moneth , 1674. where he yet remains . peter simpson of the parish of hampsthwaite sued in the spiritual court , so called , at york by samuel sugde priest of the said parish , decreed excommunicate by henry watkinson judge of the court , and a capias sued out by thomas holms procter , attached by george haxby of hampsthwaite apparitor , and committed the 1st day of the 12th moneth , 74. william hudson sued in the spiritual court , so called , for nonpayment of steeple-house tax , by richard bolton warden , and at his own charge , attached by christopher morley apparitor by a capias , and committed the 8th day of the 11th moneth , 73. where he still remains at the city goal . matthew vvildman of celside , in the parish of horton in craven , and county of york husbandman sued in the same court by thomas vvilson of becrofthat , in the parish afore-said impropriator , for substraction of tythe , and for his contumacy in not appearing to citation , was decreed excommunicate by h. vv. chancellor , and a writ sued out by thomas holms procter , and attached by robert banks of giglesweek yeoman and appariter , and committed the 12th of the 3d moneth , 75. where he yet remains . thomas appleton of huttonrudsby yeoman presented in the bishop's court for not going to the steeple-house to hear divine-service , so called , and not receiving the sacrament , and for his contumacy in not appearing to the citation , was decreed excommunicate by henry vvatkinson judge of the consistory-court , and a capias sued forth by francis parker procter in that called the spiritual-court , and attached by william stockdel appariter , and committed to the castle of york the 7th day of the 5th moneth , 75. where he still is a prisoner . gervase key of the parish of kirkburton was sued in the afore-said court by ioseph brigs priest of kirkburton afore-said , in a cause of substraction of tythes , and because he could not give in his answer to his libel upon oath , was by the judge pronounced contumacious , and certified to iohn armitage and iohn key knights , and francis white , all justices , by warrant committed him the 8th of the 5th moneth , 75. edward geor of thornton , near pocklington husbandman was presented in the afore said court , and for not appearing to citation was excommunicated , and by a capias attached and committed ( though old and infirm ) the 15th day of the 5th moneth , 1675. richard carr of scamston , near new-malton husbandman was presented in the afore-said court for not receiving the sacrament , and going to hear divine service , so called , for which he was cited , and not appearing , pronoūced contumacious , and decreed excommunicate , and a capias sued out by arthur thornton register to the bishop , by which he was attached , and committed to prison the 21th day of the 6th mon. 75. edward evans of nunmoncton near york yeeman was presented in the bishop of chester's court , by the wardens , and cited to appear at richmond before thomas cradock official , and for not appearing decreed excommunicate , and a writ sued forth by thomas lee procter , and attched by iames hague and william syres senior bailiffs , by warrant dated the 9th of the 5th moneth , 75. and committed the 28th day of the 6th mon. 75. honora skipwith of skipwith widow presented in the bishop's court at york for not receiving the sacrament and going to hear divine service , so called , was thereupon decreed excommunicate , and a capias sued forth by arthur thornton the bishop's register , and attached by william saire and another , bailiffs , and committed to prison the 23d of the 7th mo. 75. john leightfoot of the parish of skipwith husbandman presented upon the same account , and decreed excommunicate and a capias sued out by the afore-said thornton , and taken by the same persons , and committed the 23d of the 7th moneth , 75. iohn green of leversedge yeoman in the parish of birstal , presented in the bishop's court at that time called easter , in the year 1674. by thomas taylor , robert walker , matthew smith , iohn mann and isaac brook for not going to the steeple ho use and receiving the sacrament , so called , and thereupon cited , and appearing to the citation was decreed excommunicate , and a writ sued forth by arthur thornton , and attached by christopher morley and william stockdale , and committed to york castle the 26th day of the 8th moneth , 1675. and dyed in prison . thomas mitton of the chapelrie of ripandin , in the parish of ealand husbandman , was presented in the court afore-said by samuel white , richard royd , iosiah siddel , iohn bothomley and ioseph hoyle , for not going to the steeple , house and receiving bread and wine , and thereupon cited , and not appearing to the citation was excommunicate , and a writ sued forth by arthur thornton ; he was committed to prison the 26th of the 8th mon. 1675. william keddy of hutham husbandman , presented in the afore-said court for not going to the steeple house & receiving the sacrament , so called , was excommunicated by henry watkinson judge , and a capias sued forth by robert squire procter , and committed to prison the 3d of the 11th moneth , 75. christopher wharlton presented in the bishop's court at york and for not appearing to citation decreed excommunicate , and a capias sued out by robert squir , procter the 3d of the 11th moneth , 75. william blossom of patrington cooper presented in the afore-said court and for not appearing to citation decreed excommunicate by henry watkinson judge of the court , and a capiar sued out by robert squire procter , and committed the 5th day of the 11th moneth , 75. thomas billany presented in the bishop's court afore-said , and for his not appearing to citation , decreed excommunicate by the judge afore said , and a capias sued out by robert squire procter , committed the 5th day of the 11th mon. 75. richard hancock presented in the afore said court , and not appearing to citation decreed excommunicate by the judge of the afore-said court , and a capias sued out by the aforesaid procter , and committed the 5th day of the 11th moneth , 75. samuel wright of nedlington gras-man in the parish of holden , sued in the bishop of chester's court by lanc. clark and john hewson parish clarks of holden , for their sallery , which at the first was voluntary ; their demand was 4d . and not appearing to the citation was decreed excommunicate by ioseph cradock knight official principal of that court , and a capias sued forth , and committed the 9th day of the 10th mo. 75. samuel pool of knottingley yeoman sued by one john bingley , on the behalf of the king and himself , for a debt of 40 l. which the said bingley saith , he owes to the king and himself ; and by a writ attached and committed to pontefract goal the 18th day of the 11th moneth , 1675. where he yet remains . thomas parkin of eloughton husbandman presented in the bishop's court at york , and for not appearing to citation decreed excommunicate , and a capias sued forth by thomas holms procter ; committed the 7th of the 12th moneth , 75. mary brockbanck of farndale near kirkby more-side in the county of york widow , aged near fourscore , was sued by thomas hardwick priest of kirkby-more-side for substractior of tythes , and attached by an exchequer writ , and committed , to york-castle the 29th of the 8th moneth , ●4 . where she yet is henry iarret presented for non payment of steeple-house tax , and not appearing to citation decreed excommunicate , and a capias sued out by robert squire procter , and committed the 28th day of the 12th moneth , 75. francis lund , thomas salkel , & thomas wilkinson , all of dent in the county of york , but of the di●cess of chester were sued in the court at richmond , by leonard burton priest of sedbergh for easter-reckonings , which according to their costom is but 1 d. 1 ob . per head , and for their not appearing to citation , were by the aforesaid cradock official decreed contumacious , and a capias sued out by iohn newton procter , and attached by robert banks appariter , and committed the 8th day of the 2d moneth , 1676. where they yet remain . william redshaw committed to the castle of york by henry go●drick justice of peace , at the request of henry watkinson judge of the spiritual court , for his pretended contumacy to the decrees of the said court , as saith the mittimus , committed the 15th day of the 5th moneth , 76. isab●l milner widow presented for her non-conformity , and for her not appearing to citation , decreed excommunicate , and a capias sued out by thomas holms procter , attached by william stockde ! appariter , and committed the 10th day of the 10th moneth , 76. joseph ▪ denton batchellor , near leeds , presented for his non-conformity , and for his not appearing to citation decreed excommunicate , and a capias sued out by tho. holms procter , attached by will. stockdel apparitor , committed the 17th of the 11th moneth , 1676. david nutbrown of holden linnen-weaver , presented in the bishop of chester's court , and a capias sued out by th. lee procter , and attached by william marshal apparitor , committed the 18th day of the 11th moneth , 76. john lukis of easingwod-house carpenter , presented in the bishop's court for his non conformity , and for not appearing to citation was decreed excommunicate , and a capias sued out by arthur thornton the bishop's register , and committed the 21th of the 10th moneth , 75. all these still continue prisoners in the county of york . dyed in york-castle since the 4th moneth , 1675. john brockbank , son to the before-named mary brockbank , and as servant to his mother , yet sued with her , and cast into prison ; he dyed the 8th of the 8th moneth , 75. richard long sued for tythes ; dyed the 25th of the 3d moneth , 76. william brockbank dyed about the middle of the 8th mon. 1675. john green for non-conformity dyed the 11th of the 5th moneth , 76. william doughty presented by an informer , one anthony atkinson a butcher in thorn , sued out a capias , and another writ for 20 l. a moneth , both at the informers suit ; he dyed the 5th of the 10th moneth , 76. devon-shire . robert welch of usculum sued for the non-payment of tythes to james holloway impropriator of the same parish , and in the 11th moneth last was by him cast into prison by a writ de excommunicato capiendo . note , and in the year 1674. this holloway sued robert welch for tythes , and though he was kept close prisoner for the same , yet that did not satisfie this persecutor's cruelty , but he caused as many pease to be taken out of robert's field as were worth 2 l. and not long after removed him to london by a habeas corpus , and at the affizes following got an execution out against him , and took away from the said r. welch six oxen , three cows and one horse , worth 42 l. the value of tythes claimed being but 7 l. and still detains him in prison besides . note , they returned two of the oxen again , so that what they kept was computed to be worth 34 l. on the 10th of the 9th moneth , 1676. for a fine of 7 l. 15 s. to belevyed on james taylor , for being at a silent meeting in burliscombe , there was taken of tenants goods on his ground twenty sheep and two cows , worth 16 l. by warrant from justice waldrond , justice bere and justice sainthill , edward hurley and nicholas dowdney constables , robert cross and nich. colman church-wardens , john sealey and tristram dune overseers , henry rew a constable and jo. may informers ; which goods were fold for about 8 l. 10 s. to one capron of sampford-peverel . also , by the same officers there was taken from clement colman , for being at the same meeting , the value of ten shillings . also , from gawen taylor , for being at the same silent meeting , the value of 10 s. by the officers of burliscomb , by warrant from the same justices , there is taken from george russel , for being at the same silent meeting , houshold goods to the value of 30 s. and many other warrants are out from the aforesaid justices , to distrain the goods of many other persons , for being at the aforesaid silent meeting . also . their meeting-house was by consent of the said justices seized upon , and kept from them by force . prisoners at exon in thomas's parish . james taylor , the same time they came for his goods for being at the silent meeting , as aforesaid , he was taken up on a common process , at the suit of justice bluet and richard peacock on the account of tythes , & sent to the sheriffs w●●d , where he is now a prisoner . joan pollixphen of kingsbridge , who hath been a prisoner three years the 15th of the 11th moneth last past . for the value , as is supposed , of about 4 or 5 s. in tythes , by samuel norcott a priest , she being first served with a subpoena by one christopher batten a bailiff , yet she not near him , but was in another county , and for not appearance came forth a process against her , and took her up , and cast her into the sheriffs ward , where she yet remaineth . elizabeth phillips by the same priest was sent to the same prison on the account of tythes , where she hath been a prisoner three years , and now the last week , at the turning of the ward she was freed . william wilcott and thomas burgin dyed in the sheriffs ward this year , both sent in on the bishop's account , for not going to the steeple-house . sufferers in bedford-shire , 1676. john barton of the parish of studham in the county of hartford taylor , being rated to a church levy , as they call it , 2 s. 2 d. it being demanded by nathaniel fisher warden of the parish , and for refusing to pay the said nath. fisher did sue out a writ of excommunicate capiendo , and did him self with a travailer which he imployed , arrest the said john barton in hartford-shire , and haled him by force into bedford-shire ; bridget hall , mary impi● and ann barton being eye-witnesses of the same ; and carryed him to bedford goal , where he hath remained prisoner one year and fifteen weeks , notwithstanding he hath a wife and six children . henry newman of seawell , in the parish of hauton-regi● in the county of bedford , husbandman , being rated to a church-levy , as they call it , 13 d. or thereabouts , and for refusing to pay it the wardens returned his name to william foster commisary , & was arrested with a writ of excommunication , and the 7th day of the 4th moneth , 1676. by edw. gr●●m an apparritor , and was carried to bedford goal , where he hath remained a prisoner ever since . thomas ballard of elstow , in the county of bedford , husbandman , being arrested by robert hawkins bailiff , at the suit of thomas hilersdon of elstow , in the said county , for not paying tythes , was had to prison , where he hath been a prisoner seventeen weeks . sufferers in cambridge-shire . taken from iohn prime of willbrom quond . upon the account of tythes , the 18th day of the 8th moneth , 1675. by thomas whithand priest of the same town , wheat , rye and barley to the value of 18 l. 7 s. 4 d. taken from philip taylor of cottenham , by warrant from thomas buck magistrate of westwick , for being at a meeting at the house of robert mittins at swa●sey , the 2d day of the 2d moneth ; and for being at another meeting at oakington , at the house of matthew beezley , the 14th day of the 3d moneth , by warrant from the above-said thomas buck , for a fine of 5 l. 10 s. three cows , to the value of 10 l 10 s. the informers were stephen perry of cambridge and thomas gilby of blunsom in huntington-shire ; the constables will. meadle , thomas smith and stephen fulston : these goods above-mentioned were distrained upon the 29th of the 7th moneth , 1676. taken from matthew beezley of oakington for a meeting at his house upon the 2d day of the 2d moneth , 1676. by warrant from thomas buck of westwick magistrate , for a fine of 9 l. three cows and one horse to the value of 11 l. 10 s. the goods were strained upon the 24th of the 5 th mon. by william crosbee and stephen linton constables , stephen perry informer of camb. thomas gilby of blunsom in huntington-shire . upon the 20th day of the 1st moneth , 1676. george taylor of chesterton was carryed to prison to cambridge castle by christopher wilson bailiff , by a writ de excommunicate capiendo , sued out by william linnet priest of the same town , and remains prisoner to this day for tythes . upon the 13th day of the 11th moneth , 1676. iohn wash tayler of castle-camp , was carryed to prison by iohn bargin bailiff , upon an attachment by priest holles of the same town , where he remains a prisoner to this day for tythes . upon the 19th of the 5th moneth , 1676. john prime of willbrome quond , was carryed to prison by iohn curbey bailiff , by an attachment at the suit of thomas whithand of the same town , priest , where he remains a prisoner to this day for tythes . upon the 2d day of the 6th moneth , 1676. gabriel walker of swofham bulback , was carryed to prison by abraham akerson bailiff , by a capias capiendo , at the suit of iohn sowersby , priest of the same town , for tythes . robert rull of rampton , a prisoner for small tythes . sufferers in norfolk the 22d day of the 10th moneth , 1676. william barber of gissing in the county of norfolk , prisoner upon a writ de excommunicato capiendo , at the suit of iohn gibbs priest of gissing , who was arrested the 17th day of the 7th moneth , 1674. for a small matter of tythes , who remains a close prisoner . iohn norris and henry peed of northwalsham , prisoners upon a writ of common-pleas , at the suit of him called esquire beacher impropriator , were committed to the castle of n●rwich the 15th day of the 3d moneth , called may , 1675. for tythes . also , they had a writ of excommunicate capiendo laid upon them the 19th day of the 4th moneth , called iune , 1675. at the suit of thomas clendon curate , in the name of henry gooch vicar of northwalsham , for small tythes and offerings , where they now remain prisoners . iohn hart and matthew bacon of northwalsham , prisoners upon a writ of excommunicato capiendo , arrested the 24th day of the 5th moneth , called iuly , 1675. at the suit of tho ▪ mas clend●n curate in the name of henry gooch vicar of northwalsham , for small tythes and offerings , and are there kept prisoners . francis gardiner of tivitshall in the county of norfolk , a prisoner by an attachment out of the exchequer , was arrested the 24th day of the 6th moneth , called august , 1675. at the suit of christopher burrel priest of tivitshall , for tythes , and brought to the castle of norwich , where he now remains a prisoner . bartholomew howling of shipdam in the county of norfolk , committed to the castle of norwich upon an assize process in the 6th moneth , called august , 1676. and three dayes after he was in custody there was brought i● upon him a writ of excommunicato capiendo , where he now remains . nich. phillips hath been a prisoner about nine years for tythes , at the suit of edward barnard priest of diss , and also a sessions process . matthew king , william king and stephen wicks , are prisoners for tythes , and have so continued fourteen or fifteen years , or more . francis dix of great-ellingham in the county of norfolk , was arrested about the 11th moneth , 1669. by a common pleas writ for tythes , at the suit of henry harman farmer to the impropriator , who lives at london , and brought to the castle at norwich , who notwithstanding his imprisonment , was sued to an out ▪ lawry by the said harman , and being stopt , he brought a tryal down to thetford assizes in the year 1676. and had trebble damages given him , which was 28 l. 16 s. for which there was taken from him by the bailiffs of the hundred , cattel and goods to the value of 40 l. mary satterthwait of pullam market in the county of norfolk , widdow , was sent to norwich castle the 20th day of the 3d moneth , 1676. at the suit of doctor starkey ( so called ) priest of the same town , upon a writ of excommunicato capiendo , who is since released . thomas mathewman of east deerham in norfolk , was arrested the 28th day of the 5th moneth , 1676. for tythes , at the suit of richard king the impropriator , and brought to the castle at norwich a prisoner , in which imprisonment he was brought to his death the 7th of the 9th moneth following , whose wife through tending of him and watching with him , it being a noisom place and cold season , shortly fell sick , and dyed the 17th of the 10th moneth following , whose blood cryes against the said rich. king impropriator . taken from samuel pyke of hingham in the county of norfolk , in the year 76. for tythe for the said year , by the servants of robert sippins priest there , of winter corn and summer corn to the value of 3 l. 10 s. sufferers in norwich . on the first of the moneth called march last , john shapen jun. for being at a peaceable meeting to wait upon god , in norwich , the 27th of the 12th moneth last , had taken from him , by one beak and iohn stone constables , by a warrant from iohn manser then mayor , john tennyson and charles tennyson informers , 5 pair of shoes called flyers and a cake of tallow . ditto john fedman , for being at the same meeting , had taken from him by william poole constable , goods worth 8s . 6d . iohn dilerance , for the same cause , had goods taken worth 10 s. for a fine of 5 s. by edward trull constable , vvilliam chessen overseer , and tho. leman church warden . ditto , anthony alexander , for being at the same meeting , was fined for himself , and the third part of 20 l. for the house , and had as many splightings or hides taken out of his fat 's as were worth 8 l. 17 s. note , erasmus cooper entring anthony's house , in a suddain surprizing manner , said to the man's wife , who was big with child , he came to seize all she had for the king. she said , that was hard , to seize all for 7 l. fine . he replyed , he would not leave her a bed to lie on . and he went to the shop door , and finding it locke , he fetcht a pickax , and broke it open , and he and the rest of his companions were so cruel and unneighbourly , that it caused tears to trickle down the cheeks of some of the neighbours , who be held them ; the names of his assistants are nic. becket constable , rob. clark warden . edward cullier overseer , edw. makins and richard pye. in the 3d moneth last , the same officers , accompanyed with two others ( viz. ) isaac wolfill and nath. po●der overseers , went into the yard of the said anth. alexander privately by the crick side in a boat with a warrant from i. manser mayor and francis bacon steward , for the third part of 20 l. being a fine imposed on him for the cause aforesaid , for which they took 7 dozen of calf-skins worth 8 l. 8 s. and commanded his man to assist them to pull the ware out of the fat 's , which he refusing to do , they gave him abusive words ; anthony said , it was unreasonable to require the man to assist in taking his master's goods from him ; rob. clark answered , they were their goods . robert hutchison , on the 4th of the 5th moneth last , for being at a meeting , had houshold-goods taken away to the value of about 7 s. by warrant from tho. checkering mayor , by rich. lusbrook and iohn allen constables , and iohn freeman warden , and christopher hastead overseer . samuel duncon , in the 5th moneth last , had taken from him for meeting to worship god , houshold goods and wares to the value of 42 l. 19 s. 5 d. by warrants signed by francis bacon and iohn manser mayor ; and john crow and gamaliel sugden wardens , tho. southgate jun. edw. mayhew overseers , vvilliam poole pretended constable , charles tennyson informer , tho. giddens carter , tho. woods , john brown and robert phebee helpers , together with the hang man. note , the aforesaid officers took possession of samuel duncon's house , and there kept night and day , from 7th day in the afternoon till 2d day in the afternoon , loading away his goods , as if they had been their own , & breaking up locks at their pleasure , keeping samuel's wife , who was big with child , as a prisoner in her own house the first night , not suffering her to speak with any so much as at the door , nor any to come to her till some of the magistrates being spoken to to abate it ( for ' shame and cry of the people ) ordered it . and the reader may take notice of the insolency and vileness of one of the aforesaid informers , who boastingly said , he would make the mayor wait upon him as often as he would at his pleasure : oh a sad age ! that such ungodly , vile , idle , prophane men should be encouraged thus to vaunt themselves against , or rather over the magistrates of this nation , whose sword in justice ought to be a terror unto them , they being evil-doers in the sight of the just god , who hates oppression , and in the sight of just men ; and it s to be lamented , that under officers are forced to proceed in making havock of their peaceable neighbours goods against their consciences , to satisfie those greedy informers ; as witness the aforesaid pool constable , when he went with the informer to the meeting in norwich the 16th of the 5th month , & hearing the truth declar'd , he cryed with tears in his eyes , vvhat shall i do ? i know the power of god is among you ; and told the informer , that if there were a curse hung over any people upon earth , it was over the informers ; and said to s. d. afterwards , that he confest he had sinned against his conscience in doing what he did . and note further , that since the taking of the said samuel duncon's goods , john tennyson , one of the said informers is laid up in prison upon an execution for debt ; and he hath confest , he never prosper'd since he took in hand that work ; and said , he knew not what to do ; and said , if he were at liberty , he would never meddle more . so people may see how badly his ill-gotten goods prosper with him . note , john crow would not suffer an account to be taken of the goods he & the rest of them took away of sam. duncon's , but when a man was taking an account , he scatched it from him , and put it in his pocket ; and the said crow finding sam. duncon's shop set open the second day in the morning , shut it up again himself ; thus acting like plunderers in time of vvar , which is a shame magistrates , that they should suffer such things in times of peace . since the other account , nich. becket constable , rob. clark and robert sellers wardens , nathanael ponder overseer , by warrant from tho. chickering mayor ( for a fine of 10 l. imposed upon anthony alexander for the meeting house ) did with the help of andrew cooper and william drayton , carry away from the said anthony 15 splitings , worth 9 l. 15 s. four horse-hides 1 l. 10 s. and 11 couple of wombs worth 14 s. 8 d. in all to the value of 11 l. 19 s. 8 d. sufferers in westmoreland . dorothy middleton of lupton , within the parish of kirbylonsdale and county of vvestmoreland , an ancient widow of the age of sixty four years , was sued in the bishop's court of chester , by henry hoyle priest of kirbylonsdale afore said , for easter reckonings demanded by him to the value of 3 s. by the year for three years ; and upon a writ of excommunicato capiendo , was for the same arrested , and carryed to prison at appleby in the said county , the 24th day of the 12th moneth , called february , in the year 1675. and hath there remained prisoners ever since , which is about eleven moneths . thomas moor of newbiging , in the afore-said parish of kirbylonsdale , was also sued in the same bishop's court , by the same henry hoyle priest aforesaid , for easter reckonings , demanded by him to the value of 1 s. 6 d. and upon an excommunicato capiendo writ was for the same arrested , and carried to prison to appleby aforesaid , upon the 29th day of the 12th moneth , called february , in the year 1675. and hath remained prisoner there ever since , which is about eleven moneths . note , although the afore-said henry hoyle priest is about four moneths since dead , yet nevertheless the aforesaid dorothy middleton and thomas moor are upon the same suit and by the same writ yet detained prisoners in the goal of appleby afore-said . thomas gamm of camsgil , within the parish of burton and county aforesaid , was sued in the bishop's court of chester by john ormred priest of burton , for easter reckonings and midsummer-dues ( so called ) by him demanded to the value of about 6 s. by the year for two years , & upon an excommuni●ato capiendo writ was arrested , and carryed to prison at kendal in the said county the 27th day of the 11th moneth in the year 1674. where he remained about three moneths ; and being but about four miles from his own house , his wife and children , and friends had the conveniency often to visit him ; but there with this priest ormrod was so vexed and troubled , being filled with envy and cruelty , that he prevailed with the under sheriff , one allan prickatt , to remove him to the common goal at appleby , being about sixteen miles from his own house , where he hath remained prisoner these two years . sufferers in the county of berks , the 27th of the 11th moneth , 1676. robert pain of sunning , and john pain of the same , arrested for tythe at the suit of samuel christopher priest of sunning above-said , and carryed to reading goal the 13th of the 4th moneth , 1674. where they remain still prisoners . william dobson of brightwell arrested for tythe at the suit of ralph vvhistler , and carryed to reading goal the beginning of the seventh moneth , 1675. and remains still a prisoner . thomas davie , george ball , richard nash , thomas pretty , thomas draper , william ward , john vvyron , all of new-vvindsore , arrested by vvalter condry under goaler the 13th day of the 11th moneth , 1675. by a writ of excommunicate capiendo , for not going to the steeple house , and not paying to the repair of it , and not receiving the sacrament , being rated as followeth , viz. thomas davie , 3 s. geroge ball , 2 s. 3 d. richard , nash 4 d. thomas pretty , 3 d. thomas draper , 2 s. 7 d. vvilliam vvard , 4 d. iohn vvyson , 3 s. 4 d. all carryed to reading goal , and remain still prisoners . taken from samuel burgis of brimton , for 4 l. 18 s. 4 d. demanded for tythe by thomas vvorral priest , a mare worth ten pounds , the 26th day of the 3d moneth , 1676. by richard smith bailiff . sufferers in lanca-shire . upon the 14th of the 11th moneth , 1675. iohn backhouse , robert hubbersty and francis fleeming , all of them of y●lland , within the county of lancaster husbandmen ; and vvilliam waithman and james waithman both of lyndeth within the said county husbandmen , and all five within the parish of warton , were served with a writ out of the exchequer , at the suit of hugh phillips of london farmer of the tythes of the rectory of warton afore-said , under the deacon of worcester ) by gawen hewtson , samuel fisher , robert watson and hugh read bailiffs , who required their bond for appearance , but they being not free to give bond , were returned to the common goal at lancaster , where they remain prisoners yet ; witnesses to the truth of this are , john smith , john hubbersty , edward rawlinson and william huginson . roger hairsnep of aughton husbandman was sued in the bishop of chester's court for tythe , by alexander bagerly priest of aughton , and for not appearing according to the order of the court , was apprehended upon contempt , by order from john entwistle of ormskirk and william holme of keirsley justices , and carried to lancaster goal the 17th day of the 7th moneth , 1675. where he remains prisoner this 10th of the 11th mon. 1676. upon the 15th day of the 7th mon. roger haydock of coppel within the parish of standish husbandman , was sued by ralph briddock bishop of chichester for tythes , and by warrant from roger bradshaw called justice , and nicholas penington mayor of wiggan , committed to the common goal at lancaster , where he remains prisoner , the said bishop having writ to the goaler , as also to the judge of the assizes , called francis north , who strictly charged the goaler , he should not let the said roger haddock , nor any of the quakers have liberty , so that not only the said roger haddock , but several other brethren were debarred of liberty through the instigation of the bishop . upon the 6th day of the 3d mon. 1675. heskin fell of coppel was at the suit of ralph briddock bishop of chichester , for easter reckonings , upon his denyal to take an oath called juramentum militia , apprehended by warrant under the hands and seals of roger bradshaw called justice , and nicholas penington mayor of wiggan , and committed to the common goal at lancaster , where he remains prisoner . upon the 13th of the 9th mon. 1676. robert walker of boulk woolen weaver was apprehended and imprisoned at the fuit of edward garthforth priest of lancaster , by a significavit from the court of richmond , for small tythes , where he now remains a prisoner , for his testimony against that priesthood that takes tythes . sufferers for meeting to worship god. upon the 14th day of the last 12th moneth thomas tomlinson of crossmore had taken from him for a fine of 5 s. for himself being at freckleton , and 6 l. 13 s. 4 d. for the pretended poverty of another , three beasts worth 11 l. 10 s. by ma● kerkham constable of freckleton , george nickson warden , and some other officers , who after they had drove the beasts about 2 miles , sold them one to the other for 8 l. 10 s. this was by warrant from edward riggby of preston , called a justice , a great persecutor , who threatned , he would root out the quakers out of the hundred wherein he dwelt , and said , all the laws as yet made against the quakers were too short , he would have a law that they should be tied and dragged , either at a horse or cart tayl , and that he would be one of the first that would move for it in parliament . henry tomlinson of crossmore white-smith , by the same vvarrant , for being at the same meeting , had distrained from him goods worth above 5 l. 10 s. by the same officers , the priest of kirkham being informer . iohn townson of racliffe , by vvarrant from the afore said edward riggby and another justice , had two cows taken from him worth 5 l. 10 s. for being at the same meeting , by iohn bernard constable of racliffe , henry carter overseer of the poer , thomas hankinson and others , officers . alexander salsbury of leagram , the 19th day of the 9th moneth 1676. for being at a peaceable meeting of the lord's people at thomas garner's , alexander powel , called a justice , granted a vvarrant to make distress of his goods for a fine of 20 l. being informed against by adam knowel and iohn burton informers , and that he was teaching or preaching at the said meeting . whereupon the officers , viz. nicholas walbank constable , and hugh dobson overseer of the poor , took from him . four oxen worth 17 l. 10 s. and another time the same officers took from him seven beasts worth 21 l. 10 s. and the 20th of the 10th moneth the same officers took from the said alexander salsbury four cows worth 21 l. vvitnesses hereof , william vvalbanck , richard birlow , iames hamber . charles lee of clitheroe labourer , had taken from him ( for a meeting at his house the 1st day of the 8th moneth , 76. ) four horses , with load-saddles , collars , wanties and overlaies , worth 14 l. one cow and a calf , worth 5 l. 6 s. 8d . one yearling heifer and three calves , worth 7 l. 5 s. the constables names that took them were iohn dugdale and edmund rogerson , edmund robinson apothecary church-warden , iohn page husbandman overfeer of the poor . an account of such as are imprisoned for the truth 's sake in huntington-goal the 6th of the 12 mo. 1676. thomas ashton of brampton in the county of huntington , was attached the first of the 2d moneth , 1675. for the non-payment of tythe [ that grand oppression ] at the suit of william swepson impropriator , and was had to huntington goal , where he still remains prisoner . it is supposed the value of what he is charged with by the said impropriator is about 50 s. or 3 l. for lamb and wool some years past . vvilliam newberry of the said town of brampton , in the county of huntington , was attached at the fuit of the said william swepson impropriator , and was had to prison about the 27th day of the 7th moneth , 1675. where he still remains prisoner for the value of 4 s. 4 d. per a●n . for some years past . note , both of them above-mentioned were imprisoned for contempt , for not answering the bill exhibited against them ; and their corn and hay have been forcibly taken away in this the time of their imprisonment . robert spalton of chatterice in the isle of ely , was arrested at the suit of william strong ( priest of the said town of chatterice ) about the 1st of the 2d moneth , 1675. for small tythes , and being arrested in the county of huntington was had to huntington goal , where he remains prisoner to this day . iohn beadles ( within the liberty of ramsey and county of huntington ) was arrested the 20th day of the 7th moneth , 76. at the suit of silvester titus ) ( commonly called colonel titus ) lord of the mannor of ramsey and impropriator ( for tythe supposed not to be above 25 s. according to the usual rate ) and was had to huntington goal , where he remains a prisoner to this day . george clapham of brampton , in the said county of huntington , was had to prison upon a bishop's writ for not appearing at the court , & non payment of tythes , by ol. pocklington priest . nathaniel nicholl of wool●y in the said county of huntington , was carried to prison the same time for contempt of the court , i● not appearing ( by the same writ ) and for not going to the steeple-house , they were both had to huntington goal the 7th of the 12th moneth , 76. where they continue . and there are several other bishop's writs out against several more in this county , but not as yet executed , &c. at a meeting of the people of the lord , at the house of amy peacock of erith , in the county of huntington , upon the 23d of the 2d moneth , called april , 1676. a person being there that was moved by god's eternal powe● to preach the everlasting gospel , with wholsome exhortations to the fear of the lord , there came into the same meeting these informers , viz. stephen perry of cambridge , thomas gilbie of bluntsham , and john pott● of somersham , who having been a long season in an ale-house , came into the said meeting like mad-men threatning and pulling people , not regarding either age or sex to the hurt of some women there present , and being demanded of a friend ( jasper robins by name ) what authority they had for their so doing ? they replied , they had a commission from the king to break up the meeting . the aforesaid jasper speaking to the constables , that came with the informers , to keep the peace , and if any of them had a warrant from any justice , friends would obey ; and the said informers pretended they had one , but it appeared they had not , but came in their own wills , in that violent drunken spirit : so they going away in a rage , especially against the aforesaid iasper , because he desired the constables to set them in the stocks for their drunken behaviour ; and some weeks after went to one iohn tryce of godmanchester ( a justice ) and made a complaint that the aforesaid iasper had spoke certain evil words against the king ( yet ) invented only in their own evil hearts , and then also informed of the said meeting , so that the said iasper robins and others were fined , and he the said iasper bound to answer their complaint at the next quarter-sessions ; and he knowing his own innocency therein , and that the constables and others were present when they pretended he spake these words , offered his traverse to the court , which upon the third quarter-sessions was obtained , and the matter being heard , their wickedness was manifested , and the jury gave in their verdict , that the said iasper was not guilty . tobias hardmeat of fenstanton for the same meeting for himself , and the pretended poverty of the preacher , was fined 10 l. thomas parnel of ripton-regis for the same meeting , for himself and the pretended poverty of the preacher , was fined 10 l. benjamin thornley of erith for the same meeting was fined 5 s. goods taken away worth 5 s. edward christenwheat of the same , fined 5 s. goods taken worth 5 s. thomas cook of the same , fined 5 s. good taken worth 5 s. richard basse of erith for the same fined 5 s. goods taken worth 4 s. the officers that distrained were thomas bull , richard ferilis constables , thomas skeiles overseer . william prior of somersham ( being a young man , and newly come out of his apprentiship , and very poor as to the outward , insomuch that he had very little but his wearing clothes ) was fined for the said meeting 5 s. for which william wingrave , edward ratford constables , iohn goule senior , stephen darwood vardens , thomas smith and vvilliam bonnum overseers officers of the said town manifested their cruelty in taking away his clothes , and leaving him nothing of his mean apparel , but one hose , he being in bed , insomuch as he was necessitated to borrow clothes to cover his nakedness till he had wrought for more : his clothes taken were valued at 10 s. william bavin of bluntsham for the same meeting fined 5 s three swine taken from him to the value of 34 s. at a meeting at erith the 3d of the 10th moneth , called december , 76. friends were kept out of their meeting house by the constables and officers of the said town , and by men they had appointed for that work that day ; and friends standing in the street , about the middle of the meeting came stephen perrey of cambridge , and thomas gilbie of blunisham , two of the aforesaid informers , who although they stand guilty of perjury in the sight of god and good men , yet upon information upon oath to nicholas iohnson a justice ( so called ) that there was a meeting in the gate-house of amy peacock of erith aforesaid , though in truth no persons were in the gate-house , but their own family , yet the said nicholas iohnson being one by whom they are ( and have been ) encouraged , issued out his warrants upon the oaths of these insufficient witnesses , viz. these two informers . whereby one thomas cooke of erith that had but one cow left him , had her taken away , by warrant from the abovesaid nicholas iohnson : and the said thomas cook knowing the said witness had sworn falsly against him , went with an appeal to the said justice iohnson his place of residence at somersham in the said county of huntington , but he having sold his habitation is sometimes a sojourner at cambridge , sometimes at a publick house at somersham aforesaid , so no appeal could be had , and the said thomas cook making his appeal to the bench at the next quarter sessions , his paper of appeal was taken , but no answer was given to it , but he lyeth under the said suffering without redress . samuel nottingham of ramsey for the said meeting , for himself was fined 10 s. & for the pretended poverty of amy peacock owner of the gate-house , wherein they falsly swore the meeting was , was fined 4 l. 10 s. for which fines , by warrant from the said nicholas iohnson , lawrence farmer alias beard , henry adray constables , william boeth and iohn evans vvardens , robert burrowes , william hanes and james sharp overseers of the poor for the said town of ramsey , for the fines of 5 l. took away four cows , worth 10 l. or more , notwithstanding he told them that it was a false thing by which he was prosecuted , or to that purpose , and further , that he was kept out of amy peacock's gate-house expressed in their warrant , by constables and officers , and that the informers were forsworn , and the street was the place in which the meeting was kept that day ; and on the 19th of the 10th mon 76. being the next day after they had distrained , he went with one of the constables to the said nich. johnson , where he was at an alehouse in somersham upon that occasion , and one of the informers ( viz. thomas gilbie ) with him , waiting for their prey ; and the said samuel told the said justice how foully and falsly they had proceeded against him , and that the informers were forsworn , and the informer being then present could hardly deny the truth of what he said ; but the said nicholas being forward and ready in the execution of that work , the said samuel telling him , he was by a rail in erith town street , betwixt which and the gate house above mention'd there is a broad passage for people to go along , then said the said nicholas johnson , being ( as is said before ) willing to keep up the informer for unjust gainto them both i ( said he ) dare swear you were in the gate-house : & it is probable the said nicholas was seven or eight miles distant at that time , and therefore very unable to swear any such thing . and upon the testimony of the aforesaid false witnesses many other warrants are issued forth from the said nicholas johnson , for levying fines for the said meeting , and the constables and officers pressed upon by him to make service thereof , but they at present forbear , as being sensible of the false witness given in by those wicked informers abovesaid . sufferers in surrey . ambrose rigg was committed to prison from the sessions at croyden by stephen harvy , the judge there , the eleventh day of the eleventh moneth ; 1676. because for conscience sake he could not pay 11 s. 6 d. for fees. william bowman ; henry franklin , joan stringer widow and rebecca almond , were taken from their dwellings by iohn fisher bailiff , and committed to prison , and from thence carryed to the sessions held at croyden the day and year above said , because for conscience sake they could not pay 3 s. apiece , imposed upon them there by stephen harvy judge , for three first dayes absence from the steeple-house , and were committed close prisoners in the m●●shalses , where they remain to this day . richard stubbs committed the same time for the same thing , who remains a close prisoner to this day . thomas seaman was committed to prison upon a writ of capias about the middle of the 6th moneth , 1676. being presented by the wardens of the parish of sheer , because he could not go to hear thomas duncomb priest there , where he still remains to this day . thomas woods and john woods were committed to prison upon a writ of capias about the middle of the 7th moneth , in the year afore-said , being presented by john chandler and john tuersly wardens of the parish of wittly in surrey , because for conscience sake they could not pay to the repair of the steeple house . stephen smith and richard baker were committed to prison at the suit of gabriel offley priest of vvorplesdon , because they could not pay him tythes , about the 20th of the 9th moneth , 1676. all these were committed to the marshalses prison in the burrough of southwark , where they remain this day , being the 25th of the 11th moneth , 1676. lincoln county . upon the 24th day of the 1st moneth , 1675. allice bunby widow of potter-hanworth , for suffering a meeting of the people of god called quakers , was ( by a warrant under the hand of christopher nevill of harmston , in the county aforesaid ( called knight ) fined 20 l. and had four oxen , one horse and one mare taken from her , with yoaks and teams , as they were going to plow , and ( she being but a friendly woman ) was forced to pay the 20 l. the names of the constables were thomas hutchinson and will. almond , thomas breston and thomas sumpter called church-wardens , john makender and will. almond informers , who informed the justices , that they heard a young man speak lord and christ , or such like words . edward bunbed , for the same meeting , had a mare taken from him ( by the constables , church-wardens and overseers of the poor of hanworth aforesaid ) worth 5 l. sold at 4 l. and returned back again 30s . for a 4 l. fine . nicholas johnson of hanworth aforesaid , had for a 4 l. fine four cows taken from him worth 9 l. and were sold for 4 l. and had 30s . returned ; both these were taken by the same officers that took the widow bunby's cattle . lincoln city . abraham morrice of the city of lincoln , mercer , being at the said meeting , had a fine imposed upon him by the said justice of 10 l. for the speaker unknown , and 5s . for himself , which the said christopher nevill certified to joseph ledington then mayor of lincoln , who forthwith issued his warrant to benjamin harinson constable , vvilliam hodghkinson church-warden , and robert coppy collector , who upon the first day of the second moneth , 1676 , came into abraham morrice 's shop , and took as many pieces of stuff as cost him 19 l 7s . 8d . upon which the said abraham entred his appeal , which was tryed at sleford sessions the 4th day of the said moneth , but no justice could be had ; for some of the tenants and the constables of auber and harmston were put upon the jury , which two towns at times chr. nevil doth dwell in , who put one john coddington ( who many years had been his hired servant , and now his tenant ) the fore man of the jury ; there was but one informer at the sessions , which nevill perceiving did not answer his desire , came off the bench , and took his oath , the information which he there shewed upon the bench was true ; upon which the jury gave it against the appellant ; but since that time , the said iohn coddington fore-man coming from newark , fell from his horse , and dyed in a day or two after . witness nicholas mitchel and william morrice . prisoners in lincoln goal . james dixon of crowle imprisoned by a writ de excommunicatio capiendo , bearing date the 13th day of the moneth , called iuly , 1674. for not appearing at the bishop's court at lincoln . thomas everat alias everard and robert berryer of crowl , both imprisoned for the same cause by the same writ , bearing the same date . william edlington of crosland imprisoned for the same cause , the 3d of the moneth called april , 1674. katherine cliffe imprisoned by an attachment out of the court of exchequer , bearing date the 21th day of the moneth called february , 1675. iohn baldock of wainfleet imprisoned by a writ of excom . capiend . for not paying to the repair of the steeple-house , the 20th day of december , 1675. henry wilson committed to prison for non-payment of tythes to perrigry moor priest , by a warrant dated the 21th of the moneth called march , 1672. thomas wresle imprisoned upon an attachment out of the exchequer for non-payment of tythes , the attachment dated the 3d of the 6th moneth , called august , 1674. robert reeder imprisoned for non payment of tythes at the suit of robert bernard , the warrant dated the 15th day of the 2d moneth , called april , 1674. thomas brown imprisoned by an attachment out of the exchequer for not paying tythes , the attachment dated the 29th of the 3d moneth , called may , 1676. sufferers in cumberland , the 5th of the 12th moneth , 1676. thomas rewly of halicliff hall , of the age of seventy eight years and upwards , imprisoned by an attachment out of the exchequer for non-appearance at the suit of arthur savage of caldbeck priest , for tythe wool , lamb , white book , and some prescription ; for his ground payeth no tythe in kind : the said thomas sustained seven years and four moneths imprisonment , at the suit of the said priest , for the same pretended tythe above-mentioned ; and when the said thomas was at liberty , the said priest sued him for the prescription-money , as healledgeth , 3 l. and caused the bailiff ( robert priestman ) to distrain his feather-bed , that he and his wife lay on , with all clothes thereunto belonging , and a cupboard , worth 5 l. and when the bailiff could not get these things sold , he sued the bailiff , and forced him to pay the money and costs . the said thomas was committed to prison this secind time the 21th of the 9th moneth , 1674. and hath continued more then two years , having had no real nor personal estate in his hand this five years . george bewly , eldest son of the said thomas bewly , by vertue of an attachment and proclamation out of the court of exchequer , at the suit of the said priest for tythes , wool , lamb , white book , presciption-money , only for the tenement , late his said father's , not being tythe in kind of corn nor hay , he hath been prisoner two years , and yet remains . john striket of branthwhait , vvilliam scot of greenrigg and isabel peacock of whelpoe widow , having six fatherless chridren , all prisoners by attachments out of the exchequer for non-payment of tythes of wool , lamb , white-book and prescription ; for none of them are liable to pay tythe-corn or hay ; and were committed to goal the 23d of the 9th moneth , 1676. and yet remain . thomas bewly the younger son of thomas bewly aforesaid , ( alice nicholson of woodhall , having six fatherless children her husband being kept in prison by the said priest for non-payment of tythe till he dyed in goal ) by an attachment out of the exchequer , for not putting their answer in upon oath , being sued for non-payment of tythes of wool , lamb , white book and prescription , the said priest taking the tythe corn upon their ground yearly , were committed to goal the 20th of the 11th moneth , 1676. and yet remain . grace stalker of whalpey in caldbeck by an attachment out of chancery , at the suit of iohn munkhouse of the same town and parish , was apprehended the 30th of the 3d moneth , 1676. for not putting in her answer in the said court upon oath , was committed to goal the day and year above said and yet remains . sufferers in cumberland in the year 1676. for meeting together to worship god. iohn howe 's of new-town for having a meeting at his house the 22th day of the 1st moneth , was fined 20 l. and and had three steers and two cows taken from him worth 16 l. distrained by richard graham constable , and others . thomas stordy of moorehouse fined 9 l. 5 s. for being at the said meeting , for which they took from him two oxen and one cow worth 10 l. 10 s. distrained by robert watson of thurstonfield , robert hodgson of dikesfield and iohn hutton of brough constables . robert huntington of bowstedhill fined 7 l. for the speaker and 10 s. for himself and his vvife being present at the said meeting , for which he had three heifers taken from him worth 6 l. 10 s. christopher whitlock for being at the same meeting , had taken from him a cow worth 40 s. by the constables of orton parish iohn iveson of iarriston fined for being at the same meeting 7 l. 5 s. and had a mare and 2 cows taken from him worth 8 l. all the aforesaid distresses were by vvarrant from william musgrave of carlisle , called a justice . christopher taylor of hetherside , for having a meeting at his house was fined 20 l. by the said william musgrave , and the 22th day of the 3d moneth , 1676. gilbert atkinson informer , alexander porter , george story , richard hethrington and vvalter key took from the said christopher five beasts worth 14 l. iohn iackson of angerton for himself and his brother being at a meeting fined 2 l , for which the same officers , by the same justice's vvarrant , took one mare from him worth 1 l. 6 s. sufferers for meeting at pardsay-cragg and at cleater in the the year 1676. by vvarrant from richard patrickson of calder-abbey , called a iustice , george richardson of st. bees and others informers . iohn steel of graythwait had two cows taken from him worth six pounds ( the 31th of the 3d moneth , 1676. ) by richard allason of bramby and iohn fletcher of hill in blinboshett constables . luke steele the same day had taken from him for the same cause one ke●tle worth 12 s. the 11th day of the 5th moneth , 1676. richard allason constable and george richardson informer took from iohn steel aforesaid , two more cows worth 8 l. iames bragg and the said geo. richardson informer took from iohn nelson of hightrees one cow worth 3 l. 10 s. for meeting . the same day and year , the same persons , for the same cause , took from iohn dickenson of hightrees one cow worth 3 l. 10 s. john jackson of felldyke for the same cause the same time had taken from him two kettles worth 14 s. michael williamson of gillgaran had taken from him by william peile and joseph dixon constables of distington for the same cause , one cow worth 1 l. 10 s. william carter of crissfield , the 13th of the 5th moneth , 1676. for the same cause , had taken from him one mare worth 1 l. 5 s. middlesex . richard ashfield and abraham bonefield , both of staines , are prisoners in newgate upon a writ of excommunicato capiendo for not paying a parish rate . sufferers in hamp-shire . nicholas ede of froyle , sued by richard farrer priest of the said place for petty tythes in the exchequer , and carryed to winchester goal the 19th day of the 11th moneth , 1674 , where he yet remains a prisoner . iohn bishop of gatcomb in the isle of weight , arrested at the suit of iohn woodnutt priest , because for conscience sake he could not pay him tythes , he was committed to the serjeants ward in newport the seventeenth day of the seventh moneth , 1675. where he still remains a prisoner , kept in very close . worcester-shire . alice booker of wickamford imprisoned in the county-goal by a writ of excommunicato capiendo , at the suit of william white and richard clark wardens , for not paying to the repair of the steeple-house , 1676. newcastle . the 26th and 27th of the 11th moneth , 1676. the wardens and officers of gateside , by warrant from sr. francis anderson , so called , justice of the peace in the county of durham , made distress of the goods of richard stockton , and took away to the value of six pounds ten shillings , for being at a meeting in gateside the 27th of the 11th moneth aforesaid . by warrant from the same justice the same officers took away from christopher bickers goods to the value of 13 l. the warrant was grounded upon the act made in the year 1670. wilt-shire . william moxham cited to the bishop's court at sarum for not paying small tythes and offerings to priest gunn , who , when he appeared , because he did not put off his hat , they called him coxcomb , and told him , he was bewitched , and bid him come again next court-day ; and when he came again , because for conscience sake he could not swear to his answer to their libel , they proceeded to excommunication , and thereupon he is since committed to the county goal in fisherton , where he still remains a prisoner , this 15th day of the 12th moneth , 1676. oxford-shire . a relation of the unchristian-like dealing of justice gregory of cooksome with his poor neighbour & tenant rich. holliman of the same place , miller . the said richard holliman and his wife being lately convinced of the truth , robert cripps the priest and the justice their landlord were greatly in rage against them , and the priest meeting with them accidentally in a neighbour's house , after some words past , told them , he would provide . a task for them , the poor woman said , i pray thee , let it not be pharaoh's task but shortly after ju. gregory sent his warrant for r. holliman to come before him , and when he came , the justice was very vvrathful against him that he was turned a quaker , and said , it was the confoundedst religion of all , and threatned to turn him out of his mill , and askt him ; whether he was at church last sunday ▪ he reply'd , no : then the justice said , he must pay 1 s. and soon after sent the officers with a warrant to distrain , who took away a pewter-platter worth 3 s. and so proceeded several times , till he took away goods to the value of 24 s. a small sum in value , yet it was more then the poor man was worth if his debts were all paid , he having a wise and six children , most of them small : and this cruel justice was not satisfied to cause this poor man's goods to be so taken away , but he turned him out of the mill , which he and his friends had lived in many years ; and this was done near the winter , a hard time for a man to be put to shift with such a family , when he knew not what course to take to subsist , nor hardly where to put their heads for shelter , and for no other cause but for being a quaker . north-wales . the late severe and illegal proceedings against the people called quakers , for conscience sake , in merionidd-shire . cadwallader thomas , rowland ellis , lewys robert , hugh robert , evan rees , edward rees , griffith john , gainor david , elizabeth williams ; these nine being taken prisoners upon an indictment for not resorting to their parish churches , so called , were all at the assizes held for the said county in the town of bala , upon the 11th day of the 6th moneth last past , brought to the bar to answer their indictments , kemick eyton and thomas wallcott judges , and upon their refusal of the oaths of allegiance and supremacy , then tendred unto them ( and as we conceive unjustifiable , the prisoners being but private persons , and the j●dges declaring no special commission , they had , to warrant and authorize the same ) the said judges delivered in open court , that in case the prisoners would refuse the oaths the second time , they should be proceeded against as traytors , the men to be hanged and quartered , and the women to be burned . and upon the 1st day of the 7th moneth , their circuit then returning , they offered to them the oaths again ▪ and upon their not taking of the same in form , though they solemnly acknowledged all g●ance to the king as 〈◊〉 magistrate , were remanded to close imprisonment , and were strictly kept as fellons or traytors , though without rule of court or commitment upon them for eleven weeks time from the sessions , and in the last great frost were kept from the benefit of a fire-place or fire , which the goaler had granted them , had not one maurice jones , who is the priest of the parish of dolgelle ( where the county-prison is ) and generally known to be a very sottish parson , threatned to complain of him to the judges . edward rees , one of the prisoners , being above sixty years of age , and as was generally concluded , being not of strength to bear so great a cold , patiently resigned up his life to the hands of our righteous judge , dying about the height of the frost , the 17th day of the 10th moneth , commonly called december . one of the women , being a wife , and big with child , was very weak and sick lately , and the rest not likely to be otherwise , if the prisoners be so continued , unless some speedy course be taken for their relief . further sufferings . griffith robert and hugh rees were by the vexatious prosecution of the before named priest , maurice jones of dolgelle imprisoned upon a writ de excom . capiend . the 30th day of the 3d mon. 1676. where they continue prisoners ; the last of them for not paying a mortuary , where he was no further concerned then by his tenderness and compassion , in supervising and taking care of the orphans of the deceased parent . robert richard , a poor labourer , of the parish of bettus in the said county , upon the instigation of owen edwards , the priest of the place , and complaint , was committed lately to the county goal for twelve dayes absence from the steeple-house , by william salisbury , one of the justices of the peace for the said county . the same priest vexatiously troubled the master of the said labourer a little while before . mountgomery-shire . an account of the sufferings of the people called quakers , upon the late act against conventicles , by the prosecution of one david maurice of pen-y-bont , who was principal informer and sole justice of the peace therein concerned , his clerk and servants the drivers . upon the 7th day of the 1st moneth , in the latter-end of the year 1674. the said david maurice of pen-y-bont in denbigh shire , but in the commission of peace for this county , came with some 14 or 15 persons , most if not all of them armed , to a house called cleddian cechion , within the corporation of pool , which hath proper justices of its own , where a small number of our friends were peaceably met with the doors open and all silent , he requiring us to depart , thomas lloyd requested of the before named justice a quarter of an hours time before our being dispersed , which he readily granting , and with his followers sate amongst us , the before-mentioned thomas lloyd uttered a few words , by way of defining the true religion , and what the true worship was , all which the said david maurice approved of , as sound , and according to the doctrine of the church of england , yet notwithstanding he fined him the said thomas lloyd in ●0 l. for preaching , though he was no magistrate of the corporation , ( neither certified he the conviction at the next quarter-sessions of the peace , for the borough , according to the statute , where the supposed offence was committed , but at the quarter-sessions for the county , to whom the cognizance did not properly belong ) and upon this conviction caused to be driven , upon the 16th of the 4th moneth , 1675. from the said thomas lloyd 4 cows and a mare , all worth about 16 l. by two of his servants , one of them being his clark , and a third his tenant , and no officer of the corporation , nor of the parish , nor of that allotment of the hundred in place with them ; which drivers were lurking near the ground some two hours before day , and drive the cattle before sun-rise , and were brought out of the county into his own demense , one of the cows he returned till required . the same day about the dawning thereof , the said drivers , by a varrant from the beforenamed david maurice of pen-y-bont brake rudely through neighbours fields , to the ground of thomas lewys of cloddian cochion , within the said borough of pool , with no officer , neither of the corporation , parish , nor of that division of the hundred , and drive from him six cows , two oxen , and two heifers ; alledging for his offence , that the before mentioned thomas lewys suffered a meeting to be at his house , that very day the before-named david maurice was there himself , who not only allowed of the time , but approved what was spoken there ; though the right of the house and the use thereof lay properly in the mother , who was a widow ; and this meeting chanced to be in her quarenteni , viz. her forty dayes . and further , the said david maurice took by his clerk , without a warrant , two horses , one of them being charles lloyd's , and the other thomas lewys's , though they were at that time out of the county , where the supposed offence was committed . charles lloyd of dolobran had ten young beasts taken from him the 18th of the 3d mon. 1675. by john jones of keel over cer of the poor of the parish of myvod , john morgans petty constable , william samuel servant to the church-warden upon a warrant from the said david maurice , the only informer , & busie justice upon this mercenary act , in our borders , for preaching at cloddiau cochion , within the liberties of pool , the 14th day of the 1st moneth last past , though the said charles lloyd was not at the place that day , nor of many dayes before or after at a meeting , as many can testifie . david jones of branyarth for being a hearer at the two aforesaid meetings at cloddiau cochion , and though distrained of a brass-pan for his proper fines , had four cows and two oxen drive from him by a warrant from the said david maurice of pen-y-bont , for the pretended inability of others convicted ; the two oxen and one of the cows were since returned . thomas hamond of the parish of mountgomery was committed to the county-goal about seven moneths ago , by a warrant from matthew morgans and one — stedman two justices of the peace for the county of mountgomery , upon the statute of the 27th hen. 8. c. 20. in a suit of tythes , in the bishop's court of hereford , upon the prose●●●ion of edward herbert baron of cherbury and roger jones priest of the parishes of berrine and mountgomery , which prisoner notwithstanding several applications to them and their agents made , without any redress , deceased the 28th day of the last ●●th moneth , called january , leaving his widow and four daughters destitute of a tender husband , and a careful father , by this hard usage ; the was denyed liberty of once visiting his family since his confinement . the sum upon which he was molested , was inconsiderable . prisoners in shrop-shire . owen roberts of sallop baker , and ann his wife , and thomas oliver of condover black-smith committed to prison the 11th day of the moneth called january , 1675. by a writ of excommunicato capiendo , for not appearing at the bishop's court. ☞ note , there have dyed prisoners , in several goals in england and vvales , since the king came into england , who suffered for good c●●science sake , above two hundred persons of the aforesaid people , by reason of their close confinement . and they cryed with a loud voice , saying , how long , o lord , holy and true , dost not thou judge and avenge our , blood on them that dwell on the earth ? revelat. 6. 10. the end . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a54212-e240 note , also contrary to the statute 13 car. 2. 12. note , 2 or 3 of these cows taken from r. d were returned again . note , most of the justices at nottingham sessions carryed things moderately , except p. whaley ; but at newark robert thoroton and penistone whaley , and the rest that sats on the bench , were bent against the innocent , as with one accord . john blatt and john hatcher were brought to sessions by richard bonnick bailiff . the memorable and tragical history, of the persecution in africke: vnder gensericke and hunricke, arrian kinges of the vandals. written in latin by the blessed bishop victor of vtica, who personallie (as also s. augustine the famous doctor) endured his part thereof. with a briefe accomplishment of the same history, out of best authors: togither vvith the life and acts of the holy bishop fulgentius, and his conflicts vvith the same nation historia persecutionum, quas in aphrica olim circa d. augustini tempora, christiani perpessi sub censerycho et hunerycho vandalorum regibus. english victor, saint, bishop of vita, d. ca. 505. 1605 approx. 233 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 91 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a14395 stc 24714 estc s119124 99854331 99854331 19747 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a14395) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 19747) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1475-1640 ; 944:5) the memorable and tragical history, of the persecution in africke: vnder gensericke and hunricke, arrian kinges of the vandals. written in latin by the blessed bishop victor of vtica, who personallie (as also s. augustine the famous doctor) endured his part thereof. with a briefe accomplishment of the same history, out of best authors: togither vvith the life and acts of the holy bishop fulgentius, and his conflicts vvith the same nation historia persecutionum, quas in aphrica olim circa d. augustini tempora, christiani perpessi sub censerycho et hunerycho vandalorum regibus. english victor, saint, bishop of vita, d. ca. 505. buckland, ralph, 1564-1611. 212, [12] p. printed with licence [by the english secret press], [england] : 1605. victor of vtica = saint victor, bishop of vita. a translation of: historia persecutionum, quas in aphrica olim circa d. augustini tempora, christiani perpessi sub censerycho et hunerycho vandalorum regibus. translator's dedication signed: r.y.s.m.l.a.d., i.e. ralph buckland. identification of printer from stc. includes indexes. reproduction of the original in the henry e. huntington library and art gallery. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fulgentius, -saint, bishop of ruspa, 468-533. persecution -history -early church, ca. 30-600 -early works to 1800. christians -africa -early works to 1800. vandals -early works to 1800. 2006-05 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-05 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-05 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2007-05 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the memorable , and tragical history , of the persecvtion in africke : vnder gensericke and hvnricke , arrian kinges of the vandals . written in latin by the blessed bishop victor of vtica , who personallie ( as also s. avgvstine the famous doctor ) endured his part thereof . with a briefe accomplishment of the same history , out of best authors : togither vvith the life and acts of the holy bishop fulgentius , and his conflicts vvith the same nation . nothing newe vnder the sunne . eccles . 1. the spirit and the spouse say , come , and vvho heareth let him say , come . apoc. 22. printed with licence . 1605. in the margent p. s. importeth the edition of paris by sonnius . in the margent p. f. importeth the edition of paris by fremy . anno. 1569. in the margent b. importeth the edition of basil . anno. 1541. to the vertvovs , and devovtly affected , his deare mother : perseverance in the paths of godlines . there want not ( deare mother ) vvho vvith their newe gifts , wil impart to you the hopes of an happy yeare : vveary i no lesse then your selfe , of nouelties , present you rather with a jewell of no lesse antiquity , then price : which long hath vnworthely layen hid , when most of all stood the vertue thereof in request . stale it is not , neither doth the age thereof diminish the estimation , but enhaunce it : quality of writers and authors being now at that passe , that by proportion of antiquity their value commeth to be rated . no otherwise then as in pretious stones and gold is commonly accustomed , the first whereof the more families they haue enriched and beautified , lesse are held in suspect ; the later , howe much farther yeares it pretendeth in the stampe , fayrer currence it commonly findeth in the exchaunge , countenance being deriued from the continuance . meruaile not if to you a woman , i translate a diuine ; to one nothing curious in controuersies , send a father of the primitiue church . no author this aboue your reach ; no high discourse of difficile questions : but being deliuerer of a playne history , fuller of excellent examples , and pithy motions to perfection , then of subtle points or intricate matters ; i judged nothing more worthy on which you might employ your vacant houres , or i my time and trauaile . great plenty of things deseruing mature cōsideration herein you haue : peruse them , vse them , print them in your minde ; and what you admire in others , apply to your selfe . r. y. s. m. l. a. d. the preface of the translator . by that which i found in my selfe , when i hapned to reade this tragicall history , and by well peysing the substance of this author , it was not hard for me to perceiue , that if he spake english , he might worke meruails in soules . to instruct the vnderstanding , to moue the will , to illuminate the hart , to enkindle the minde , to remoue the mists of ignorance from mens wits , to enflame the right beleeuing soule vnto zeale , i sawe matter more then sufficient . let me deserue the blazon of a lyar , if reading this discourse , the attentiue and impartiall vmpeere admire not , to see howe like euermore thornes are to thornes ; and grapes vnto grapes ; wheat vnto wheat ; & chaffe vnto chaffe ; sheepe vnto sheepe ; both children of darkenes & of light to their forefathers . if therein the weake in faith finde not assurance of gods assistance ; the tempted , discreete meanes of resistance ; the sound consolation incredible ; the corrupted their soules touched to the quicke . if herein be not many notable singularities of historicall antiquity , and so many passages of points ecclesiasticall , that the faith and face of the vniuersall church of christ , at those dayes may most liuely thereby be described ; the beliefe , rites , ordinances , and gouerment thereof : euen at those dayes , when the three famous and chiefest doctors , hierome , ambrose , and augustine , had immediately before together flourished . argument and forme of the persecution , was no other , then this which followeth . after the vandals had as an vncatar acted torrent , or mercylesse inundation , ouerrunne france and spayne , they passed into africa , wrested the same from the roman empire , there established the seate of their kingdome , and iealous of their newe conquered dominion , deemed nothing more secure then as the mediterrane sea did by vast and boysterous waters seuer them from the empire : so by dissonant & irreconciliable opinions , to deuide the peoples harts from all society with the same , to alienate them from the communion in beliefe with greece & italy . whervnto , when the arrian heresie ( which had already infected the vandals , and in africke had long since canker-wise crept into many harts ) seemed most proper ; gensericke their king by terrour of lawes gaue countenance to the same , & enterprised the vtter extirpation of the faith . not in deede vrging in expresse tearmes to deny christ our lord to be equall to his father , or to confesse any point of arrianisme against their conscience ( for it had beene too palpable abhomination euen to the simplest senses ) but only importuning for conformity sake , to suffer themselues to be sprinckled with water of the arrians handes , vnder certayne forme of wordes different from the catholike manner , and at least-wise to forsake the accustomed sacrifice of the church , and resort to their pretended prayers . for recusancy of which sacrilegious impieties , such thinges endured the godly of those times , as haue scant beene heard of : whose calamities make the subiect of this booke . but no wisdome is there against the wil of the highest , nor counsaile against his determination , nor preuc̄tion against his prouidence , nor machination against his might ; who first by horrible famin and mortality eased for a season the yoke of his afflicted , and finally after foure-score and tenne yeares , subduing the vandals by the hand of the valorous belisarius , reunited the prouince both to the roman empire and communion of the true faith : full is the history ecclesiasticall ; full are eusebius , sozomen , and theodoret , of the persecutions raysed by iewes and infidels , against the smoothly deliuered as might be required : the law of a translator abridging my liberty . for had i not in this case chosen rather to be seene religious i●sister , then ●ond licētiate paraphrast , more could i haue beautified and graced my labour , to the reader perhaps , but not to myselfe , who hold precise truth to be the very beauty as of history , so of translation . neither becōmeth it me to excuse the harshnesse of the african names , which pliny aduertiseth scarcely able to be committed to letters . in the edition of basil , two bookes of the three are by chapters diuided , but so vnfittingly to the context of the matter , that a dimme iudgement may apparantly discerne , that neither victor , nor yet any man of learning was deuiser of such disorderly order , and confused distinction . the whole haue i digested into chapters also , but in a more proper and conuenient sort : as combination of the seuerall matters best disposed . at places of marke , or else of speciall difficulty , by the authors wordes inserted in the margent , shall the iudicious reader be vnpreiudiced of his owne sense . the care of whose commodity might haue further extended my preamble to so important an author ; but that litle said sooner findeth pardon , then doth prolixity . ( * ⁎ * ) the first booke . chapter . i. the horrible cruelty of the vandals , vpon their first arriuall in africke . the sixtith yeare ( as is apparant ) hath nowe his course , since the cruel and sauage nation of vandals set foote into the boundes of africke , crossing ouer with easie passage at the strait , where betweene spayne and africke , this great and large sea presseth it selfe into the narrowe distance of twelue miles . their whole power then passing ouer , by policie of ⸬ gensericke the captaine , it was forthwith ( for greater terrour of their name ) ordered , that the whole multitude should be nūbred , as many as their mothers wombe had vntill then brought forth , amounting old and young , seruants and masters , to fourescore thousand . which number being doubtfully published , is euen at this day thought to be so great of men of armes , whereas the number of such is now but small and weake . finding therefore a peaceable and quiet prouince , their wicked troupes did on all coasts set vpon the flourishingst part of the land : who wasted , destroyed , and with fire and sword consumed euery thing , not sparing so much as the shrubbes and bushes which bare any fruit , least those , whome peraduenture dennes in the mountaines , steepe cliffes of the earth , or other bard places did hide in secret , might ( being fled away ) sustaine themselues with such forrage . thus while with cruelty they raged , no place remayned free from their vexation . in churches especially and ⸬ temples of the saints , in church-yardes and monasteries more villanous was their furie , & with greater flames they burnt downe houses of prayer , then they did cities and townes . where by happe they founde the gates of gods honourable palace shutte , with strokes of their ⸬ maces they forciblie made entrie : so that it might rightly at that time be said . as if they had beene in a woode of trees , so hewed they downe with axes the gates thereof : in the axe and hatchet they threwe it downe . thy sanctuary in earth they burned with fire ; they contaminated the tabernacle of thy name . howe many excellent bishoppes , and ⸬ noble priests were by diuers kindes of paines made away , being tortured to deliuer vp what gold or siluer soeuer they had , either of their owne , or appertayning to the church . and that all which was extant might through constraint of paine be vttered , they vrged the offerers afresh with torments , pretending part only , not the whole to haue beene deliuered . the more also that any man rendred , more they thought he reserued . mouthes of some they opened with poles and barres , thrusting in stinking mire and dirt to extort confession of mony . some they tormented with wresting their foreheads & legges with sinewes , ⸬ vntill they twanged with stretching . to very many ( as if they had beene pitched or rozend vessels ) they vnmercifully powred in at their mouthes sea-water , vinegre , dregges of oyle , grease , with many other matters of torment . neyther weakenesse of sex , nor respect of gentrie , nor reuerence of priesthood mitigated their fierce mindes . nay , there did their fury most abounde , where appeared any dignity or worthinesse . howe many priests , and how many notable personages they charged with mighty loades , as if they had beene cammelles , or other beasts of burden , able i am not to declare : nor yet those whome with gaddes of iron they hastened forward : some of which pittifully vnder burdens yealded their ghost . aged grauity , and reuerend gray haires , adorning the head like woole , found no priuiledge of mercy : guiltlesse infancie felt their barbarous rage , which dashed them against the ground , violently pulling the little ones from their mothers brests : others wide stretching their tender legges , tore them a-sunder from the fundament . captiue sion might then sing in her gates . the enemy hath resolued to fire my territories , to slay my infants , and that he will dash my babes against the ground . in some edifices of the greater buildings and houses , where fire could lesse serue their malice , demolishing the roofes & walles , they left their beauty equal to the earth . so that now the auncient statelines of the cities , which was in time past , no more is to be seene , then if it had neuer beene : yea most townes haue few or no inhabitants . for euen at this day what so may be found remayning , ⸬ are eftsoones laid wast & desolate : as they vtterly haue in carthage ruinated the theatres , the temple memory , with the passage surnamed ⸬ celestis . and to speake of those thinges which touch vs nearest , the chiefe church where lie entombed the bodies of the holy martirs perpetua and felicitas , that other of celerina , of the scillitans , & the rest of the churches vnsubuerted , ⸬ they by licentious tiranny enslaued vnto the seruice of their owne religiō . but where any munitions were , whereunto their laberous furie could not by assault attayne , innumerable multitudes being brought togither round about such castles , with deadly weapons they slue them , to the intent that by stench of putrifying carcasses , they might extinguish , whome , kept off by walles they could not approch . ( afterwardes king of italy ) who out of it paid him alwayes tribute , as to the lord thereof , retayning neuerthelesse a portion vnto himselfe . besides this he speedely charged his vandals , that they should vtterly chase away naked the bishops , and the laytie also of the better sort , from their churches and mansions . which was accordingly in most of them performed : many , aswell bishops as lay-men of marke , and honourable persons , to be slaues vnto vandals , we our selues haue knowne . chap. iiii. howe the bishop and clergie were handled at carthage . after this commaunded he ⸬ quoduult-deus bishop of the said city carthage ( a man well knowne to god and the world ) and with him a very great company of the clergie , naked and spoyled to be thrust into wether-broken ships , and so banished : whome god of his mercyfull goodnesse vouchsafed by prosperous nauigation to bring to the city of naples in campane . senators and men of worship he first quayled by cruell confining from their mansion places , and afterward expelled them beyond the sea. nowe then the bishop being ( as hath beene declared ) thrust out with his ⸬ reuerend clergie , forth-vvith deliuered he vp to his owne religion , the church called restituta , at vvhich the bishops customably made their abode : the rest also vvhich vvere vvithin the vvalles , he tooke away , together vvith the goodes vnto them belonging , and of those without the walles , he seazed as many as he would ; especially vpon two very fayre and large of the holy martyr cyprian ; the one where he shedde his bloud , the other where his body vvas buried ; vvhich place is called ⸬ sheepe-cotes . but vvho is he that can vvithout teares call to minde , howe he gaue commaundement , that the bodies of our dead should not ( but in silence and without solemnity of hymnes ) be brought to the graue ? whereunto he also added , that the clergie remayning should be punished with ⸬ exile . while these thinges vvere doing , the ⸬ principall priestes and notable persons of those prouinces , which with to be brought : which sebastian taking in his hand , spake thus . this loafe that it might come to this finenesse and whitenesse , as to be counted fitte for the kinges boorde , was first boulted from the base gurgeons and branne , then , of a heape of flower was moystened with liquor , and so passed water and fire , comming thereby to be both faire to sight , and pleasant to taste : * euen so haue i also already beene grownd in the ⸬ mill of our catholike mother , purged as cleane flower , and tryed with the siue , sprinckled with the water of baptisme , and baked vvith the fire of the holy ghost : and as this bread out of the ouen ; so haue i by the diuine sacraments ( god being the workeman ) issued pure and cleane out of the celestiall font. but may it please you to performe that which i nowe propose ; let this loafe bee broken in peeces , steeped in vvater , moulded againe , and then put into the ouen , thence if it come out better then it already is , i vvill doe as you exhorte . which proposition when gensericke with all them in presence had heard , he was so intangled , that he could finde no solution , and therefore afterwardes slewe that warlicke personage , by another sort of argument . chap. vi. the church sore oppressed : bishops banished . to returne from whence i digressed : sauage commaundements raysed vp daylie terrour , so that compassed in midst of the vandals , we had not any leasure to take breath : neyther might place of prayer or ⸬ sacrifising , be any where obtayned by our complaints , so that the prophefie was then manifestly fulfilled . nowe is there neyther prince , prophet , nor captaine : nor place to sacrifice vnto thy name . euery day wanted not injuries , euen to those priestes , who were in such regions , as payde contribution to the pallace . * if any man in his exhortations to the people , named by chaunce ( as the manner is ) pharao , nabuchodonosor , holofernes ; or any such like , it vvas layde to his charge , that this he had mentioned in derogation of the kinges person , and banishment was his immediate rewarde . neuerthelesse as this persecution was in some place openly practised ; so in an other quarter was it more * couertly put in vre , that by such deceipt sooner might the name of the godly be extinguished . many priests we knewe at that season for this cause exiled ; as vrban bishop of girben , crescens metrapolitan of the aquitan city , vvho had vnder him six-score bishops suffragans , habet-deum of theudeles , eustrace of suffecta , and two more of tripoly , one of vicissibrata , and cresconius of ⸬ een : foelix also bishop of adrument , for that he had * receiued one iohn a monke from the other side the sea , with diuers others also , whome it were ouer long to recite : during whose exile , neuerthelesse it was not permitted to enstall others in their cities . amidst those troubles stood the people of god fast in their beliefe , and like bees labouring their hiues , and combes , encreased and grewe strong by the ⸬ sweet tentrels of faith . in so much that the scripture was accomplished . the more they were afflicted , the more they multiplyed , and preuailed exceeding much . chap. vii . of deo-gratias and thomas , bishops of carthage . it came to passe in processe of time , that to the city carthage , after so long discontinuance & desolation , was at request of valentinian the emperor , ordayned a bishop , who had to name deo-gratias . the actions of whome & what god wrought by him , who so should endeauour particularly to set downe , the day would faile him before he had deliuered any just part thereof . being created bishop , it fell out ( our sinnes so deseruing ) that gensericke in the fiftenth yeare of his raigne , tooke the most noble and famous city rome , carrying away with him the treasure of many princes , together with the people . after the arriuall of which captiue multitude at the african shore , the vandals and moores sharing them ( as the fashion of the barbarians is ) husbandes were separated from their wiues , children from their parents . forth-vvith this notable prelate full of gods spirit , caused all the golden and siluer vessels belonging to diuine seruice , to be sold for their redemption from barbarous litle dying , seeme nowe to be onely three ; if at least-wise there be so many : vincent the ⸬ vigitane bishop , paul the ⸬ sitmaritane ( a paul indeede no lesse in desert , then name ) and one quintian , who flying the persecution liueth nowe a forraigner in adessa a city of macedon . chap. viii . the notable constancy of maturian and maxima , as well in vowed chastity , as in profession of faith ; and what followed thereof . wee find in that season many martyrdomes , but of confessors a great multitude : some of whome i vvill endeauour to recite . one of those vandals whome they cal ⸬ coronels of thousands , had to his slaues ⸬ maturian and saturian , and two of their brethren : and with them was fellowe seruant , a notable handmaide of christ named maxima , both in body and force beautiful . maturian being an armourer , and doing seruice very agreable to his lord , and maxima gouerning the houshold , it entred into the vandals imagination to joyne them in marriage , thinking by wedlocke to establish their loyalty towardes him . maturian ( as worldly yong men are vvont ) affected the marriage : maxima already ⸬ consecrated to god , rejected the spousals of men . when the time came that they should goe to the solitary chamber of their secrets , and that maturian ( ignorant vvhat god had decreed of him ) was desirous to be bold with her , as with his wife , the seruant of christ with quicke voyce answered him ⸬ to christ ( o brother maturian ) i haue dedicated my body , neither can i be partaker of humane * marriage , seing i haue already a heauenly and true spouse ; but this counsaile i giue thee . it is in thee if thou wilt so bring the matter to passe , that thou thy selfe maist also delight to become his seruant , whose spouse thou seest i haue chosen to be . so well framed this motion through our lord gods appointment , that giuing eare to the virgin , he aduāced the gaine of his soule in his yong yeares . to the vandals eares came not the contract of this ⸬ spirituall secret , vntill maturian nowe mortified & changed , perswaded his brethren likewise , that as his true brothers they would partake of the treasure , which he had found . he thus ⸬ conuerted with his three brethren , they altogether , with the mayde in their company , issuing priuily forth , were associated into the tabracene monastery , which the noble pastor andrewe then gouerned . and she not farre from thence liued in a monastery of ⸬ virgins . this could not be hidden from the barbarian , who by diligent search and many rewardes , made enquiry after them . finding out therefore , ⸬ no more his slaues , but christs , with fetters & torments , he vexed the seruants of god : dealing with them , not onely that they should vse carnall knowledge ; but ( which is worse ) that with filth of rebaptisation they should defile the beauty of their faith . king gensericke , to whose eares this matter at last came , gaue charge that they should be so long tortured , vntil they consented & yealded to his will. he commāds strong trunchiōs knotted like a saw , and ⸬ as bigge as one could gripe , to be addressed with their clubbed ends : which not only brake their bones , dashing against their backes , but pearced inward also with their sharpe prickes , and fetching streames of bloud , by renting the flesh discouered the bowels . neuerthelesse in the day following were they alwayes made whole , in so much that often ( & for a long space ) no signes of their hurts appeared , which by gods holy goodnes were euermore cured . this passed , and maxima remayning vnder fore imprisonment , was streatched out vpon an vnmerciful ⸬ payre of stocks , whome as the seruants of god visited with great resort , before them all the strong timbred engine & huge peeces of wood , became rotten , and fell asunder . this miracle both is famous by the report of them all , & the party to whome the prison appertayned , affirmed to me with an oath that it was true . but when the vandal neglected to acknowledge her vertue , gods anger beganne to worke reuenge in his house . he himselfe with his children dyed , and the best also of his cattle perished . the lady remayning a widowe , destitute of sonnes and substance , offered as a present the seruants of christ to ⸬ sersaon the kings cosen ; who hauing receiued them very thankfully , an euill spirit began presently by occasion of the saints , in sondry wise to vexe his children and family . what happened the king had word by his kinsman , and decreed thereupon that they should be sent into banishment to ⸬ capsur a heathen king of the moores . as for christs handmaide maxima , he of his owne motion , as one confounded and ouercome , dismissed her : who yet liueth mother to a multitude of ⸬ gods virgins ; and is one whome i knowe well . they were conuayed & deliuered vp to the said king of the moores , inhabiting in the desert called caprapict , where the disciples of christ , beholding amongst the gentils diuers prophane sortes of sacrifices , beganne by admonition and example also , to inuite the barbarous nation vnto knowledge of our god. by which meanes they gayned to christ a huge multitude of the rude gentils , amongst whome the name & fame of christian religion had neuer before beene blazed , nor spred by any man. then bethought they howe best the vnmanured & barren soile , might by preaching be cultured , and prepared to receiue the seede of the gospell , and subsequently be watered with holy baptisme . sent are messengers through the wide journies of the wildernesse , and ariuing at length at * rome , make petition that some priest & with him ⸬ deacons , might be sent vnto a people imbracing the faith . which suite ⸬ gods high bishop with no small joy accomplished . erected is a church ; baptized are wonderfull great numbers of the barbarians , and of those which vvere wolues , encreaseth a plentifull flocke of lambes . relation whereof when capsur had made to gensericke ; swelling with enuie , he willed the seruants of god to be drawne by the feet at chariots tailes in ful course , so to end their liues amongst thickets and thornes , and that the bodies of those innocents haled forwardes & backwardes , should be torne with sharpe prickles of the bushes and brambles : being in such wise boūd , that they might view each others end . who as they thus tyed beheld one another , the wild horses being in race , and the moores lamēting at the sight , euery of them at the point of the swift flight thus tooke his farewell . o brother pray for me , god hath fulfilled our desire : o this is the way to the kingdome of heauen . in such wise praysing and singing , and the angels rejoycing at the sight , their soules departed ; where euen vntill this day our lord iesus christ leaueth not to worke great * miracles . b. faustin bishop of ⸬ burtinita protested to me once , that in his presence a blinde woman there receiued her sight . they entered at the very houre , when the diuine sacrament was in distributing to the people , and with extreame fury ⸬ scattered on the pauement the body and bloud of christ , prophaning the same vnder their beastly * feete . chap. x. the glorious profession of armogas , his miraculous tombe . the happie constancie of masculas . at this time gensericke by the setting on of his bishops , gaue commandement that none but arrians should beare office in his , or his childrens court. they came amongst others , to our ⸬ armogas , whose legges when they had often and long strayned vvith bigge stringes , and with nipping and twanging sinewes had as yet rather wrinkled only , then furrowed his forehead , wherein * christ had fixed the standard of his crosse : the saint looking vp to heauen , the strings and sinewes brast in sunder like spiders twist . when the torturers sawe the sinewie thongs burst , they brought againe and againe stronger cordes , yea ⸬ horse-ropes ; all which came to nothing at his only calling vpon the name of god. hanging also by one foote with his head downeward , he seemed to all men as if he slept vpon a feather-bed . when theodoricke his lord , and sonne to the king ( torments not preuayling ) would haue commaunded him to be beheaded , he was stayed by his priest iocundus , telling him : you were better make him away by sondry vexations . for if you kil him with the sword , the romans will beginne to publish him a martyr . theodoricke hereupon condemned him into the prouince of bizagena , there to digge pittes : afterward ( as it were to greater despite ) he willed that he should be a cow-heard hard by carthage , where hee might be seene of all men . at which time hauing reuelation from our lord , that his houre of rest approched , he called vnto him one foelix a worshippefull christian , steward of the kings sonnes house , and which reuerenced armogastes as an apostle , and said vnto him : the time of my dissoluing is at hand , i desire you by the faith which both of vs embrace , that you will bury me vnder this elme tree , which if you doe not , you shall render account thereof to god : not that he cared where or howe his body should be buried , but that it might be manifest what christ had reueiled to his seruant . foelix answered : farre be that from me , venerable confessor : nay , i will bury you in a church with that triumph and honour that you deserue . blessed armogastes replyed , not so ; but you shall doe as i haue said . he loath to contristrate the man of god , promised indeede to fulfill that which he requested . vvithin very fewe dayes , the performer of so good a confession of faith , dyed . foelix hastened to prepare the designed graue vnder the tree ; and because the knotty rootes intangled vvith the drie earth , bredde delay ; least the holy body should be buried vvith the latest , cutting the rootes quite away , and digging much more deepe , they beheld a ready coffin of very glistring marble , such as perhaps fewe or no kinges haue enjoyed . but neither am i to pretermitte one ⸬ masculas ⸬ master of the reuels ; whome diuersly shot at , to depriue him of the catholike faith , the king himselfe at last with glosing wordes inuited , promising to heape vpon him riches , if to his will he lent an easie eare . when for all this he remayned constant and vnconquered in faith , the king vvilled that he should vnder-goe the sentence of death ; yet craftely gaue secreat instructions , that if at the exigent he dreaded the stroke of the brandishing glaiue , so much the rather he should dye , not thereby being rendred a glorious martyr : if contrarywise he vvere found constant in his confession , the sworde should be stayed . but he ( christ giuing him solid foundation ) became an vnmoueable pillar , and retourned a glorious confessor . though the enuious enemy vvould not make him martyr : yet could he not violate the dignity of a confessor . chap. xi . the magnanimious resolution of saturus . we knew an other at the same time by name saturus , vvho being a bright member of the church of christ , many times ⸬ with catholike liberty reproued the impiety of the arrians : & steward he was of hunricks house . conspired it was through the instigation of ⸬ mauridan a deacon , whome vngratious hunricke singularly respected , that saturus should be made an arrian . honoures with much riches are proffered in case he cōsent , dire torments are prepared if he refuse , this option being set before him , that vnlesse he obeyed the kinges commaundement at the first discussion , presently forfeyting house and substance , his slaues and children should be sold , and his wife before his eyes , be deliuered vp in wedlocke to a camel-driuer . he on the other side full of gods spirit , preuenting in a sort their wickednesse , doubted not to exasperate their fury so farre . whereupon his ⸬ vvise without her husbandes priuity , secretly besought respite , and obtayned it at their handes , who had in charge the putting of this rigorous sentence in execution . then went she a second eue vnto her husband , being before hand ⸬ taught her lesson , and aduertised what to say : yet found she not him an adam , that would dare to touch the illecebrous aples of the forbidden tree . for ⸬ not indigent , but satured was he called , saturate with the plenty of the house of god , and one that had drunke at his delicious streame . to the place where her husband al solitary was at his prayers , came this woman ; her garments rent , her hayre about her eares , accompanied with her children , and a litle sucking infant in her handes ; whome casting at her husbands feete , and with all her armes about his knees , she hissed forth this serpentine voyce . haue compassion ( o my sweetest ) of me thy poore wife , and no lesse of thy owne selfe ; haue compassion of these children common to vs both . here behold them before thine eyes . let them not be subject to seruile condition , whome descent of our stocke hath made noble . let not me be yoked to a base and shamefull marriage , yea and my husband yet aliue : me ( i say ) who so often at feasts applauded to my selfe in my saturus . god knoweth full sore against thy will shalt thou but doe that , which voluntarily perhaps many haue yealded vnto . he gaue her for answere those vvordes of iob. thou hast spoken like a foolish woman . well should i be afraide , if there were no other joy , then the bitter sweets of this life . thou seruest nowe the diuels turne , o wife : who , if thou didst loue thy husband , wouldst neuer drawe him to a second death . let them take away my children , seperate my vvife , spoyle me of my goodes , i secure of my lordes promise , will sticke fast to his vvordes . if any man shall not forsake wife , children , landes , or house , he can not be my disciple . the end was this : the woman refused by aduised reasons , went her way : saturus couragious ⸬ for a crowne , is examined , spoyled , punished , and sent away a begger , forbidden by going abroade to haue any vvhither to resort . all tooke they from him , only of baptismes stole could they not bereaue him . thus passed this , and gensericke commaunded the church of carthage , the priests and their deacons being dispersed into sondry places for want of a bishop ; which was hardly opened at meditation of zeno the emperor by seuerus a noble man of rome , where vpon they al retourned from banishment . what ⸬ he did in spayne , italy , slauome , champayne , calabre , poole , sicil , sardinia , abruzo , venice , lucania , epire , greece , they can best declare which endured it . here let the end be of our no lesse arrogant then cruell persecution , sustayned vnder gensericke . he raigned ⸬ thirtyseauen yeares and moneths three . the second booke . chapter . i. the dissimuled demeanour of king. hunricke . gensericke being dead , his eldest sonne hunricke succeeded , who in the beginning of his raigne , was somewhat tractable and moderate ( after the accustomed subtilety of the barbarians ) especially concerning our affaires in religion . so that whereas heretofore vnder king gensericke it had beene proclaymed , that there should be no spirituall assemblies : now people made their meetinges afresh . and to giue remonstrance of a religious prince , he caused the manichaean heretikes diligently to bee searched out ; many of whome he burnt , most hee sent away to forraigne shippes . all which ⸬ manichees in a manner he found to be of his owne religion , principally such as were priests or deacons of the arrian heresie : which set him more on fire , because of the shame thereby redounding . one amongst them was found called clementian a monk , who had this their poesie charactred on his thigh : a manichaean disciple of christ iesus . for this cause did the said tyrant the more endeauour to please ; because in this one thing he much displeased , that with insatiable desire euermore eagrely gaping after his pray , he burdened the prouinces of his kingdome with sundry vexations & impositions ; so that of him precisely it might besaid a king needing reuenewe is a great ⸬ calamity . chap. ii. eugenius created bishop of carthage , and of his vertue . zeno the emperor and lady placidia making intercession , ⸬ by their letters , authorized that the church of carthage might to themselues elect for bishop whome they thought good , hauing beene destitute of such an ornament now full 24 yeares , it was condescended vnto by hunricke , and licence graunted . he sent therefore to the church alexander a noble man , who brought this message ; that the catholikes should in his presence , postulate for themselues a worthy priest . he sent also by his secretary ⸬ vuitared a proclamation to be publikely read , contayning this tenour . our lord the king hath willed vs to shewe you , that the emperor zeno , and most renowmed placida , haue written by alexander a noble man , requesting by their letter , that the church of carthage may haue a peculiar bishoppe of your religion . this he hath giuen commaundement should be performed , and hath written backe vnto them , or prescribed their ambassadors to make report , that according to their desire , yee may ordayne bishoppe whome you will , vnder this condition , that in like sort the bishoppes of our religion that are at constantinople , or in any other prouinces of the east , may by his commaundement haue free liberty to ⸬ preach to the people , and exercise christian religion , in what language they will in their owne churches , in such sort as you here , or in other churches of africke , haue free arbitrement to ⸬ say masse , or preach in your churches . for if this be not obserued towards them , not only the bishop that shal be created and his clarkes , but all other bishops also with their clergy ouer the african prouinces , shal be commanded to the moores . as soone as this edict was in my owne hearing read before the whole congregation , the 14. calendes of ⸬ iune ; wee beganne sorrowfully to murmur amongst our selues : for that by this politike pretext , a persecution vvas like to followe ; and it is well knowne that to the ambassador we made this answere . if the matter goe thus , and stand vpon such pernitious conditions , the church delightes not to haue a bishop : let christ gouerne it who at all times hath vouchsafed to guide it . which information the ambassador neglected to admitte , and with all the people burned with desire to haue present dispatch , vvhose crie vvas intollerable , and could by no means bee appeased . ⸬ eugenius therefore a holy man and one acceptable to god , was chosen bishop , of vvhose election the church of god was greatly recomforted , people catholike liuing vnder a barbarous gouernement , triumphed to see the auncient creation of their chiefe bishop , againe renued . the greatest number of young men and women by their vniuersall joy well witnessing , that they had neuer seene a bishoppe sitting in his pontificall ⸬ throne . this man of god , that blessed priest eugenius , beganne by vertuous conuersation to be reuerently esteemed , euen of ⸬ those without , and to be so louing to al , that he would gladly haue left his life ( if it might be ) for euery of them . such great almes also our lord did by his meanes exhibit , that it seemed incredible how so much could be bestowed , where the barbarous possessed all , the church hauing not the value of on penny . his humility , charity , and piety wherewith he was endued from heauen , who so would attempt to expresse , he should faile of his purpose . it is for certaine , that mony neuer stayed with him , except perhaps it had beene offered when the sunne hauing ended his course , gaue place to darknesse ; and then only he reserued what might serue for a day , not what couetousnesse might haue vvished , our lord daylie sending him greater store . but his fame waxing euery where glorious and manifest , the arrian bishops , especially cyrill , beganne to be tormented with sore enuy , and pursued him with daylie quarrels . to be short they put into the kings head , not to suffer him to sit in his pontificall throne , nor preach after his accustomed manner : further to forbidde him , that any men or women attyred after the vandall manner , should be seene in the church . the bishop answered as became him : the house of god is free for all ; those which enter , no man may driue forth : and the rather , for that an exceeding multitude of our catholikes vvent after their guise , by reason of seruice in the kings court. chap. iii. the terrible vsage practised vpon courtiers , resorting to the catholike seruice . svch answere , as soone as the king had receiued from the man of god , he ordeyned torturers at the church-gates , who , when they espied man or woman clad like one of the vandall nation , forthwith clapping on their heads flesh-hooks and writhing about the same their lockes of haire , with a strong twitch pulled away both haire and scalpe withall , from the head : some being thus serued , lost therewith their eyes ; certayne also dyed outright . the women after this torment endured , were carried through the streets to the gaze of the city , with a cryer before them , which they ( who suffered it ) made reckoning of , as a great gaine : many of whom we knewe ; but any one of them to haue for the paine forsaken their straight way , i neuer knew . when by this meanes he could not infringe the constancy of any one of the faithfull , he determined that none of our religion being of his court , should receiue their prouision of corne , or accustomed penfions . he proceeded also to trie them with rurall labours , & sent men of good calling & delicately brought vp , to the country of vtica , there vnder the seruent parching of the sun ⸬ to delue for tillage , whither all of them cheerefully going forwardes , rejoyced in our lord. amōgst whome one of the company had a withered hand , which for many yeares stood him in no steede , who therefore not vntruly alleadged that he could not work yet was he so much the more violently pressed forth . but as soone as they came to the place , and that all falling to their prayers mourned , & principally for him ; through the mercy of god , that dry hand of the confessor became hole . this was the entrance of hunrickes persecution , and now began our griefe and ⸬ trauailing . chap. ii. the horrible tyranny of hunricke toward his owne linage . he , who had nowe begonne to shewe himselfe desirous ( although it otherwise fell out ) to leaue his kingdome to his children after his death , persecuted cruelly his brother theodoricke with his sonnes , and the sons likewise of his brother genton , of whome not one should haue escaped , had not death interupted his designment . first for asmuch as he knew the wife of ⸬ theodoricke to be a politike woman , he slewe her vpon pretended ruine , least by some witty wile she should ( as i suppose ) arme her husbāds eldest sonne against the tyrant , as she that was both wise and sage : after whom was also slayne her eldest sonne , who had beene brought vp in learning , and by the constitution of gensericke , should first of all his nephewes enjoye the kingdome , being the eldest of them all . proceeding yet farther , he resolued vpon more cruelty , and caused iocundus a bishop of his owne sect ( whome also they called patriarch ) to be buried in the market-place , before the staires of the newe streete , in face of all the people ; for no other cause , but that he was held very deare in the house of theodoricke the kings brother , by whose assent it may be , that the said familie might haue obtayned the kingdome . which impious villainy gaue vs to foresee the mischiefe that hung ouer our owne heads , saying one to another : he that sheweth such cruelty to his owne priest , when will this fellowe spare vs and our religion ? next he banished with inhumane exile , godagis the elder of gentons sonnes , and his wife , without permitting the solace of seruant or hand-maide . his brother theodoricke likewise ( his wife and sonne being before slayne ) he sent packing , naked and in distresse : after whose death he set his litle infant , & two daughters of ripe yeares , on asse backes , and to their great affliction sent them wandering farre away . diuers earles and nobles of his owne nation he pursued , laying false surmises to their charge , for that they ⸬ fauoured his brother . some of them he burned ; others he slewe with the sworde , a right imitator of his father gensericke , who drowned his brothers wife in amsag the ⸬ famous riuer of the ⸬ cirtenses , waighty stones hanged at her necke : and after the death of the mother , slewe also her sonnes . sondry had beene commended vnto hunricke ( and that vnder an oath ) by his father gensericke at his death , whome , he vnmindfull of fidelity , and violating his oath , put to death by fire , and sondry torments , ⸬ heldicas , whome his father had sometime made gouernour of his kingdome , nowe an aged man and full of yeares , he beheaded , and burnt his wife in the midst of the city , together with an other woman called ⸬ thamaria : the bodies of whome he willed to be drawne through the streets , hardly suffering them at the entreaty of his bishops , to be buried at euening , when they had layne al the day in open viewe . ⸬ caniut brother to heldicas , hauing fledde to their church , he might not slay , whome yet he shut into a filthy draught , and made him there liue a long space : lastly condemned him with a certayne goat-heard & a country fellowe , to digge holes for vines ; whome besides this he caused to be rent with terrible whips , twelue times in the yeare , that is euery moneth once , scant graunting them a litle water and browne bread . this they suffered fiue yeares or more , who if they had beene catholikes and endured for their faith , these punishments might haue auayled them to an eternall rewarde . but thus much i could not but write , least the kings impiety euen towardes his owne company , should be omitted ; who not only brent with flames his bishop locundus ( as i haue already told ) but very many other in like manner of his priests and deacons , that is to say of arrians , he addicted eyther to flames or to ⸬ keepe beasts . all those being now in short space cut off , whome he feared ; and hauing established ( as hee thought ) the kingdome , which neuerthelesse was to be but short & transitory , being somewhat secure and voide of affaires , he addressed all the instruments of his fury , to persecute the catholike church . chap. v. visions sorewarning the catholikes of persecution towardes them . yet before the tempest of persecution fel , the imminent mischief at hand , was foreshewed by many visions and tokens , which wēt before it . for almost two yeares before it came , a certaine man sawe faustus church glittering with accustomed ornaments , & while he rejoyced in the brightnesse of so great glory , as the tapers gaue goodly light , and aswell the rich pals and cloathes as the lampes glistered ; sodainly ( as he said ) the amiable clearenesse of that light vanished , & darknes succeeding , a fauour abhominable arose , and all the cōpany of the fathers present , were by certaine arrians driuen out of dores ; so much the more to be lamented because he sawe not the former beauty restored any more : this vision he which saw it , told in my hearing to holy eugenius . a certaine priest also saw the same church of faustus ful of innumerable people , & a litle after none at al , but in their place a multitude of swine . an other sawe a floore of wheate ready to be winnowed , the corne not ( as yet ) seperated from the chaffe ; and while he wondred to see so great a confused heape , sodaynlie a tempestuous whirle-winde with roring noyse beganne , the approch whereof the rising of the dust shewed ; by the force hereof all the chaffe flew away , the corne remayning . then came a certayne tall personage , of a goodly countenance , and costly apparelled , who beganne to clense the wheate , casting away the empty and pined graines , such as vvere vnapt for slowre , vntill hauing thus tryed , and leased a good space , he had brought the greatnesse of that heape to a quantity , though winnowed and fine , yet passing small . moreouer , an other told vs thus . a certayne high man stood vpon our lordes hill , which is called ziquens , and cryed on the right hand and on the left . get yee hence , get yee hence . there was one vvhich beheld in a rudy skie , sulphury cloudes tossing vp and downe , which beganne to shoot forth mighty stones ; these stones falling to the earth kindled more fiercely , and flashed with greater flames , & entring into houses , burnt those whome they found within . he that sawe it said that he hid him selfe in a chamber , whither the ●●●me , through gods mercy , could not approch : that the wordes of the prophet might as ( i thinke ) be fulfilled . shut thy dore , and be hidden a litle space , vntill the anger of god passe . the reuerent bishop paul sawe also a tree , streatching out with flourishing branches to the very heauens , which also was so well spredde , that it ouer-shadowed all africke : and when al people tooke pleasure in the talenesse and beauty thereof , there came ( said he ) an asse with great violence , who rubbing his necke against the stocke of the roote , ouer threwe by his shouing , that wonderous tree , not without a great cracke . quintianus likewise an ⸬ honourable bishoppe sawe him selfe standing vpon an hill , from whence he beheld an innumerable flocke of sheepe , and in midst of the flocke were two boyling pots . butchers vvere also there , who did cast the flesh of those muttons into the seething pots , and by so doing the whole flocke was consumed . imagine these two pots to be the cities sicca veneria , and ⸬ laribus , where the multitude was first assembled , and whence this fire chap. vii . the horrible banishing of almost fiue thousand persons , with certayne pittyfull accidents hapning in the same . with what floudes of teares shall i now present , how he banished to the wildernesse bishops , priests , deacons , and other members of the church , foure thousand , nine hundred , seauenty and six : amongst whome some had the gout , others through very age lost their bodily sight . amongst whome was blessed foelix bishop of ⸬ abbiris , who had fourty-foure yeares continued episcopall dignity , and being stroken with a palsie , neyther felt any thing , nor could speake at all . of whome being very carefull , because he could not ride , i perswaded that the king might be moued by some about him , to permit him at least ( being almost at point of death ) to remayne at carthage : for to banishment he could by no meanes be carryed . whereunto ( as is reported ) the tyrant freshly answered : if he cannot sit vpon a beast , let wilde buls be coupled and drawe him tyed fast with ropes , to the appointed place . we carryed him therefore throughout the journey , bound ouerthwart a ⸬ mulets backe , as if he had beene a logge . all were brought together to the cities of sicca and laribus , whither the moores resorting , should receiue them deliuered vp to their handes , and transport them to the wildernesse . then came thither two earles , vvho with damnable subtilty beganne in sweete communication to deale vvith gods confessors . what meane you ( say they ) to be so obstinate , not to obey our lord the kinges lawes ; who may honourably stand in his presence if you speedely obey his vvill ? streight way all with a great shout cryed out and said : we be christians , we be catholikes , we inuincibly confesse the trinity one god. they were after this shut in a prison very grieuous , but somewhat large , where i found meanes to get in , made an exhortation to the brethren , and ⸬ celebrated the diuine mysteries . there were also very many litle children , whome their mothers followed , with motherly affection : some rejoycing ; others drawing them back : some were glad that they had borne martyrs ; others perswading to the deluge of rebaptization , endeauouring to recall them from confession of their faith : but their allurementes could not then ouercome any , neyther made any one stoope vnto earthly affections . it liketh mee here briefly to declare what a good old woman did . as i trauailed accompaning gods army , setting forwardes more by night then by day , because of the heate ; i beheld a poore woman carrying a bag , and other implements , leading in her hand an infant , and encouraging him in this wise . runne ⸬ sirra : seest thou all the saints howe merry lie they goe forward , and hasten to their crowne ? whome vvhen i rebuked , for that shee seemed vnseasonable , presuming to thrust her selfe amongst the professed warriours of christ , and being a woman to associate her selfe with men . she answered ⸬ benedicite , benedicite , and * pray yee for me with this my litle nephewe . for sinner though i be , daughter i am to one , who vvas bishoppe of zurina ⸬ i asked her why then she walked in so meane a sort , and for what cause she had vnder taken so long a journey . who replyed : with this my litle boy i goe to the place of banishment , least the enemy finding him alone , call him from the way of truth , to death . to these wordes i could answere nothing else , the teares trickling downe my cheekes , but only , gods vvill be done . the aduersary , who nowe perhaps said in his hart : i will part the spoyles , i will glutte my soule , i will slay with my sworde , my hand shall rule . as soone as he sawe that he could not catch one , sought narrowe and filthy places wherein to penne vp gods company . then was to them denyed all comfort of accesse , for permitting vvhereof the keepers had beene beaten with staues , and sorely punished . the confessors of christ are tumbled one vpon an other , as swarmes of grashoppers , or ( to speake more properly ) as graines of corne . in which thronging together , there could be no meanes of stepping a side to doe the office of nature , but of necessity euen there vvas the receptacle of their ordure and vrine , so that the horrour and stench thereof surpassed all other manner of paynes . i vvas once ( not without much a doe , and deepe bribes bestowed on the moores ) permitted to enter whilst the vandals slept . stepping in i began as at a mire , to sincke vp to the knees , and sawe that of ieremie come to passe , who were bredde vp in saffron 〈◊〉 , embraced 〈◊〉 . in fine being called vpon by the insolent and clamorous moores , to hasten forward their imposed journey , issuing forth vpon a sunday , their garments , face , and head besmeared with dirt : in cruell wise were they led away by those moores , singing yet vnto our lord vvith great joy : ⸬ gloria haec est omnibus sanctis eius . present was there also at that time , cyprian the blessed prelate bishop of ⸬ v●izi●ir , who to their singular consolation , cherished euery one with godly and fatherly affection , and not without streames of teares , ready to leaue his owne life for the brethren , and to yeelde himselfe voluntarily to the fellowships of their paines , if he might haue beene suffered . he spent in very deede in that hard distresse , all that he had , bestowing it vpon the impouerished brethren : for hee sought occasion how he might be joyned to the confessors , being himselfe a confessor already in preparation of hart , and in vertue : afterwardes passing many bickerings and calamities of prison , he enjoyed to his great gladnesse , the exile which he so desired . howe great multitudes followed from sondry countries and citties , to see the ⸬ martyrs of god , the wayes and pathes beare witnesse , not able to conteine the flocke of people , who comming as beholders , ranne vp and downe on the higher ground . an inestimable troupe also of the faithfull , with waxe tapers in their handes , descended downe ; who casting their childrē at the feete of the martyrs , cryed out thus . * to whome wil you leaue vs wreatches , while you goe forwardes to your crowne ? who shall christen these sucklings in the font of the euerlasting water ? who shall impart vnto vs the benefite of penance , by ⸬ reconciling and indulgence , absoluing vs from the bandes of our sinnes ? for asmuch as it is saide , whatsoeuer ye shall loose on earth , shal be loosed in heauen ? who shall with solemne prayers commend vs to the graue , when we dye ? by whome shall the wonted rites of the ⸬ diuine sacrifice be performed vnto vs ? our hearts serue vs well to goe with you , if we might ; that so no necessity might seperate the sonnes from you our fathers . a midst these wordes , not destitute of ⸬ teares , is no man any more admitted to goe forwardes with them for their comfort : but the whole crewe was pressed forwasrds and made to runne , that they might reach to the laborsome lodging where the ⸬ cannaua was prepared . as oft as the men fainted , or any other ( yea although tender children ) they were first punched forwardes with the toppes of staues , or with stones ; but afterwardes the moores were commanded to tie by the feete , those which were not able to goe , & hale them through the hard rough places , like carcases of brute beasts . so , first were their garments rent , then all parts of their bodies . for here a head was dasht against the ⸬ sharp-edged rocks , there sides were thumpt ; so that life was gasped out , euen betweene the hands of them which haled them : the number of whome i could not reckon , thy were so many . extant remayneth to be seene all alongst the common ⸬ high way , the reatchlesse buriall of the saints , their graues witnessing , where they lie . the rest as stronger , ariued at the wildernesse , where being setled , they had barly ( as beasts ) giuen them for food . where also is reported to be so great plenty of venimous wormes and scorpions , as to them who knowe it not , might seeme incredible , which with their very breath infect and poyson , euen such as are farre of . and they say that no man stung with one of those scorpions , euer escapeth ; whose deadly venime neuerthelesse , was at no time found to haue hurt any one of christs seruants , through his mercyfull protection . but vvhen as a vvhile they had beene fedde with barly-corne , that same also was afterwardes with-drawne , as though god , who rayned manna to the auncient fathers , could not as well sustayne his banished ones in so desolate a place . chap. viii . hunricke summoneth the catholikes to disputation with the arrians . sharper proceedinges were yet farther continued against the church of god : he vvhich euermore destroyed the members thereof , being desirous to teare in peeces the vvhole body . for vpon the day of our lordes ascention , an ambassador of the emperor zeno ( not the king himselfe ) being present , came this precept directed to bishoppe eugenius , to safed to aduertise my meanenesse by his secretary witared , who because it concerned religion and faith , did in the church rehearse his charge vnto vs , both clergie and people being present . by the contents whereof we vnderstand the kinges writ , to haue in like sort gone forth to all our ⸬ brethren bishops , appointing vs to meete at a determinat day , to dispute of our faith . this ordinance vve signified , howe reuerently we embraced , & to the said secretary my meanenes gaue information , that all of the parties beyond the sea agreeing vvith vs in one religion and communion , ought to haue notice hereof ( for those of the kingdome are all ready to obey ) especially for that it is the common cause of the whole world , and not only of the africane prouinces . for as much then as i promised to exhibite by ⸬ a second bill , a further answere , i humbly beseech your honour , to present vnto our lord and mercyfull kinges eares , the information before mentioned , that his clemency may in good sort know , that wee ( god-willing ) by no meanes shunne the order taken for disputation ; but that vvithout assent of the vvhole , we must not take vpon vs to determine matters of faith . for this cause require we , that he vouchsafe of his great bounty , justice , and vvisdome , to condescend thereunto . dated by eugenius bishop of the catholike church of carthage . vvhen this information vvas put vp by blessed eugenius : he vvho had nowe conceiued mischiefe , vvas pricked forward to vtter forth his impiety with worse vexation , and by ⸬ cubadus prouost of the realme , sent to eugenius this word . subdue to me all the earth that the vvhole world may be brought vnder my power , and then ⸬ ( eugenius ) vvill i fulfill thy demaund . whereunto blessed eugenius replyed , as he well might . that which hath no reason ought not to haue beene spoken : this is as one should bidde a man soare vp in the ayre and flie , which is contrary to the fashion of humane nature . for i said if the kinges mightinesse desired to vnderstand our faith , which is the only true beliefe , let him sende to his friendes , and i vvill likewise vvrite to my brethren , that our bishops may come , who togither vvith vs may demonstrate our common faith , especially to the church of * rome which is the head of all churches . to this answered cubadus . then of like you and my lord the king are haile fellowes . eugenius answered ; not so , but as i said , if he desire to knowe the true faith , let him write to his friends , that they send directions for our catholike bishoppes , and then will i write to the bishops of our side : for the case is one and the same , of all the whole catholike faith . this did eugenius , not for that there wanted in africke that could refell the aduersaries objections , but to the intent that they might come , who being farre from their dominion , might haue more confident liberty , and withall open vnto all nations our injurious oppression . but he that contriued nothing but deceipt , would heare no reason , compassing by sondry presumptions , to molest & grieue whome soeuer of the bishops he heard say to be learned . already had he the second time banished donatian bishop of ⸬ vibia , with an hundred and fifty bastinadoes ; and the subfetulan bishop praesidius , a sharp witted man : after them serued he in like sort mansuetus , german , fuscle , and diuers others . while this was doing , he commaunded that none of our religion should haue any of theirs to sojourne at our boord , nor that they should at all eate at meales with catholikes . which thing was to them nothing beneficiall , but turned to our great aduantage : for if their speach ( as the apostle teacheth vs ) is wont to creepe like a canker , howe much more could their familiarity at table infect ? seing the same apostle commaundeth not so much as to communicate with the wicked at their meate . but nowe where the fire of persecution was once kindled , and that the fury of the malitious king did euery where flame , our lorde shewed a miracle by his faithfull seruant , which i may not passe ouer . chap. ix . eugenius bishop of carthage restoreth by miracle , sight to a blinde man. there was in this city carthage a certaine blinde man , well knowne to all the city , by name foelix , this man was visited of god , and at night by a vision receiued he this commaundement . get thee hence and goe to my seruant eugenius , say that i haue sent thee to him , and at the houre when he halloweth the font , where by those which come to the faith may be christned , he shall touch thy eyes and they shall be opened , and thou shalt see the light . warned by such apparition , yet reputed he himselfe ( as it often falleth out ) beguiled by a dreame ; neyther would he arise , but drowned againe vvith sleepe , was in like manner againe called vpon to goe to eugenius . he neglected neuerthelesse as before , and the third time being hastily and sharply rebuked , raysed vp the boy , which was wont to reach him his hand , and gets in all haste to faustus church , & after prayer made , he signifieth to peregrine a deacon ( neither without streames of teares ) that he had to speake with the bishop , and to declare a secret vnto him ; vvhich the bishop vnderstanding , willed the man to be brought in . for already in solemnity of the feast , resounded the ⸬ nocturne , hymnes throughout the church , and the people were singing with loude voyces . the blinde man told in order his vision , and plainely said : i will not leaue you vntill according to our lords hests , you yeald vnto me my sight . depart from me said the holy eugenius , a sinner i am , and of all other sinners most vnworthy , as one , who therefore am reserued vnto such times as these . but the other clasping about his knees , said nothing else then as before : render me my sight . eugenius then esteeming it a certayne kind of shamefull ⸬ rigour , if he should stifly refuse , and because withall the time did call him away , accompaned with the clergie he went along with the man to the font. where kneeling downe , not vvithout great groanes , hee pearced the heauens with sighes , and ⸬ blessed the whiuering waters . as soone as he had risen from his prayer , he said to the blinde : i haue told thee already ( brother foelix ) that i am a sinfull man : but he , which vouchsafed to visit thee , performe to thee according to thy faith , & open thy eyes . at these words he signed his eyes with the standard of the crosse , and through the grace of god , the blinde man receiued sight : whome hee there retayned by him , as long as the baptising endured ; least by reason of this so great a miracle , the people should oppresse the man with great concourse about him . then was it manifested to the whole church ; and the blinde man went with eugenius to the altar ( as the manner is ) to make an offering to our lord , for his health receiued , which the bishop tooke and laide vpon the altar : and the people through extreame joy , gaue an ⸬ vnappeasable shout . straight way went one with hasty report hereof , to the king. foelix is featch away , examined what had passed , and how he receiued his sight . he vttered the whole in order : the arrian bishops said that eugenius had wrought by sorcery . and because ( oppressed with the clearnesse of the thing , so that they could not shadowe it ) they were greatly confounded ( for foelix was a man wel knowne to the whole city ) if it had beene lawfull , they would therefore haue slayne him , as the iewes sought to put lazarus to death after he was raised to life . chap. x. the impudent and vnreasonable proceeding of the arrians , about their chalenge of disputation . nowe drewe neare that quarrelling day , appointed the calends of february ; there assembled bishops , not only of africke , but of many islandes also , wearyed with affliction and sorrowe . many dayes togither there was no mention of disputing , vntill in the meane-space ⸬ he had singled out the skilfullest and learnedst persons , to the intent that by sondry calumniations he make them away . for one of that learned crewe , named laetus ( a stout & most learned man ) after long imprisonment he consumed by fire , thinking by so doing to strike a feare into the rest , & bleamish the cause . at last yet beganne the conflict of disputation , at the place which the aduersaries had chosen . our diuines therefore eschewing all tumultuous clamour ( least the arrians should after say that they had by some of ours beene ouer-ruled ) chose certayne amongst their owne company to answere for all . cyrill placed aloft for himself and his ⸬ attendants , a most stately throne , we standing on our feete : whervpon our bishops beganne to say . conference is there alway to be taken in hand , where not proud superiority of power beareth swaye ; but where an assembly is by common consent made , that the disputers debating the controuersie , and each part doing their endeauour , the truth may come to light . but nowe who shall be the disputer ? who the defender ? which with vpright ballance may eyther confirme that , which is rightly auouched , or refell vnreasonable assertions . when they vsed these and such like words , the kings secretary answered . the patriarke cyril saith , that some of you arrogantly and vnlawfullie vsurpe to themselues the name of catholiks . our company then with protestation of the same , sayd : let it be read vnto vs by whose authority cyril taketh vpon him this title . thereat our aduersaries making a great stirre , beganne to cauill . and forasmuch as our side requested , that if the wiser people might not examine the matter , at least they might be lookers on ; all the sonnes of the catholike church there present , were cōmanded to haue a hundred stroks with a cudgell . then beganne blessed ⸬ eugenius to say aloude : god , behold the violence , which we suffer , and consider the tribulation , which we sustayne of our persecutors . with this our men turning to cyril , said : propound that which you intend . cyril excused himselfe that he vnderstood not latin. our bishoppes replyed that they alwayes knewe him to haue spoken latin , that therefore he ought not nowe to drawe backe , especially seing he was the kindler of those coales . but he perceiuing the catholike bishops to be ready for to joyne with him , would needs by diuers illusions and shifts , auoyde audience : which our part fore-seing , had composed a pamphlet concerning faith , very seemely and sufficiently compiled : this they nowe exhibited , with protestation : if yee be desirous to knowe our beliefe ; the faith which we holde , is herein comprised . the exhibited booke here mentioned , is omitted . for though p. s. erroneously entitle it victors yet victor himselfe hath already testified the contrary : and gennadius noteth the author thereof to haue beene eugenius . ; the third booke . chaptrr . i. the churches are closed : the catholike bishops by proclamation depriued of their seas , and their goods giuen to arrian ministers . ovr booke being put vp and perused , yet could not they with their bleare eyes behold the light of truth : but wood for anger , and storming vvith outragious language , they tooke it very ill , that we called our selues by our name of catholikes . and forthwith they falsly suggest to the king , that with clamorous noyse we auoyded audience of the matter , who giuing credit to their lyes , kindled at that present with choler , hastened to fulfill that which he had in his hart . and during the abode of the bishops at carthage , he sent his messengers secretly with an edict through the prouinces , by force whereof in one day he closed all the churches of africke , and gaue vnto his bishops for a gift , all the substance of the bishops and of the churches . and more then this , not knowing himself what he said , or of what he spake , the lawe which our christian emperors had long before decreed against them and other heretikes , for the honourable maintenāce of the catholike church , the same they blushed not to set forth against vs. adding much of their owne heades , as seemed best to their tyrannicall power : for this is the forme of the proclaymed lawe . a proclamation . hvnricke king of the vandals and alanes , to all subiectes of our realme . it is the part of triumphant vertue , and a thing worthy our ⸬ royall maiesty , to recoile euill deuises astainst their authors . for whosoeuer inuenteth any wickednesse , let him impute it to his owne follie , if he fall into mischiefe . in which thing , our grace following the ayme of gods iudgement , hath assigned vnto all persons , as their desertes good or badde require . prouoked therefore by such as haue thought meete to resist the commandement of our father of ⸬ famous memory , or of our owne ⸬ clemency , we doe nowe take vpon vs at length , the censure of seuerity . for whereas by our authority , we haue proclaymed amongst all our people , that in the shieres of the vandals , the priests of the ⸬ consubstantials should not haue their assemblies , nor take vpon them any of their mysteries , which indeede doe rather contaminate , then other wise . this when we sawe to be neglected , and that very many were found , which affirmed they kept and retayned the vncorrupted rule of faith : it is well enough knowne , that they were all cited vnder nine moneths warning , that they should with out any feare , assemble togither for disputation sake ( if at least they had any thing to say for their purpose ) at the calends of febr. the 8th . yeare of our raigne . to whome after their meeting at the city of carthage , when delay of the time prescribed was expired , we are knowne to haue granted farther respite of certayne dayes . as soone as they shewed themselues ready for the conflict , it was the first day propounded vnto them , by our reuerēd bishops , that they should ⸬ directly proue consubstantiality by the diuine scriptures : or at leastwise condemne that , which was decided and ⸬ cut off , by ⸬ more then a thousand bishops from all partes of the world , at the councels of arimini , and seleucia ; which thing they would not doe , but drawing the matter to a sedition , incensed also the people . the second day likewise , when we commaunded them to make answere concerning the same faith ; as it had beene proposed vnto them , they enterprised their former rashnesse and misdemeanour , perturbing all thinges with sedition and clamour , that they might not at al come to the conflict . whereunto we them prouoking , haue ordayned that their churches shall be shut vp , with this prouiso : so long to remayne closed vntill they assent to proceede vnto disputation : which they waxing obstinate in their wicked deuises , haue refused to accomplish . so that it is in this case necessary , and most iust with all , to retourne vpon those men , what in the corps of those lawes is expressed , ⸬ which the emperors by them induced into errour , did at seuerall times promulgate . ⸬ the substance of which lawes seemeth to contayne , that no church should be open to any other , then to the bishops of their owne institution , that it should be lawful for none other to * liue collegially , to make assemblies , or to haue or build any churches at all , either in the city , or yet in the simplest places ; but that also attempted , escheat to the prince . and moreouer , that inheritances annexed to any church of their faith , should not any more be paide to their prelates . nor that such persons should haue licence ⸬ to passe vp and downe , whither them pleased , but should be banished from all townes and cities , neyther haue authority either to baptize , or to dispute of religion . that also they should haue no leaue ⸬ to giue orders , either to bishops or priests , or others appertayning to the clergie ; a rigorous penalty being set downe , that aswell they which should suffer themselues to receiue such honours , as those also that were ⸬ giuers of such orders , should euery of them , be fined in tenne pound of gold , with their farther extension , that they should not be permitted to make supplication about it . yea , if so be they had * by speciall seruice deserued respect , * yet should they not preuaile . but in case that notwithstanding this detriment , they persisted , then should they by conuenient prosecution , be exiled out of their country . toward the comminalty extended likewise those emperors their seuerity , so that they might neyther bequeath , nor giue or take , euen that which was cast off and forsaken , not as made ouer vpon trust , not by legacy , not by grantes , not by executorship , not by any ⸬ bil or other manner of writinges . they also made such as were ⸬ pensioners in the pallace , liable to penalty of an excessiue forfeiture , *⁎* after the rates of their degree and dignity , that spoyled of all honourable priuilege they should incurre infamy , and finde themselues noted for publike offendors . to the ⸬ offices also of seueral tribunals , was prescribed the penalty of ⸬ thirty pound of siluer : which if they who persisted in their errour , had fiue times paid , then should such persons be conuicted , whipped , and so banished . next had they giuen in commaundement , that the bookes of all those priests , whome they persecuted , should be cast into the fire , and all other such bookes ; which in like manner we also nowe commaund to be done with those bookes , by meanes of which , iniquity hath induced it selfe into errour of that name . for as touching the seuerall persons , of whome was spoken , these ordinances they made , that ⸬ persons of excellency should euery of them forfeit fifty pound of gold , the ⸬ honourable fourty pound , senators thirty , common gentlemen twenty , priests thirty , decurions fiue , marchants fiue , ⸬ common people fiue , ⸬ wandring ruffians tenne ; and who might happen to continue after this damage , their goodes confiscated , they should by banishment be punished : vpon ⸬ corporations in cities , procurators also , and takers of leases , this penalty they inflicted ; that if they concealed , and did not disclose or atach such persons , presenting them to iudgement , they themselues shall make good the forfeiture . moreouer to those who tooke the landes of the crowne to farme , this mulct was set downe , that as much as was their yearely rent to the kinges houshold , so much should they semblably pay into his exchequor for a fine ; as in generall the like to be obserued in all , either hyrers or possessors of lande , which shall be minded to endure in the same superstition , i here doe appoint . of iudges farthermore , that who so were found not to be most instant in prosecuting this affaire , should be punished by outlawry , and losse of life . also of the chiefe officers , that three should be punished , the rest be amerced , and caste in twenty poundes of gold . of necessity therefore must all the homousians be bound by the very like constitution , whome it is euident indeede to haue held , and still to hold the substance of ae wicked beliefe : vnto whome we nowe by this our decree denounce , that they abstayne from ⸬ all the a fore-said matters , which shall be prosecuted throughout all ⸬ estates in the cities ; as likewise vpon iustices , who neglecting the former ordinances , can be proued not to haue grieuously punished such as withstand the same . to all persons therefore intangled with the errours of the fore-mentioned faith of the homousians , which hath wholy beene heretofore so condemned by a councell of such a great number of priests , we enioyne and giue commaundement , that they abstayne from all the fore-said affaires and contracts . let them knowe , that nothing is permitted vnto them , but that semblable punishment attendes to inuolue them euery one , vnlesse before the calendes of iune , in the eight yeare of our raigne , they conuert vnto the true religion , which we reuerence and honour . which prefixed day for no other purpose hath our piety afforded , then to the end that vnto such , as before hand renounce their errour , pardon be not denyed , and the obstinate be by due punishmentes chastised . but whosoeuer shall perseuer in that errour , whither they enioy knight-hood of our house , or happely haue charge vnder seuerall titles and imployments , let them be compellable to infliction of those mulcts aboue prescribed , according to the qualities of their degrees : nothing in the meane season being of any validity , which any of them may happen by surreption to obtayne , against priuate persons of what calling and place soeuer they be : this our proclamation willeth , that to be obserued , which in the former lawes was concerning such expressed , that they may vndergoe congruent punishment . iudges prouinciall slackly putting our ordinances in execution , we will that they be sentenced by their superior iudge . but to true worshippers of the maiesty diuine ( that is to say vnto our priests ) we by this our constitution doe decree and prouide , all manner of churches belonging to the whole clergie of the name aboue mentioned , in what places or countries soeuer they stand within these dominions , which ⸬ by the grace of god are vnder our imperiall gouernment , togither with all such thinges as to the same appertayne ; not doubting but to reliefe of the poore it shall proue more beneficiall , which to our ⸬ thrise-holy bishops is so iustly giuen . we notifie then vnto all men this lawe of ours , issuing from the very fountayne of iustice , that none may pretend ignorance of our commaundement . fare yee well 6. cal. of march. carthage . chap. ii. extreame proceedinges of hunricke against the bishops . after these lamentable edicts , farced with intoxicate poyson , he willeth al the bishops which were assembled at carthage ( whose churches , houses , and substance he had already seazed ) to be despoyled in their lodgings , and so driuen out of the towne gates . neyther seruant , nor beast , nor garment to change , was left them . it was farther more forbidden , that any man should harbour any one of them , or giue them susteynance . and who so should attempt for pity to doe the contrary , he with all his family should be brent by fire . prudently did the bishops , who were then cast forth , in that ( though begging ) yet they departed not from thence . for had they gone their wayes , not only should they neuer haue beene recalled : but they vvould haue belyed them ( as they did ) that they shunned disputation ; especially because when they should haue retourned , their churches had no goodes left , all being rifled . while therefore the bishops lay round about the walles in the open ayre , it fell out so , that the wicked tyrant went forth towardes the fish-pondes , vvhome they thought good to meete in the way , saying : why are we so afflicted ? for what euils committed suffer we this ? if called to dispute , why are we spoyled ? why are we slaundred ? why are we deferred , and driuen to remayne amongst the dunghils here without in the country , afflicted with hunger and nakednesse , farre from our churches and houses ? whome he beholding with a fell regarde , before he heard their complaint , willed the horse-mē with ful course to ride ouer them , that by such violence they might not only be trampled vpon : but be slaine outright . many of them were then sore crushed , especially aged men . then to the men of god was it commaunded to present themselues , and meete him at the temple of memory , vnwitting what treachery was there prepared . chap. iii. a fraudulent oath is proposed to the bishops . thither when they came , in a writing deliuered vnto them , was this serpentine subtlety inclosed . our lord king hunricke , although lamenting your obstinacy , refusing as yet promptly to obey his will , and to become of the same religion where of he himselfe is , being now in purpose to deale gratiously with you , will ( if you sweare vnto the contents of this paper ) send you to your churches and houses . hereunto answered the bishops with one voyce : we say still , as we haue already said , and will euer say : christians we are , bishops we are ; we hold the apostolicall and only true faith . a litle silence hauing ensued after confession of their faith , the kinges commissioners proceeded hastely to extort an oath from the bishops : whereupon the blessed men bishop hortulane , and bishop ⸬ florentian joyntlie replyed : depute you vs brute beasts , that we should easely & vnaduisedly sweare , ignorant what the writing contayneth ? the kings messengers vvithout more stay disclosed to them the purport thereof , which with colourable wordes was glosed : for thus the entrapping tenour thereof comprized . sweare ye , if ye desire that after the death of our lord the king , his sonne hildericke succeede in the kingdome : and if none of you will send any letter beyond the sea. this oath if ye refuse not to take , he will restore you to your churches . the mercyfull playne meaning of many , minded to haue sworne ( whereas god indeede prohibiteth swearing ) least gods people might afterwardes say , that the priests by not swearing , gaue cause that their churches were not restored . others of the bishops more circumspect , smelling out the guilfull treachery , denyed to sweare , alleaging that it was forbidden by the authority of the gospell ; our lord himselfe denouncing . yea and shall not sweare at all . then inferred the commissioners : who purpose to sweare let them goe a-part . which vvhen they did , by notary was straight enrolled what each said , in what city he was entitled . the like was done to them that would not sweare . then were both parties committed to warde , and not long after , the deceiptfull drift of the oath , which before lay hid , plainely appeared . to those which would sweare , it was said : for as much as contrary to the commandement of the gospell you vvould haue sworne , the kings will is that you shall neuer see your churches ; but being banished you shall lawfully receiue wast and vnhabited places , there to husbandry the ground ; yet with this clause * that you shall neyther say psalmes , nor pray , or hold any booke to reade in your hand , nor baptize , nor giue orders , nor ⸬ presume to reconcile any man. in like manner to those which refused the oath they said . because you wish not the raigne of our lordes sonne , therefore you would not sweare : for which consideration it is commaunded , that you shall be sent away into corse the island , there to hewe timber for ships . chap. iiii. the horrible cruelty of the heretikes : the constancy of dionisia and her sonne , with others . the beast thirsting after innocents bloud , proceeded ( during that the bishops vvere not as yet exiled ) and sent through all the prouinces of africke at once , his cruell tormentors ; so that no place , no house , remayned free from lamentation , screeching , & outcryes . they spared not any age or sex , but such only as yealded to their will. some they cudgeled with staues ; some they hunge vp ; others they burned . women ( and especially gentle-women ) they tortured openly naked , against the lawe of naturall honesty . one of whome our country-woman dionisia , i will succinctly intreate of . when they sawe that she was not only bolder , but more beautiful also then other matrones , they willed her first to be vnrayed , and made ready for cudgels . who in her payne cryed boldly vnto them : i am assured of my god ; vexe me how you list , only my woman-hood diclose yee not . but they with greater rage set her naked vpon an higher place , for a publike spectacle . amidst the stripes of the woundes , while streames of bloud flowed ouer all her body , with a free voyce she spake thus vnto them : ye ministers of satan , that which you doe , reckoning it my reproch , is to me an honour . moreouer in so great extreamities , and already nowe a martyr ; being her selfe ⸬ vvell seene in the scriptures , she animated others to martyrdome . by this her holy example , she saued almost all her country . and beholding her only sonne ( who was deinty , and as yet of tender age ) to be somevvhat daunted vvith feare of paynes , chaslising him with her lookes , and becks , and checking him vvith the authority of a mother , she so encouraged , that he became thereby much the more constant : to whome amongst his terrible torments she spake as followeth . remember ( o my child ) that in the name of the holy trinity we were baptized ⸬ in our mother the catholike church : let vs not loose the garment of our saluation , least he which inuited vs , finde not at his comming a nuptiall garment , and say to his seruants . caste them into vtter darkenesse where shal be weeping of eyes , & gnashing of teeth . that payne is to be dreaded which neuer endeth , & that life to be desired which alway lasteth : with such words as these she made her sonne a martyr . for the honourable youth ( who had to name maioricus ) yealding his spirit , in the combat of his confession consummated his triumphant course : and she embracing her sacrifice , giuing god thankes by mouth asmuch as euer she could , chose to bury him in her owne house , in consolation of her hope to come , that as often as vpon his graue she powred out prayers to the trinity , she might conceiue confidence , that shee should neuer be estranged from her sonne . howe many were by her ( as i said ) gayned to god in that city , it were tedious to recite . for howe great thinges her sister likewise , called datiua ; and ⸬ loice daughter of the holy bishop german ; and the honest phisicion ⸬ emelius , cosen to datiua ; and deuout tertius a man famous in confession of the trinity ; or boniface the sibidensian did endure ; vvith vvhat torments they were ⸬ torne : let him orderly declare that is able . chap. v. admirable endurance of maiorc ; and incomparable conquest of victoria . who can also expresse , vvhat paynes maiorc a noble-mans slaue of the towne of tuburb , did sustayne for christ ? who after innumerable blowes of staues , was lifted vp with pullyes , and being carryed through the city in hanging wise , was nowe hoysted vp a loft , and in a moment by letting the ropes ship , lighting vpon the slintes of the streets , with the peyse of his body , dashed against the stones like a stone . he was moreouer often times haled along , and so crushed with the sharpe pointed flintes , that you might haue seene ( by reason the vtmost skinne was rent asunder ) the oflappes of his inward partes , hanging at his sides and belly . this man had suffered not much vnlike matters , in the time of gensericke , rather then he would bewray the secretes of one of his friendes . howe much more then , would he be furnished with constancy about sacraments of religion ? and if he shewed himselfe so trusty to his friend , which only loued him ; howe much more did he owe to him , who shal fully rewarde his loyaltie ? what outrages were done in the city cluse , it is not in me to declare ; for the very number of martyrs and confessors , it is not possible to recount . one matron amongst them called victoria , a true amplifier of her name , as she hung burning ouer a softe fire in the face of the people , was thus intreated by her vngratious husband , her children standing by . why sufferest thou , o wife ? if thou despise me haue pity ( thou hard harted woman ) of these litle ones , whome thou hast engendred . howe hapneth it that thou regardest not thine owne wombe , & settest nothing by those , whome groaning thou broughtest into the world ? where is the plighted troth of matrimoniall loue ? where are the bandes of wedlocke ? where is the honest contract drawne long since betweene vs ? regard i pray thee thy children and husband , and fulfill quickly the kings commaundement , that thou may est escape the torments yet at hand , and be rendred to me againe , and to our children . but she neyther giuing eare to her childrens crying , nor to the serpents flatteries , casting her eyes vpwardes from the ground , contemned the world with the desires thereof . whome when the executioners perceiued to be dead , after that her shoulders were with long hanging out of their place , tooke her downe fully bereft of life . and ( as she afterwards told vs ) a certayne virgin came to her , who touched euery part of her body , whereby she became immediately whole and sound . chap. vi. the resolute constancy of the proconsull or marshall victorian , and his braue answere . in what sort to extoll victorian of the city adrument , and at that time proconsull of carthage , through default of wordes i am ignorant . no man in africke was richer then he , and held he was in estimation with the impious king , as one very faithfull in all thinges giuen him in charge . the king sent him word after a familiar sort , that if he gently assented to his commaundement , he would make account of him aboue all other : but the seruant of god gaue this confident answere . i am assured of christ , my god , and my lord : say thus to the king. let him lay me vpon coales , thrust me vpon beasts , put me to all kinde of torments ; if i giue place , then in vaine was i christned in the catholike church . for if there were no other life then this alone , which is present , & that we hoped not after an other which is eternall ▪ yet would i not doe it , and for a litle temporall glory be so vngratefull to my creator , which in such sort hath bestowed vpon me his faith . at which answere the tyrant chafed , and with what torments and how sore paynes he afflicted him , humane eloquence is not sufficient to expresse , vvho triumphantly and happily consummating his course , receiued the crowne of martyrdome . chap. vii . a story of two brethren in like sort , tormented with equall paynes . neyther is any body able to explicate the conflicts of the martyrs , which they atchiued at the city of ⸬ tambad , vvhere two brothers of the city of ⸬ kings-water , well assured in our lord , gaue each to other their faith , howe they vvould request the torturers , that they might be handled with like payne and punishmēt . when therefore at the first , hung vp with waighty stones at their heeles , they had remayned in that case all the whole day ; the one of them desired that he might be let downe , and that a litle respite might be giuen him : the other brother fearing least he vvould haue-denyed his faith , cryed to him from the engine where he hung . doe not so , doe not so brother : that was not our oath to christ , i will accuse thee , when we shall appeare before his terrible throne , since we sware vpon his body and bloud , to suffer togither for his cause . saying these and other wordes , he imboldned his brother in such wise , to the agony of his passion , that he cryed out with a loude voyce . put me to what punishments you will , persist , vrge vs being christians , with your cruelest torments : as my brother doth , so will i also . with what fiery plates they were scorched , and with what instruments each was feared , and with what torments they were tortured , the thing it selfe declareth , in that the executioners themselues did cast them out of their sight , saying : these fellowes will make all the people followe , so that no man at all will be conuerted to our religion . this they said the rather , for that no blewish wannes , no token of their torments any thing appeared . chap. viii . the courage of the tipasenses : and of them which spake , their tongues being cut out . let vs nowe hasten to speake to the honour of god , of that which was done in ⸬ tipas , a city of the great mauritania . as soone as the towns-men sawe an arrian , from a secretary of the court , made their bishop , & sent to destroy their soules , almost all the city fled into spayne ( the passage being very short ) so that very fewe remayned behinde , such as found no meanes of shipping : whome the bishop of the arrians first by faire meanes , afterwards by threats , assayed to compell to arrianisme . but they constant in faith , not only derided his madnesse , while he perswaded them : but also boldly celebrated the diuine mysteries , assembling togither in one house . intelligence receiued , he secretly sent information thereof vnto carthage : whereupon the king in a great rage , directed thither a certayne earle with charge , that in midst of the market-place , all the prouince being there assembled , their tongues & right handes should be cut off at the very roote and stumpe : yet through the assistance of the holy ghost , they so spake and speake still , as they did neuer before . if any man be incredulous , let him goe now to constantinople , and there shal he find reparatus a sub-deacon , one of that company , speaking ( & that eloquently ) without any impediment . for which cause he is greatly reuerenced in the palace of the emperor zeno , the queene especially honouring him with singular respect . chap. ix . the incredible tyranny of hunricke towardes his one vandals catholikes . who may nowe in fit tearmes discourse , & reckon vp togither the diuersities of paynes , which by their kings commaundement , the vandals practised against their owne people ? if a writer attempted particularly to recount the things that haue passed in carthage only , though simply without all flourishing speech , yet would it trouble him to recite the very names of the torments : which to be true , is to euery body manifest , & is easely proued . for you may daylie see some without hands , others wanting their eyes ; some depriued of their feete , many that haue lost both nose and eares ; diuers whose shoulder-blades are falne out of their place by long hanging , or whose heads were sunke downe betweene their shoulders , by reason they were daylie tortured , and by ropes had bin much wafted vp and downe in the ayre . there were which by racking of the ropes insunder , fell head-long from the height where they hunge ; and vvith mighty pitch very many lost the state of their braine , togither with their eyes : and some their bones being crushed insunder , yealded forth with their liues ; others liued not lōg after . he that thinketh this a fable , let him aske of ⸬ vranius the ambassador of zeno , in whose presence such thinges were most of all put in execution , because comming to carthage he had cast abroade , that his comming was for the defence of the catholike churches . wherfore the tyrant to giue him to vnderstand that hee stood in awe of no man , in those places & streets to be racked ( epidophorus sitting by and raging ) before his torments tooke out ⸬ the chrisome clothes , wherewith he once vested this fellowe at the font , when he vndertoke for him , vvhich priuily he brought about him to this purpose ; and wauing them in the ayre , and lifting them vp that all might behold it , he is said with such wordes as these , to haue moued the vvhole city to lamentation and teares . these are the ⸬ linnen ( o epidophorus , thou abused minister of errour ) which shall accuse thee , when the majesty of the great iudge shall come : they shall be diligently by me kept , in witnesse of thy perdition , and condemne thee headlong to the bottomelesse depth of the pit which burneth with brimstone . these did cladde thee , arising without spot out of the font : these shall vehemently persecute thee , vvhen thou shalt with the rest , inherit the flames of hell ; because thou hast put on cursednesse as a garment , renting and forsaking the true and holy robe of baptisme and faith . what wilt thou doe ( o wreatch ) vvhen the seruants of the house-holder shall beginne to call togither , those that were inuited ? then the king beholding thee who wert once called , and seing thee to want thy wedding rayment , shall with terrible indignation say vnto thee . friende , howe enterst thou in , not hauing a nuptiall garment ? i see not that which i gaue thee , i acknowledge not this to be that , which i bestowed vpon thee : thou ●a●t lost the habite of thy knight-hood , which in defence of thy virginall body thou waredst . tenne moneths i couered thee , i drewe the signe of my crosse vpon thee , i washed thee cleane with water , and adorned thee with the purple of my bloud : i perceiue not my seale in thy face ; i see no character of the trinity : no such can be at my banquet . binde you him hand and foote with ropes , who would voluntarily seperate him selfe in such sort from his catholike brethren . he hath enlarged and pitched his lines , a snare , wherewith he hath both entangled him selfe , and stopped others from my feast . he hath laid for diuers a stumbling-blocke in their way : therefore with eternall shame and euerlasting ignominy , i caste him out from my table . while muritta spake , epidophorus being put to silence , was seared in conscience before the day of the fire euerlasting . chap. xi . banishment of the clergie of carthage : the notable constancy of twelue quyristers . al of them therefore preparing their backes for strokes , cheerefully went forwards to banishment , who being yet in their long journey , outragious & vnmerciful men came ( by setting on of the arrian bishops ) to take from them , that which peraduenture christian piety had giuen them for susteynance : when as each of thē so much more gladly sung . naked i came sorth of my mothers wombe , and naked now i goe to exile : sor god is not to seeke , howe to feede his hungry , nor howe to clothe vs in the desert . two vandals moreouer , who had often vnder gensericke beene confessors , contemning their riches , went with these of the clergie into banishment , and their mother in their company . out of this multitude of confessors ( that is to say of the clergie of carthage ) as they were in their journey , twelue children by the suggestiō of ⸬ theucorius ( who of a lector was become a runnegate ) vvere to be seperated , such as he knewe to haue cleare strong voyces , and fit for musicke , & had beene his schollers while he was catholike . quickly vpon his information were men sent , and with barbarous fury boyes to the number of twelue , are recalled from their journey , all seperated in body not in minde , from the flocke of the saints ; dreading yet their ruine , with sighs and teares they clasped their fellowes knees , that they might not be drawne away ; whome neuerthelesse the rude heretikes , parting with their menacing swordes , carryed backe to carthage . but though they were dealt with all not by faire meanes ( as their age seemed rather to require ) they were found more resolute then for their yeares ; and least they should sleepe to death , they lighted to themselues the lampes of the gospels light . at this the arrians conceiued grieuous indignation , blushing for shame to see themselues ouercome by boyes , and enflamed thereby , vvill them to be beaten afresh vvith wandes , whome fewe dayes before they had cut with many lashes . sores are made vpon sores , and the hurts renewed waxe rawe afresh : yet came it to passe through our lordes assistance , that their small age tainted not for payne , and their courage increased , so that they waxed strong in faith : whome nowe carthage honoureth with great affection , regarding this quyre of twelue boyes , as of twelue apostles . they dwell togither , they table togither , they sing togither , they rejoyce in our lord togither . chap. xii . the martyrdomes of certayne : and the euill entreaty of bishop eugenius . in those dayes two marchants of the same city , who both had to name frumentius , vvere crowned vvith a notable martyrdome . seauen brethren also , not by nature , but by grace ( as which liued togither in one monastery ) accomplishing the agony of their confession , came to the garland vvhose flourish neuer vadeth : liberatus the ⸬ abbot , bonifacius a deacon , seruus a sub deacon , rusticus ⸬ a sub-deacon , rogatus a monke , septimus a monke , and maximus a monke : for as then more cruelly did the bishops , priests , and clergie of the arrians rage , then the king and his vandals . for euery where those bishops vvith their clergie , ranne vp and downe , persecuting vs with their swordes by their sides , as namely one antony a superintendent of theirs , & somewhat crueller then the rest ; whose practises against vs vvere so abhominable and incredible , that they can not be vttered . his residence vvas in a city neare to the wildernesse , which joyneth vpon the prouince of tripoly . as an vnsatiable beast thirsting after catholikes bloud , he ranne here & there , roaring after his pray : and impious hunricke acquainted vvith his fierce disposition , vvould needes banish eugenius into the coasts of that wildernesse . but antony to whose custody he was committed , kept him so close and straight , that no man could haue accesse ; and besides by sondry afflictions , guiles , and paynes , thought to make him away . the holy man while he bewayled the sore persecution , and wore out his aged limmes by rough haire-cloth , and lying on the bare ground , watred his couch vvith deuout showers of teares ; fell at last into the troublesome disease of the palsey . at newes whereof the arrian conceiuing great joy , ranne in hast to the cell of gods exiled seruant : and when he perceiued the true bishoppe , through stopping of his disease to maffle in speech , he cast in minde to destroy him out-right , as to whome he wished not long life . willing therefore the sharpest vinegre to be brought that could be found ; he powred the same into the reuerēd old mans jawes , notwithstanding that hee abhorred and loathed it . for if the lord of vs all , which came to that end to drinke it , when he had tasted it , refused to drinke ; howe much rather should this faithfull seruant and confessor of his reject it , when hereticall fury pressed it vpon him ? by this vinegre encreased that noysome disease , of vvhich yet afterwardes ( christ of his pity mercyfully assisting ) he became hole . chap. xiii . the barbarous and vaine outrage of an arrian superintendent , against a catholike bishop . by the like banishment and vsage of habet-deum , and other of our bishops , is easely manifest , how grieuously the city of tamallum , wherein antony made his abode , might be vexed . for whereas he had , vvith sondry afflictions giuen him vexation , neyther could make him an arrian , but found the champion of christ alwaies constant in his profession ; neuerthelesse had promised his confederats to ouercome him , saying : if i make him not of our religion , i am not antony : now perceauing that he failed of his boast , he inuented thus to doe . tying the bishop hand and foote with bigge bandes , and gagging his mouth that hee might not crie out , he cast vpon him water of rebaptization , as he counted it : as though he could aswell binde his conscience , as his body ; or that he were not present by his grace , who heareth the groanes of the fettered , and searcheth the secretes of harts ; or as though the false water , could take away such a perfect resolution , as the man of god had already sent to heauen , teares being the messengers of his hart ? he then loosed the man of his bandes and with semblance of great ioy merily saide . behould brother habet-deum you are now made a christian of ours ( what can you now doe , but consent to the kinges pleasure ? ) to whom habet-deum answered . nay ( wicked antony ) * there is mortall sinne and damnation , where consent of will is obtained : i stood fast in faith , & confessing it with often speech maintained with open protestatiō , that which i beleeue now , & alwaies did . after that thou hadst bound me with chaines , stopping the entrance of my mouth ; in the tribunall of my hart sent i vp to the view of the heauenly emperours , the actes of this my sufferance , the angels subscribing thereunto . chap. xiiii . more of the arrians tyr any , and how they rebaptized people by plaine violence . like violence was generally vsed by the tyrāts . for the vandals were to this purpose , sent about euery where , that they might bring al passingers , to be destroyed by their priestes : who when they had slaine their soules with that erronious water , gaue them a bill or ticket ; that they might no more haue violence offered . for it was not lawefull either to priuate men , or to marchants and men of affaires , to passe any where , except they shewed a testimoniall , discouering the death of their owne soules . reuelation whereof , christ long since opened to his seruant iohn , where hee saith . it shall be to no man permitted to buy or sell , but to him that hath the marke of the beast in his forehead , and in his hand . their bishops also & priests , march about townes & villages in the night season , with a band of weaponed men , and ( theeues of soules as they were ) * breaking open doores , entred in with water and sword : and whom they found at home ( some of them peraduenture sleeping in their bedds ) they sprinkled with their thunder and fierie showre , and all at once with simoniacall crie , called them their christians : so that they seemed rather to make a may-game of * their hereticall water , then a matter of religion . those of least capacity , and dul spirit , reputed , that by this meanes , the sacrilegious abhomination was accomplished in them : but the wiser sort comforted thēselues , in that it could not hurte them , which had beene done to them repugning or sleeping . many did presently cast ashes vpon their heads ; some did put on mournfully haire-cloath , because such a change had hapned , others did anoint themselues with filthy dirt , renting to fitters the chrysoms which had beene laide vpon them , and with faithfull hand casting them into draughts and stinking places . chap. xv. children taken from their parents : the manly courage of a phisicions wife . vvith semblable force , was before my eyes , in carthage , a gentlemans sonne of seauen yeares old taken from his parents , by cyrillas commandment . the mother ( all matronlike grauely laide aside ) ran after the theeues through the cittie , her heaire about her eares , & the child cried aswel as he might , * i am a christian already , by saint stephen i am a christian , whose mouth they stopped , and drenched his guiltlesse infancie in their puddle . like prank they plaied with the children of honest liberatus the phisition : for being commanded with his wife & children to banishment , the malicious arrians thought it best , to diuide the litle children from the parents to proue if by tendernes of affect on they might ouerthrow the fathers constancie seperated are the younglings from their parents , whereat as liberatus was about to shed teares , hee was by his wife reprehended , and the teares as they were issuing forth dried vp : for in this wise she spake vnto him . and wilt thou ( my liberatus ) loose thy soule for thy children ? esteeme them as if they had neuer beene borne ; for christ will at full be reuenged in them ▪ see you not , how they crie , & say that they are christians ? what this woman did also in the sight of the iudges must not bee concealed when her husband and shee were imprisoned ( but seuerally that one might not see the other ; ) word was sent to the woman , that shee should nowe lay away her stubbornesse , for that her husband had obeyed the kings commandement , and was become a christian of theirs . let me see him saide she and i will also do as please god. being led out of prison , shee found her good man standing before the iudgement seate , compassed with a great multitude ; & thinking it to be true which the enemies had feigned , caught houlde with her hand vpon his garment next to his throate , and before them all throtled him , saying : vngratious and reprobate , vnworthie of gods fauour and mercie , why wouldst thou florish for a litle while & perish euerlastingly ? what wil thy gold profit thee ? what wil thy siluer ; wil they deliuer thee frō the furnace of hell ? this she said and much more . to whome her husband answered : what ailest thou woman ? what seest thou ? or what maist thou ( perhaps ) haue heard say , concerning me ? in the name of christ i remaine catholike still , neither shall i euer forsake that , which i yet hold fast . then coulde the heretickes , being guilty and detected of their lye , no longer coulour their treacherie . chap. xvi . the voluntary exile of sundrie persons : the supplication of bishop habet-deum to the kinge . i haue briefely spoken already of the monstrous violence and outrage by them vsed . vvhich many fearing , hide themselues : some in caues ; others in vncouth places , both men and women , no man being of their counsaile : where for want of reliefe , ouercome with hunger or colde , they breathed forth their contrite and afflicted soules , carrying with them among their tribulations the security of an vnuiolate faith . in such plight was found cresconius a priest of the cittie mizent , in a caue of the * quizan mountaine , already deade , & his body beginning to draw to corruption . seing we haue newly mentioned habet-deum , he came to carthage and thought good to goe to the abhominable king , to manifest to him his conscience , which had alwaies beene familier and well knowne to god. neither could antony hould him backe for verie shame . he offered to the king a supplicatiō hauing in effect these words ? what haue you now obtained at their handes which are fledde ? or of them which you banished ? yee haue daily spoiled them of their substance , yee haue depriued them of church , country , and home : you haue onely lefte them their soule , which also you seeke to make * captiue . o times , o corrupted manners ? all the world vnderstandeth it , and the persecutor himselfe seeth it . if it be faith which you follow , why vexe yee the members of the true faith , with so enormious persecutions ? what meddle you with our banishment ? ley , began to bring forth a duskish , rather then a florishing haye ; forthwith a scalding wind was at hand , scorching it all , and withering it away . for the dusty season vnder a hotte ayre , chafing al things , had filled euery place as with a cloud . al trafficke was ceased , no ploughes with labouring oxen turned vp the gritte of the ground ; for neither were oxen aliue , nor any ploughes remaining . and of the country peasants , part were dead the other part seeking their graues . and for as much , as through the incōuenience of the famine , neither buying nor selling were accustomed , nor the earth duely tilled , troopes , and in a manner carcas●es of olde people , of young men and maydes , of boyes and girles , were in euery place scattered abroade , through townes , villages , and each particuler cittie , wheresoeuer they could , and in such sorte as they could , and in such sort as they might . for seeing they were become like a naughty and froward body , prouoking gods wrath at the waters of contradiction ; they felt hūger as dogges , not that they might finde foode , but that they might feele the trinity reuenging , whom they had so denied . some did spreade themselues ouer the fieldes ; others sought the secretest places of the woods , searching after olde rootes of hearbes , or of such trifles . there were , which about to enter into their house , fell downe by companies on the very threshold , being conquered by famine . the high waies and pathes were full of carcases : the stincke breathing from the deade , killed the liuing on all sides . burials abounded of those which daily deceased , and there was no vertuous abilitie to bestow the charity of the graue : for famine raging , the liuing were not sufficient to bury the deade ; and they themselues also soone after to dye . all men greatly desired to turne their owne liberty & their childrens , into bondage ; but they found not vnto whome . mountaines and hilles , streetes of the citties , waies and pathes , made one common graue for all , to whom consuming neede denied sustenance . the vandalls themselues , whom before the sundry spoiles of many princes , & possession of africa had enriched , were now most of all oppressed with necessity : and how much the statelier they seemed to themselues , by multiplying could they well be called by any other name then barbares , a name importing their fierce crueltie , and dreadfull terror ? with how great gifts soeuer yee honour them : with how great seruices soeuer ye appeasethē , they know not how to doe otherwise , thē to enuy romans . and as tou ching their inclination and ayme , they euermore endeuour to blemish the glorie and stocke of the roman name : neither are they willing that any roman should remaine aliue . and where they are found to spare whom they hould in subiection , it is but for their seruice that they spare them : for they neuer loued any of the romans . if euer barbarous and rude pagan , cared to debat with vs in matter of faith by argument , then will likewise the arrians heresie come to disputation . but when could it euer obserue any reason , since it seperateth god our sauiour from god the father : by fraude and calumniation maintaine they their cause : and like a tempestious whirl-wind , with their storming rage , would they turne all vpside dowe . if disputation by bishops was expedient , what is to doe with hanging vp from ground , with fire , hookes , and with gallowes ? why hath continuallie the arrian brood inuented such kinds of tormēts against guiltlesse persons , as not mezentius himself did euer excogitat ? against innocēcy haue outragious furor & couetous cruelty fought ; to destroy mens soules , and rauin away their substance . if conference were wished , wherto tendeth rapine of other mens goods ; and not only from priestes , but from all the laity ; who reioyced when they were spoyled , and with great consolation receiued the ransacking of their substance . chap. xix . lamentation of the auctor for the miserie of afric : & inuocation of the praier & meditatiō of saints , for redresse therof . approch now ( i pray you ) all ages , al sexes , all estates : approch all ye that beare the name of catholikes ; who are ouer all the world borne in your fathers bosome ; who alone know how to impart a true brotherly affection , who haue learned of paule our instructour both to reioyce with them which ioy , & to lament with them which sorrow . assemble togither and yong men haue learned to treade sharpe and rough wayes : trained vp in cloisters of monasteries , they haue beene led into captiuitie of the morians : and her holy stones are dispersed , not only in the higher end of the streets , but euen in the dreary metall mines . tell confidently you may vnto her protector what tribulation shee is in , and how her stomacke is disquieted with excessiue weeping . for shee sitteth among the gentiles finding no ease , and there is no man to comfort her . i sought among the fathers of the east to see who bewailed her , and there was not any . i searched a comforter & i found him not , while in her hunger shee fed vpon gall , and in her thirst drunke vineger : imitating the passions of her spouse and lord : who therefore , suffered for her , that shee might follow his steppes . pray o ye patriarkes , of whose stocke shee is borne , who now so traiueileth in earth . pray , o yee prophets , knowing her affliction , whose prayse you by prophesie , so long before did sing forth be * intercessors for her , o apostles , seeing to gather her togither you ranne as swift coursers ouer the whole world , our lord reyning the bridle . thou principally , o blessed peter , why art thou silent for the sheepe , * and lambes commended to thee , with great care and regard , by our vniuersall lord. thou , o holy paul , instructor of the gentiles , who from hierusalem vnto slauony didst preach the gospell of god ; aduize what the arian vandals doe , & how thy children lament in captiuity . o all ye apostles , poure forth togither your grones for vs. wel we know that we are vnworthy for whom you should entreate : forasmuch as these calamities which haue fallen out for our probation , haue not bin sēt vs as to the iust is wōt , but as plagues for our deserts : yet pray for vs your children ( euill though we be ) as christ praid for the iewes his enemies . let that suffice for our chastisement , which hath already beene laide vpon vs : and now at last let forgiuenes bee solicited for sinfull wretches . let it bee saide vnto the reuenging angell ; it sufficeth ; hold thy hand . who is ignorant that our approbrious wickednes procured all this for going astray frō gods commaundements , and refusing to walke in his lawe . but prostrate wee beseech you , that yee despise not * your miserable sinners ; for his sake who from poore fishermen raysed you to the hight of apostolicall dignity . most mischieuous huneric held the dominion of his kingdome seauen yeare , ten monethes : then consummated the race of his life by a death correspondent to his demerits . for he putrified and boyled out vermine ; so that not his body , but gobets of his body may be said to be buried . * and as that king long since trāsgressor of the lawe giuen had no other buriall then the buriall * of an asse : so perished and soone , this ( execrable tyrant ) by semblable ignominious death . chap. i. * the passion of seauen blessed martirs which suffered at carthage vnder king huneric * 6. non. of iuly . at tēpting to set forth the triumphes of blessed martyrs , i first implore aide of god , to the declaration of their actes , that hee which accomplished vnto them conquest and victorie , vouchsafe also to affoorde vnto mee ( although vnworthy and vndeseruing ) some ornamēts how meane soeuer of vtterance : for then shal i be able to expresse what is desired , if they for me wretch make supplication vnto our lord. the seauenth yeare it was of most cruell and no lesse impious huneric , when behold the ancient enemy , that olde & craftie serpent , spitting forth the venim of his threeforked tongue , vsing for an instrumēt one ciritlas a bishop * of the arrian-madd heretickes , subuerting and possessing the mind of the bloodie prince , so to perswade him , that hee could not euer enioy a peaceable , & long continued raigne vnlesse he vtterly abolished the very memory of innocents , ( though neuertheles through gods iust iudgement preuēted by a most shameful death , scraling with vermin he breathed out his ghost ) with gory mouth began to persue the multitude of catholikes , who through all the prouince of africa had multiplied much like what was foretold to abraham the patriarke : to wound thē by the * glayne of rebaptization , and to soile with his muddy swarth , the stole of one cleane baptisme , which christ washing in the wine of his flesh , & wringing in the presse of his crosse had perfectlie whitned . the tyrant therefore admitting ( as he was both easie to be caried away , and fierce ) that serpent in suggestion , began to shake all africa at once with sauage edictes . chap. ii. first and foremost hee sent parling by inhumane banishment into far lands a notable company of priestes and deacons : to whom for compassion he commanded to giue the * twy-edged sort of grayne which only beasts feede vpon ; & neither dishusked by the myll ; but the branny scorce remained vpon it . afterwards moreouer , his madnes and impietie encreasing most vnmercifully gaue he commandment this simple sustenance to bee withdrawne . not long after this , willed hee yet further , the churches ( * whose gates were in time past held so venerable ) to bee mured vp stronly with huge morterworks . as for monasteries ; as wel those of mē , as those of holy virgins , hee charged to be deliuered vp togither with their dwellers into the hands of the gētiles , ( that is to the morians . ) semblable was the lamentation of all ; semblable entire and full of resolution of dying for christ : semblable floudes of teares trickling from their eyes for our lord nowe permitted them to be fed with the bread of teares ; and to drinke their measure of teares , if not teares without measure . and if there were * of rauens some prone to destruction , which departing forth of the arke stayed eger vpon the dead carkases ; greater yet was the number of happie doues persisting in the name of the trinity . how many noble & excellēt persons ; lords of ample & large demayn exchāged land for heauē , rēdring vp both body and goods ? and how many tender and noble gentle-women were contrary to naturall honesty whipt with rods , in face of all the people ; and excruciated with sundry torments , euer bare away triumphant monuments of victorie ? how many yong children deriding the inhuman edictes , first despised the world ere they entred the inticing pathes thereof ? chap. iii. in those daies were also seauen ( as cōcerning association of our lords feruice , brethren ) who dwelt with one hart and chap. 4. soone came this to the tyrantes eares , who drunken with furie , willed them yet more to be constrained by vnheard-of torments , & loaded with more plensant shackles . thē gaue charge that a shippe should be filled with bundles of dry fewell ; them to be fast bound in the same vessell ; so fire to bee applied in the midst of the sea ; whereby they should be burnt to death . as they were brought forth out of the prison ; the multitude of gods people accompanied those warriars of the trinity , who as innocent lambes were led to be sacrificed ; contemplating the weighty and horrid yrons ; no lesse then as rare iewels . for bonds these were not indeed to bee reputed , but rather ornaments of brauery . with cheerefull alacritie went they toward execution , as if they had hastned vnto a banquet ; singing through the passages of the streetes with one voice vnto our lord ; glory in the highest to god ; and in the earth peace to men of good will. this is our desired day ; more festifull then any festiuity : now behould is the acceptable time ; now behold is the day of saluations when for the faith of our lord god we endure addressed death , that wee may not lose the garment of obtained faith . the people also with common voice cryed : feare not o seruāts of god , nor dread the threats and terrors of tribulations present : dye we rather for christ , as he died for vs , redeeming vs with the price of his sauing blood . one neuerthelesse by name maximus a child of their cōpany , laboured those authors of euil with vehement endeuour to disioyne from society of the saints , saying why hastnest thou prety boy vnto death ? let them goe , they are mad ; heare thou our counsaile , that thou mayst obtaine thy life , & goe to the great kings court . whervnto he , though a child in yeares , yet cried with mature grauity , no man gets me from my holy father that liberatus , and from my brethren , who bred mee vp in the monastery : with them i liued in the feare of god , with them i desire to dye ; with whom also i trust that i shal attaine the glory to come . thinke not that you can seduce my childhood : seauen soules sith our lord would assemble vs , hee will in like sorte vouchsafe to crowne vs all with one martirdome . as none perished of the seauen machabees so the number of seauen shall church of celebrina . thus in confession of the trinity suffered the thrise-blessed martirs , accomplishing a glorious prosecution of their combate , and receiuing crownes of our lord. to whome is honor , & glory , world without end , amen . the end of b. victors historie of the arrian persecution in africa against the catholikes . plame . 146. our lord reedifying ierusalem shal gather togither the scatterlings of israel : hee who healeth the crushed in heart and bindeth vp their bruises . concerning processe of the persecution after the good hound king huneric had yelped vp his last ; not much is extant in authors : albeit that it continued outright ( not at all times indeed with tenor of equall terrour ) some 90. yeares space , as witnesseth iustinian in his lawes . but good estimat thereof may be gathered by the life of s. fulgentius most authentically written by one of his owne disciples vnto his successour foelicianus . the life of saint fulgentīus bishop of rulp . hvneric the arrian king of vandals , after that carthage had beene by them subdued , exiled all the senators into italy : one of whom was gordian grand-father to fulgentius . which gordian being deceased , his sonne claudius returning to carthage , although their house had beene giuen to arrian priests ; yet recouering great parte of his heritage , by fauor which he found at the kings hāds : and departing to lepte , there established his habitation . fulgentius there borne , was by the diligence of his carefull mother mariana ( for soone was his father taken from the life of this mortality ) trained vp in learning : and caused to be instructed in greeke before hee tooke ni hand latin , that thereby he might attaine to greater perfection & skill in that strange tongue . so highly profited he in all good partes togither with encreasing yeares , that his mother exceedingly reioyced in his wisdome and towardnes : greatly easing by his presence the discomfort of her lost husband ; and permitting to his gouernment the ordring of her houshold . in which charge he bare himselfe pleasurable to his friends , reasonable to his ●llwillers ; to the seruants aswell milde in direction as seuere in correction ; & diligently vphold his patrimony . being at lēgth instituted the kings collector , and prescribed to bee rigourous in exacting of the rated payments : heauy to his soule , began the burden of worldly busines to wax . and vaine flattering felicity yeelding disgust , by litle and litle the loue of spirituall life seemed to take roote in his hart first encreased a desire of reading & praying : then cast he in mind to frequent monasteries ; and beheld by experience the sweet conuersation of gods seruants . whō perceiuing as they had no worldly solace , so to haue no wearines ; as no temporall ioyes , so no vexation of spirit : and withal discerning with what cheerefulnes and alacrity sundry persons , yea yong-men , walked the straight vvay of perfection in perpetuall continency ; he brake out vvith himselfe in these vvords . why trau●ile i in the world which shall yeelde me no future & lasting reward ? although better it be to weepe well , then ioy ill , yet if to ioy be our desire ; howe much excelleth their ioy , who haue a good conscience towards god , who dread nothing but sinne , doe nothing but accomplish the commandements ? change we labours : and as i before endeuoured among my noble friendes to appeare more noble : so now let my imployment and solicitude bee among the humble and poore seruants of the highest to become more poore and humble ; turning by saint mathevves example from a publican to a disciple . resolued to renoūce terrene delights , and to render himselfe partaker of that kind of life , vvhich in vpright disquisition the arbitrary discussion of his inward thoughts approued & extolled ; least yet sudaine change might breede him some annoyance either in body or minde , hee put himselfe into exercise of fasting ; and auoiding the company and accustomed complements of his olde acquaintance , and familiers , he gaue himselfe solitarilie to reading and oraisons : so that euen in a seculer profession he conuersed as a perfect monke . all those which knew him were striken with wonder and admiration at his extraordinary carriage : imputing this strict demeanure of a man so delicately brought vp to proceed from necessity and priuy pouerty . when he had now made some proofe of such thinges wherein he conceiued difficulties might grow : and well vnderstood the abilitie of a couragious wil prouoked and ayded by the concurrence of diuine grace : perusing ( among other theologicall treatises ) the discourse of saint austen vppon the 36. psalme , his loue of perfection more strongly encreased : so that he determined out of hand to effectuate his holy designe . it came in his minde by secret departure in vnknowne apparell to sequester himselfe : but then reflecting that his conuersion , if hidden , would only auayle himselfe ; if published , might be an incitation to others : he without delay went to bishop faustus a good and godly personage ( one of those prelates whom huneric had confined vnto certaine places neere vnto their owne country ; whereby they might sooner relent ) beseeching at his hands monasticall habit . for in a litle monastery which hee had erected , held his residence . the prudent bishop well knowing the worldly cōuersation of the yong mā in time past , gaue no credit vnto his purpose , nor cōforte vnto his request : but willed him first leanre to become a lesse delicat lay-man : and gently put him from him . but he humbly kissing the bishops hand besought him very affectuously not to repell him vtterly ; but gratiously to open vnto him the monastery dore , and admitte him for one of his disciples . importunity declared sincere resolution ; sincere purpose deserued credence , and obtained admission . fame of the thing spreading abroad ; some despaired successe because of his former daintines , others considered his excellent wit were raysed into expectation of some noble and worthy consequence . diuers of his familiars excited by imitation of his renūciation , addicting themselues to the like life , only his inconsiderat & worldly minded parent grew greatly disquieted & frighted . as if her fulgentius were now dead ( albeit well were hee deade who so died ) she impatienly runneth to the monastery , brawleth with b. faustus , & crieth out ; restore the sonne to his mother , the strayned here and there vp & downe by fleeing to hide himselfe : and fulgentius had no better shift then to get to another litle monastery gouerned by abbot foelix ; who not ignorant of his vertue , gladly would haue designed vnto him : which honor fulgentius constantly refused : but to take part of the charge vpon him , the consent of the company imposing it , hee could not stifly deny . so that these two holy fathers equall in loue of god and their neighbour , equall also in vertue , & like in conditions , mutually gouerned ; each fearefull of offēding the other , each vigilently attending to the behoof of the couent : but one peculiarly addicted to instruction and institution ; the other to ordering the affaires & to necessary prouision . this monastery being in like sorte by tumults dissolued ; they passed with their whole company into more remote & vnknowne parts of africke ; lastly setled in the territory of sicca , not without great fauour of people and no lesse profitt and gaine of soules : vntill one foelix a priest of the arrian heretikes , who not farre of preached his perfidious doctrine against the ancient faith , through emulation and spite spurned against them . this fellow , great in power and auctority , but greater in malice , growing into feare , least by means of fulgentius ( whose learning now began to wax famous ) sundry whom the arrian nouelty had reduced might be reconciled : caused to be beset all the waies and pathes of the resorte of these two monks . for fulgentius though no priest , yet vnder habit of a monke fulfilled indeed the office of a priest ; not by reconciling any , but by holsome aduertisemēts winning and drawing whom he could to reconsiliation . necessary it was that who had shewed themselues such valiant wariours by abstinence , should a litle fall into persecutors hands , to the intēt that by participating also in the combat of martyrdome , suffring inflicted torments for their faith , they might know and vnderstand how much they had profited . it fell out therefore that these two as they walked by the way , lighted into the watchmens hands : & after apprehension were presently seuered , and carried ( wel charged with bonds ) vnto the arrian priest . without faulte became they in this sorte prisoners , and without warre captiues ▪ foelix at the very first fright cast away frō him certaine money which he hapned to haue about him for the brethrens sustenance ; committing vnto god that which onely for gods seruants , had beene reserued . the arrian at their approach before him very roughly and bluntly demaunded why they came out of their country in secret sort , to subuert christian kings : kings terming all such as hee and his like had peruerted from the faith catholike . as they prepared to answere and would faine haue spoken ; he commanded them first to bee scourged . foelix out of his great charity made presently request , that brother fulgentius might be spared : who ( saide hee ) can not well liue to endure the extremity of the torment , but will of liklyhood send forth his innocent spirit vnder your hands : let rather your wrath be wholy wreaked vpon me ; in whom lieth the absolute cause of our action . what i confesse i know to be true . foelix therefore was most cruellie beaten : but not that fulgentius should escape : who being of tender constitution , as noble-borne , with much adoe susteyning the blowes of the staues ( as himselfe afterwards tolde vs ) aduised howe either to mitigate the enraged tormentor , or to gaine some respit and ease and cried out , that willingly hee would say somewhat , desiring that he might be heard . stripes and bastanados being intermitted , he began with his sweet eloquent mouth to recite cause of his trauaile into those quarters : giuing to the aduersary no small wonder at his learning , and his flowing speech . almost had the priest forgotten his cruelty , and shame of the iniury was ready to embrace his obdurat heart : yet least he should appeare ouercomne with his words , he cryed out fiercely : lay him on lustely , and multiplying your blowes rend this pratler : what ? weenes he , i trow , to seduce me also ? incredibly hereupon is he againe beaten : and then both of them deformedlie shauen , stript of their clothes and sent away packing all naked . but vnto them bredde neither such nakednesse , nor such boldnes , confusion : nay verily by so base an iniury sustained for conscience sake , singulerly were they beautified . forth then from the arrians house departed they no otherwise thē as from a glorious combat , and as crowned with laurels of victory : & in their returne found luckily the money which abbot foelix had throwne aside . rumor of this detestable facte gaue vnto sundry no smal offence , and namely to the arrian bishop of the dioces : who had helde fulgentius deare and much fauoured him , while hee was yet a lay-man ; and was now ready to prosecute reuenge of his profered violence , in case he would seeke it . whereunto when many perswaded him , fulgentius gaue them this humble deniall . lawfull it is not for a christian to meditate reuenge : well knoweth our lord how to repay the iniuries inflicted on his seruants . if my case bee venged , then loose i reward of my patience . especially seeing it might scandalize many litle ones , if i a catholike and a monke , should require iudgement at an arrians hand . fulgentius reading the wonderful liues of the egyptian monkes , sayled thitherwards ( accompanied with only one brother ) aswell to liue vnder a more stricte rule , as also to leaue the title of abbot , & to liue againe vnder obedience . driuen was the shippe by force of weather and winde to the hauen of syracuse , chiefe citie of sicilia . bishoppe there , at that time was holy eusalius ; who had a proper , monastery , whereunto he frequently resorted , when he was somewhat voide from episcopall cares . in very charitable sort were they by this bishop entertained : he perceiuing the sufficiency of fulgentius enquired the cause of his voyage ; who pretended search after his parents ; as loath of pure humility to lay open his intended purpose : ( and spirituall parents he indeed sought ) eusalius easily found the feigned answere , and by further questions receiuing the true motiue , diswaded such iorney , assuring him that egypt was in schisme and seperated from the communion of blessed peter : and added without faith impossible is it to please god : and what profiteth it to afflict the body with fasting , when the soule shall want spirituall comfort ? neither put thou thy faith in hazard vpon conceiued regard of a more perfect life . at syracuse liued fulgentius one winter and though not but at the good bishops charity , yet ceassed hee not of that litle studiously to relieue the necessities of others : and winter being past , he visited ruffinianus , a bishop likewise but heretically liuing in an obscure smal islet of the sicilian shore ; beseeching his aduice also concerning the purposed iorney . of whom in semblable sort disswaded ; hee was about to returne to his monastery : but better aduised would not omit the memory of the apostbes : but sayling to rome venerably visited the places of holy martyrs : and there beholding the order of the roman nobility , triumphant pomp of king theoderic , & vniuersall gladnes of the cittie ; he yet respected not such worldly toies with delight , but by sight thereof stirred vp his minde to desire of heauenly ioyes : giuing this lesson of admonition vnto his company . howe beautifull may the celestiall hierusalem be when terrestriall rome so glittereth ? if such honor be giuen to louers of vanity ; what glorie shall be imparted to the saints , louers and followers of truth ? returning into africa to the incredible ioy of his monkes , being desirous of rest for loue of contemplation , but finding distractions in his monastery by necessity of charitable charge ; to auoid the burden and care of ruling others , hee priuily stole vnto another monastery farre of amidst the shelly rockes of the sea , destitute in a manner of all humane solace & necessaries . where being receiued ; as much as he passed all others in excellencie of learning and spirituall eloquence , so farre subiected he himselfe to al in humilitie and obedience : many bookes hee there copied out very faire with his owne hands , and not seldome made necessarie implements of palme leaues . the rather in such secret sort had he sequestred himselfe into other quarters , for that his estimation was growne to be such , as that the noble-men and gentry imployed themselues in a kind of contention who might most gratifie him : of whom siluester the principal man of the bizacene prouince bestowed vpon him a seate singulerly fertill , and most commodious for erection of a monastery : which he gratefully accepting edisied indeede such a place ; but more glorious by the brightnes of the vertues there resident , then of curious or magnificent building : neither endured he there to stay . his old monks recouering notice of his abode , letted not instantly to require him : and great grew the dissension ; these seeking to regaine him , those other to detaine him : his owne choice was to remaine with the later , in subiection : but the former complaining to b. faustus , he laide chalenge to fulgentius as to his monke ; threatning excommunication to the others if they obstinatly resisted . in fine to his old monastery was he constrained to returne : where that he should no more attempt to slippe away for loue of spirituall vacance , they caused him to be consecrated priest . sundry citties wanting pastors ( for the kings auctority had prohibited bishops to be any more ordained ) many of them sought and laboured to haue fulgentius for theirs , & elected him outright . secure neuerthelesse held he himselfe by reason of the prohibition ; vntil such time that the bishops which yet suruiued decreed that contrary to the kings commandement and order , bishops should be ordained in all places vacant : for then hid he himselfe , nor would be found . according as the bishops had defined , were there out of hand , in all hast ( least aduertisement should ouer soone arriue at the kings eares ) worthy priests and deacons euery where taken , blessed and consecrated : only fulgentius who was most of all sought for , no where appeared . all solemnities of cōsecratiō being past , returned he , & discouered himself , wel hoping now to bee safe . but otherwise disposed god ; for by great happe the city ruspae remaining as yet vnfurnished , the citizēs getting incling of his discouery came vnto him , inuade him , hould him , cary him with them and not request but constraine him to be their bishop . in which prelacy and dignity he nothing forgot the integrity of his former state , neither gaue ouer to be a monk . meane and simple attyre he vsed , often went barefoot ; wholly abstayned from flesh , oyle , and wyne : in no place would he be without company and presence of some monks of his . shortly after ensued that which was before well enough forseen to be a lykely consequent ; but contemned in respect of the churches necessity and destitution : that is , that the king exiled threescore bishops and more into sardinia : among them this holy saint , who gladly mounted the commanded vessell , reioycing that he had a part in such a glorious confession . diuers of his monks and clergy followed him : and arriuing into sardinia , at calaris began he a kind of monastery : for the clearks and monks liued togither at the same table & in the same house : only the monks more strictly possessed nothing , in propriety . and hereby his sermons conuerted hee many to monasticall life . among the craftie fetches and persecutory driftes of king trasamund , whereby he endeuoured to allure catholikes ▪ vnto the arrian inuentions , hee feigned desire of becomming a catholike : and proposing diuers foolish & deceiptful questions pretended that he could not finde any man sufficient to answere him : hearing therfore of fulgentius he hastily sent for him . who with good courage comming to carthage , seriously confirmed the catholikes in their faith : and with great pleasantnesse of speech , and gladnesse of cheere , he answered to all questioners , reiecting no man : so that sundry already rebaptized hee reclaimed from their errour , & reconciled them , instructed them to lament their fall ; others hee exhorted not to loose their soules for temporall commodities : and whom hee saw at the pinch of perdition , with milde words he so stayed and animated to a noble & generous resolution , that they were ashamed , and sorrowfully repenting , desisted to accomplish the fiendes suggestion . certain also by him established , who before were tottering , letted not with great confidence to reproue the weak-grounded impudency of the arrian party . thus turning the omnipotent of heauen his enemies deuise to his proper glory . after this champion of christ had stood in the princes sight , hee was by him both found and acknowledged to bee euery way aunswerable to the reporte which went of his wisedome and learning : and certaine difficulties were proposed vnto him shortly to bee by him answered by writing . which answere being framed , was first by the learnedst catholikes conferred vpon , & then brought to the peoples knowledge before that it was deliuered vp . the king perusing the same with great attention ; praysed his wisedome , wondred at his eloquence , commended his humility : yet was not worthy to vnderstād the truth . not long was his stay in carthage : for the arrians clamorously incensed the king , complayning that fulgentius had already reconciled some of their priests , that the people fell apace vnto him , and that their whole religion stood in hazard . by whose importunity the king committed him againe into sardinia . late in the night was he brought a bord the shippe , that his departure might be for the present concealed from the people : but by contrarie windes so long was hee delaied vpon the shore , that during many daies togither , almost all the citty came to him & taking their farewell cōmunicated at his hands . great lamentation arising at his departure , he tolde to luliates a merueilous deuout man ( whose sorrow among the rest was most extreame ) both that hee should shortly returne , and the church obtaine peace : desiring him to keepe it secret . so great was his humility , that he neuer was delighted with doing miracles , neither desired that grace . requested to pray for others necessities , hee vsually receiued these words : thou knowest ( o lord ) what is our soules health , graunt of thy mercy vnto our necessity as farre forth as shal not hinder our spirituall profit . whatsoeuer hee by prayer so obtained at gods hands , he imputed it to their faith , saying god had granted it to them , not to him . hee was wont to say that miracles make not a man iust and righteous , but famous . returning againe to sardinia he began a fresh foundation of a new monasterie , assembling some 40. monks or vpwards , teaching them principally to obserue exacte and precise pouerty ; often and sundrie times putting them in mind , that no monke was he , whosoeuer desired property in any thing : and that why one monke should fare better then his company , there may perhaps bee iust reason through speciall infirmity : but to chalenge propriety was an euident signe of a proud will and couetous desire . to whom he any thing more distributed thē to the rest , he willed them to be the more humble , saying . who taketh of the common so much , becommeth debter to all : which debt onely humility ought to pay . he gaue to euery one what their neede or manifest reason required ; but if any presumed to aske , hee denied it although there were happilie good cause . for ( said hee ) monkes ought to content with that which is giuen them : and they which aske ; be it that they neede it , yet are they in bondage to carnall desires : and haue not their mind perfectly set vpon heauenly thinges ; seeing what they cannot giue by worldly bargaining & busines , they labour to purchace by petition . very pleasing was it vnto him , if any of the brethren proposed a hard question : and gladly heard hee the doubts of any brother were hee neuer so simple ; neither would hee for wearinesse or tediousnesse cease to yeelde them reason vntill they confessed themselues satisfied . in correction so long would he appeare seuere , as the necessity of discipline did compell ; remaining , euen when hee seemed most displeased and angrie , nothing at all in minde troubled or disquieted . trasamund the king taken away by death , hilderic succeeding yealded liberty to the catholick church ; and recalled the bishops from exile : and fulgentius was with inestimable deuotion of the africans euery where receiued no lesse then if at euery place he had ben the peculier bishop . with lights , lamps , tapers , and boughes they mett him : with whom reioycing he now reioyced , as before with them lamenting he had lamented . so enflamed was the deuotion of people , that a showre happening , they with their garments held hollow ouer his head as by a tabernacle , sheilded him from the rayne . enioying his proper sea , yet lyked he styll to reside amōg the monks ; and in the monastery made himselfe subiect to abbot foelix : & whereas in all great maters of the diocese his authority and aduise was sought , yet within the monastery in eu'ry thing , were it neuer so small , would he be ruled by foelix . most of his clergy chose he out of the monastery , to encrease loue & amity in tyme to come betweene the clergy and monks . he prescribed to his clergy to hold their houses neere vnto the church , , to dresse each his gardayn with his owne handy labour , to haue a singuler regard of pronōcing & singing well . in the councell of vincense being by sentence of all the bishops preferred in place before b. quodvultdeus , who claymed the preheminence to his proper sea : the deuout father would not for the present disproue the iudgmēt of the coūcel ; but at the next coūcel he made supplication that b. quodvultdeus might be recited and set before him ; which was granted . a yeare before he deceased , forsooke he ecclesiastical businesse , and the monastery it selfe : departing into the island circina , with a few brethren ; and there liued he in a monastery vpon a litle rock : as feruently persisting in mortification , as if he now began a fresh a penitentiall life . but by importunity of the people , needing him and complayning of his absence , he returned and shortly fell into greiuous pangues of siknesse : lying so some 60. dayes he often cryed ; o lord , giue me here patience , and afterwards pardon . physicions perswading him to vse a bath ; can bathes ( quoth he ) make that a man hauing accomplished the course of nature should not dye ? if not ; why then induce you me now at my last end to dissolue the rigor of my long-obserued profession ? calling lastly the brethrē about him , he thus spake vnto them . careful of your souls helth ( deare brethren ) haue i perhaps beene austere and hard vnto you . whosoeuer is greiued , i beseech him pardon mee : and if my seuerity haue possibly passed measure and due moderation , pray ye to god that he impute it not to me . they all kneeling downe acknowledged , and affirmed him to haue beene alwayes louing , gentle , and milde towards them . he replyed . god prouide you a pastor worthy of his maiestie . then calling for a summe of money , which as a faithfull steward he dayly accustomed to dispense vnto the needy , he willed it all presently to be disbursed : and reciting by memory the wydowes , orphāts , pilgrims , and poore , he allotted to euery one their portion . soone dyed then amidst his prayers this verteous man ; and famous doctor of the church the first day of a new yeare , the 25. yeare of his episcopall dignity , the 60. of his lyfe , hauing written very many treatises , against the heretiks ; sondry sermons , and epistles . whose tongue was of such force to mooue , that the bishop of carthage hearing him preach two dayes at carthage , could not cōtayne from teares all the whyle , for ioy that gods goodnes had giuen to his church in those afflicted and confortlesse tymes , so noble an instrument of his glory . ther for sandy deserts , neither at all , vnlesse they would turne black-moors . occasion of which their passage ouer the mediterrane , was this . of the two most eminent personages for martiall affaires ; and famousest generals of the roman empire aetius and boniface ; this later being by valentinian the third , then emperour , placed gouernour of africke ; the former ( who by ouerthrowing attila with his innumerable hunnes wonne afterwards incredible honor , but withal puffed vp his hart with swelling ambition ) plotted surmises against him ; as a destroier of the prouince , with aduise , that best might this appeare in that happily he would refuse to obey , if he were sent for . by letters in the mean spaceful of feigned amity , gaue aetius aduertisement to erle boniface that hee was held suspect , & like shortly to be discharged of his dignity . wherupon , being presently reuoked into italy , hee made answere of expresse deniall : then , to preuent punishment , directed message vnto the vandals in spaine , promising if they would passe vnto him , to parte africke with them . vvhich no sooner had they done , but that to the erle came commissioners from empresse placidia , mother to valentinian : for he hauing bin alwaies before found most loyall , great was the wonder at this strange demeanure . to whom he had rendred reason , expostulating his seruices and the vnkinde abuses offered , laid also before their eies the letters of aetius , and that they had returned due report of the truth , he was restored to grace . hereupon , whereas before no arguments neither yet s. augustines own * epistle vnto him ( which seemeth about this point ) could auert him from cōceiued indignation ; he now promised to do his vtmost for dispatching away and ridding the vandals whose society he now began to detest . and first with many thousands of coyne he assayed thē : which offer reiected , he met them in battell but receiued an vtter ouerthrow at their hands . diuine vengeance ouertooke yet aetius after certain yeares ; for attempting extraordinary greatnesse he was by the emperour preuented and put to execution . genseric who performed this inuasion was but base sonne to godegiscus , though being a warriar he preuayled to exclude from the regimēt his yonger brother gonthar the lawfully begottē heire , and lastly made him from life . chap. ii. touching the precise tyme of those things , which b. victor mentioneth ; * prosper who was bred vp vnder s. austen noteth in his chronicle , that the vandals crossed into afric during the consulship of hierom and ardaburius , which fell in the yeare of our lord 427. insinuating that the siege of hippo with the death of the famous doctor was 3. or 4. yeare after : that in the yeare 435. peace was made with the vandals , the region about hippo being yealded them to inhabit : and by him it seemeth that in the yeare 437. it was , that genserich persecuted and chased the bishops of his prouince , depriuing them of their churche , bycause they refused to become arians , and embrace that religiō which he prescribed them to admitt . but vnto the vandals sauage proceedings may ( besyds the words of victor this more patheticall description of the first attēpts sett down by bishop possidius another of austens disciples , yeald no vngratefull light . in short tyme after , through the will and power of god , it came to passe , that a huge band , well armed with sondry weapons , well exercised in warres , of inexorable enemies ( vandals , and alans , associated with the people of goths , as also persons of sondry other nations ) disborded itselfe by ship , out of the parties of spayne on the other syde the sea , and rushed vpon africa : and piercing through all mauritania , euē vnto our prouincies , raging with all cruelty & atrocity , by spoyling , slaughter , and sondry torments , by fireing and other mischifs , as innumerable , so vnspeakable , destroyed whatsoeuer came in their way : sparing neither sexe nor age ; neither the priests or ministers them selues ; neither the very ornaments , furniture , or aedifices of churches . this most fierce proceeding , and hostile depopulation , that man of god austen did feele don , and ponder to be don , not as other men did , but more deeply and profoundly considering the same ; and therein principally regarding before hand the dangers yea deaths of soules , more then ordinarily was wont ; tears became his food both day and night ( * for who addeth vnderstanding addeth greif : and an intelligent heart is as a corrosiue vermine to the bones ) so that most bitter and aboue others moornfull led hee in patience the last act both of his old age and life . for already saw this man of god the cities together with their buyldings vtterly subuerted the inhabiters of villages some of them extinguished by their deadly enemyes , others of them chased away and scattred abroad : the churches destitute of priests & ministers ; the holy virgins also , and * what men soeuer professed cōtinency , euery where dispersed of these , part to haue dyed by torments , part to haue beene slayn by the sword ; part the integrity of mind , body , & of faith being quite lost in captiuity , after an euill and hard sort ▪ to serue their enemyes . he perceiued likewise the hymnes of god , and laudes to haue perished from the churches ; church buyldings in very many places wasted by fyre ; the solēnities which vnto god are due vanished out of their proper places : * sacrifices and sacraments diuine either not sought for ; or not easily the person found who might impart thē to the seeker : of those who fled into the moūtain forests , & rocky caues , or dens , or els fortresses , of what sort soeuer ; certaine to haue beene surprised and slayn , the rest disfurnished and depriued of necessary sustentations therby to pine trough hunger : the gouernors moreouer themselues of the churches , and * those of the clergy who happily had by gods grace either not lighted vpon them , or els escaped their incursions , spoyled of all things and made bare , in most poore plight to beg relief . scarse three among innumerable churches saw he now remayning , that is of carthage , hippon , and cirta ; which by speciall benefit of god were not subuerted ; & the cities of these stand permanent as furnished both by diuine & humane ayd : albeit hippon after his death emptied of indwellers was by the aduersaries fyred . amydst which euils cōforted he himselfe with the sentence of a certaine wiseman saying . no great thing shall it seeme that tymber and stones fall ; and that men which are mortall must dye : all these accidents , hee ( as deeply wise ) with plentifull teares dayly lamented . augmentation finally gaue this also to his moornfull lamentations that those foes came in like maner to besiege the said city of the hipponēses * regij , which vntil then held her former state . forasmuch therefore as in defence thereof was constituted one erle boniface , he who somtime had beene confederat of the goths army ; their siege continued about the citie almost 14. months : the benefit of the sea shore being withall cutt of . thither had we also from the neighbouring territory , together with other our associat bishops , betakē our selues by flight ; and there remayned during the whole siege . where very often wee had mutuall talke cōcerning these misfortunes : and considered the dreadfull iudgments of god layd now before our eyes : saying ; iust art thou o lord , and rightfull is thy doom . and altogether grieuing , groning , and shedding teares , wee besought the father of mercies , and god of all consolation , that he would be pleased to relieue vs from this tribulation . and it hapned that sitting with him at table , & entercourse of speech passing , he began to say in our presence ; yee shall vnderstand , that at this present of our calamity , i aske of god , that either he vouch safe to free this citie so by foes enuironed : or in case it otherwise seeme good vnto him , then to enharden his seruāts with courage to endure his pleasure ; or at leastwise to take me vnto him selfe , out of this world . by which saying of his being instructed from thence forwards together with him , and with our seuerall companies , and those which inhabited the same citie , of the highest god we required the like . behould then , the third moneth of the siege , tooke hee his bed , trauailed with feuers ; and began to be exercised with his last sicknes . neither surely did our lord defraud his seruant of the fruit of his praier : for both to himselfe , * and to the citty , hee in season obtained what before he had with wette praiers earnestly sued for . chap. iii. hereunto may bee added , that carthage as is gathered out of prosper was by genseric , impudent violator of the concluded peace , fraudulently surprised in the yeare of our lord 439. & that 15. yeares for cōsciēce sake , like fauor frō heauē to haue bin found . neither may i let passe , that africke as most other regions scourged of god might ( it seemeth ) not vntruly crie out , before i was abased i sinned : for so farre was it runne in diliciousnes and loosenes , that in carthage ( as bitterly lamented * saluian bishop of massilia at the very same season ) might be seene men of more discipline and seuerity in life to be hissed at in the streetes , as if they were wonders , or monsters ; not doubting to pronounce thereof , that the passage of the vandals into africke was not to be imputed vnto gods rigour , but to the africans wickednes ; & * victor himself acknowledgeth no lesse . adde wee this also out of procopius , that for better custodie of the purchased pray were ordeined in ambushes and places fit for guard , both vandals and alans vnder no fewer leaders then fourescore ; whom they tearmed chiliarchs ( * victor millenarians ) that is , captaines of thousands . whereby the army consisting of but 50. thousand gaue shew of 80. thousand . whereas also at the beginning vandals only and alans were held in roll ; yet admitted in time were other also of barbarous nations ; passing all vnder the name of vandals , except * moores onely , who at the last were in like manner receiued into the armie chap. v. three tragicall acts hauing beene by b. victor of vtica so represented , as that wee haue not only heard , but in a maner seene with our eyes , what can not but make pious harts to bleed : & a forth act being also performed , wherein some qualification and hope of better times began to appeare : it shall not ( i know ) be vngratefull to all christian eares , if i exhibit the last accidents of this veritable history ; to which the omnipotent himselfe gaue a gladsome * catastrophe . nay i may not be so harsh to their patient & compatient harts , who haue sorrowfully ( though not tediously ) through passed the rufull relations ; as to defraud thē of the consolatory part remayning behynde . so to doe where impiety ; at least , a kind of inhospitality . and besides the intermediant chances not vnplesant , the finall euent most delectable to recite ; euidently shall it be manifest how a well prepared brest , should in aduerse times not be deiected ; for that god by admirable and incomprehēsible means compassed what we can not coniecture . cōpendiously therefore to set downe out of procopius ; what he at large deliuereth the abstract and summe of things is as followeth . chap. vi. * genseric being very far stept into age , at the time of his death , left in his last testament , among other things this dispositiō , that the succession of his kingdome should alwaies passe vnto the neerest in blood of the males , and among equall in blood to the eldest . thirty and nine yeares after the taking of carthage , dyed he : & to him succeeded his elder soone * huneric , the other brother * genzon being before departed this life . successors to the hound huneric were first * gundabund son to his brother genzon , who continuing in the steps of his cruell predecessors , afflicted the christians ( so alwaies and no otherwise termeth procopius the catholicks , excluding the arians from that honorable name ) and by death was to late called away in the twelfth yeare of his reigne . after whom * trasamund took in hand the affaire of gouernement : a man farre passing his antecessors as well in wisdom , as magnanimity and courage : who also ( by a contrary course vnto them ) not by torments and vexations , but by rewards & honors inuited the christians to for sake their antient faith , and passe vnto his arianism , but those who would not relent , he no way pressed with punishment and affliction . and with anastasius the emperor he alwaies maintained good & perfect frendshipp . in this mans time receiued the vandals a sore ouerthrow at the * moores hands , farre greater then euer they had in any skirmish before . in the teritory of tripolis was a generall of the moores named cabaon , who perceiuing the vandals to intend him warre , vsed this not absurd stratageme . he first willed all vnder his commaund to vse abstinence in dyet to containe from dealing with women , and to refraine from all iniury and wrong : then made he a double munition or fortification ; within the one shutt the women , prohibiting vnder to iustinian the emperour was this hilderich , euen before hee was emperour ; and sundry presents had passed betweene thē . there was in the stocke of gizerich , one gilimer , sonne to genzon ( of whome is before mentioned ) and nexte in age vnto hilderich : a skilful warriour , of a sore wit , well furnished with meanes and euery way apte to inuade the state ; and who otherwise by proximity and age was expected to succeede . but impatient of stay he letted not to thrust farre into the interest royall , to vsurpe auctority ; proceeded to traduce the king vnto the vandals as a dull and not daring prince : charging him also calumniously that hee entended to resigne and deliuer vp to the emperor the whole dominion , togither with the vandals . to which surmises credite ouerlightly giuen , ilderich after seauen yeares gouernment is togither with amer and his brother euagenes committed to ward ; gilimer created king. newes wherof being brought to iustinian the emperour : he by curteous aduertisement wished gilimer not so to violate gizerichs will and testament ; nor persist in so open wrong . vpō which message gilimer forth with put out amers eyes , and helde the other two in streighter custody : and to second embassadors which iustiniā shortly sent againe , he finally answered , that the emperours curiosity was ouer great to ingest himselfe into the actions of other princes ; & pretended that ilderich had attempted somewhat against those of the blood-royall , neither ought to be king for that his cares and employments were not vpon his kingdome . chap. viii . great indignation conceaued the emperour at his tyrannicall obstinacy : wherefore the persian warre ( as god would haue it ) being with good successe freshly ended , & belisarius the great captaine , then present in constantinople , hee resolued enterprise for the liberty of africke . some repugnance yet therein he found , for the common people repiningly murmured & obiected the emperour ●●os fleete , that was in like attempt vtterly defeated , and the dreadfull ouerthrow giuē to basiliscus , wherby perished an entire army , & the common wealth became extreamely impouerished : they refused therefore to contribute vnto this warre . furthermore not the stoutest of the captaines , ( in whom lay the hope of wel carrying so great a charge ) but were discouraged , and sore dreaded the greatnesse of the danger : seeing first they had to ouercome the seas , then out of ships to assault a strong and potent kingdome . the soldiers also so lately returned from the persian brunts , grudged that they shoulde now sodainely bee destined to other vnknowne people and sea-combates , ere they had once beene so much as warme in theie owne country . none yet was found who had the heart or would presume to disswade the emperour , excepte only iohn the maister of the pallace who with a graue and vehement oration dehorted that enterprise , which vpon human reasons he held to be abhorred : telling him plainly that by this iourney he should abuse to liberally both the blood of his best soldiers , and the publike treasurie , and abilities of his subiects : vpbraiding that carthage which hee would impugne was distant by land 140. daies iorneies , and by sea so farre , that scarce in a yeare should report returne of what was done : that if he subdued the vandals , yet should he not be lord of africa , both sicilie and italy being vnder those strange nations dominion : happily also by this prouocation might hee drawe warres to his owne gates , and to the walles of constantinople . he besought him therefore to desist from vndertaking so doubtfull and dangerous businesse , and adding labours vnto labours . much moued the words of iohn the emperors minde ; & much remitted he of his former feruor , towards poore afric . there came not long after a certaine bishop out of the parties of the east , & obtaining to relate vnto the emperor , that which he came for ; told him that he had receiued from god a vision , wherein appeared the emperor himselfe ; and was sharply by the almightie reprehēded & accused of great impiety , that hauing cōceiued the good purpose of deliuering the christians in afric from the hands of the barbarous , he had afterwards vpō no cause forsaken the enterprise : and that god promised the emperor to assiste him ; and to bring africke into his subiection , as it had beene vnto the former antient emperors . no longer differred iustinian ( annimated by this oracle ) but furnished ships , ordained belisarius generall . chap. ix . the first beginning of good lucke to this actiō was that pudentius an african , reuolting from the vandals , sent hasty word to iustinian that if the army came to tripolie , he should easily obtaine that teritory for that few soldiers were there to resiste . which belisarius accordingly , by the aide of pudentius brought to good effect . presently vpon which , godas in likemaner , one of gilimers captains , gouuernour of the great island sardinia , and by nation a goth , sent submission to the emperour , saying he chose rather to serue a iust king , then a tyrant whose cōmandments were vniust . towards carthage were then directed 1000. footmen , and foure thousand horsemē : with them 400. eruls and 600. hunns all vsing their bowes . the nauy was in all 500. vessels , mariners 3000. and of voluntary aduenturers from constantinople 2000. in the seauenth yeare of iustinians empire was this expedition addressed : and epiphanius bishop of the citie blessing ( as the maner is ) the fleet in the emperours presence led one by one into a ship , such soldiers as had lately beene baptized . in this fleet passed with the rest procopius author of this history , consailor for the warres vnto the generall belisarius : and passing by syracuse he got intelligēce that the vandals , were attempting against goda , but that there was of the roman forces no dreade at all : in somuch that gilimer as most secure had abandoned the sea costes , & was resident at hermione foure daies iorney vp into the contrey . approching to sight of the african shore , great consultation was had how to proceed . archelaus ( contrary to the affection of the soldiers , who weary of the sea would presently haue sett to shore ) perswaded to deferre landing , for that all that shore was both subiect to tēpests , and destitute of hauens : adding that all the townes of africke , except only carthage were by gizerich in time past dismātled of their walles : for which respects he preferred directly to assaile carthage neere whereunto was a goodly hauen , & vngarded ; from whence their could be no more distance to hold on the lefte hand ; on the right hand kept he the sea : commanding the nauy as well as they could to obserue the proceeding of the army , and to keepe neere vnto it . in this order marched the army forwards , no faster then after 80. furlongs to a daies iorney : with such moderation also & discipline , that the husband men round about , hid not themselues for feare , but securelie brought all necessaries to the campe and freely sold them . chap. xi . gilimer vpon first newes of his foes approach , wrote vnto his brother ammat at carthage , that hee should put to death ilderich , and whomsoeuer els of their kindred that hee had in prison : and haue the vandals with all the munition of the citty in a readines ; that they might in the streights at decimum ( a place 70. furlongs from the citty ) inclose the emperials as fishes in a nette , betweene their two armies . belisarius being come to decimum ; gilimer vppon that very day dispatched his brothers sonne gibamund with 2000. vandals , charging thē to keepe on the left hand , and he himselfe pursued the taile of the romane army : meaning that so they should bee on three sides inuaded . and surely had not ammat by three houres space preuented his opportunity , enough to doe had the romanes found : but he about noone went to decimum : and ( which was as bad ) leauing behinde him at carthage the best part of the vandals , he hastely left them word to follow him to decimum , and going forward with a fewe encountred with iohn , where 12. of our valientest being at the first ouerthrowne ammat himselfe soone bare them company ; whose death seene , the vandals mainely flying backe stroke terrour in the rest whom they mett from carthage ; who conceiuing the victors to be more in number then they were , turned likewise backe : and were chassed by iohn to the very gates of carthage ; loosing in their whole number neere 2000. persons . about the same time met gibamund and his 2000. soldiers , with the hunnes , in the fielde of salt , 40. furlongs from decimum , voide of habitation or trees : and were by thē at the first onset ouerthrown and slaine . belisarius in the meane space drawing toward decimum , knew nothing of all this which had hapned ; & sending before him the captaines of the confederats , hee followed with the maine battell . gilimer and his vandals meeting with the formost ; great grewe the contention whether party should gaine a certaine high hill which seemed of great aduantage . frō which the vandals so droue the romans , that they fled to a towne 7. furlongs thence , ( where belisarius had placed vliar a captaine of speares , with 800. men of armes ) in confidence of there being succoured . but the contrary fell out ; for these likwise growing into great terror tooke feareful course toward belisarius . at which time , if gilimer had followed his fortune , hardly could the romans haue susteined him , so great was their dread , and so great the multitude of the vandals . or if hee had gone toward carthage , he had oppressed iohns troops which strayed out of order , he had saued the citty ; and meeting with our fleete had with no adoe destroyed it : but he descending downe the hil , at the sight of his brothers body gaue his minde to lamentation and funeral . and belisarius after he had staied those which fled ▪ and vpbrayded them of cowardise ; and receiued aduertisement of ammats death , with what els had passed , in posting speede hee couragiously flew toward the vandals , whom finding vnwary of his appraoch , and in litle order hee put sodainely to flight ; the night hindering their pursuit . chap. xii . the next day passed the whole army to carthage , but comming late entred not the cittie : although the carthagineans presētly set open their gates , placed cressets & torches in euery quarter , & made bone fires throughout the citty all the night long . annexed to the kings palace was a strong prison ; wherein among others , were diuers merchants , who had bin desired to aide gilimer whē the warre began : & were to haue bin executed the same day , wherein ammat was slaine so neere was their life at the brinke . the keeper of this prison vnderstāding what had passed at decimum ; & seeing the fleet now drawing toward the port ; comming in to thē , who since their first imprisonmēt neuer heard glad word , but in dongcons hourely expecting death ; asked them what they would depart with all their goods to him which would set them free . to their answere to take what he would ; he replied , that they should onely sweare to sticke by him in any troble that might befall him concerning them . which grāted , setting them at liberty , hee himselfe went away with them . belisarius before he would enter the citty , againe admonished the army how singuler modestie would be expected at their hands , in this so great and godly a citty ; shewed them that they ought to repute all the africans as romans ; and how shamefull it were to be vnciuil and rude towards those , whose liberty and safety they came to assert against the arrianizing vandals . entring he mounted into oilimers throne ; where came before him certaine merchants , and others , complaining that the night last past their goods had bin rifled by his mariners . the iust and generall chieftaine , louer of all honesty , & obseruer of equity , forced catonymus author of the insolency vnder oath to bring forth all the parcells stolne ; which hee accordingly represented ; but perfidiously notwithstanding vpon a suddaine secretly fled to constantinople with those rapines , where not long after taken with an apoplexy , berefte of his wittes , and depriued of his periurde tongue , hee deceased in a most wretched plight : at his entrance memorable it is to see the great discipline of the army , and the singuler confidence of the inhabitants ; for neither was there any ill language giuen on any side , neither was any shop shut , or any thing not set forth to ordinary sale . which was wonderfull strange in a cittie freshly taken , & changing gouernment . the vandals which had fled to the churches ; hee tooke into protection , and gaue them safety : then addicted his minde to repaire the walles which were exceedingly ruinous . chap. xiii . an olde said saw had beene in the mouths of the multitude , that g. should chase b. and againe b. chase g. which now all saw apparātly fulfilled in genserich and boniface , belisarius and gilimer . cleered also was at this time another ambiguous prediction , much to benoted : and thus it was . principally honoured aboue others , among the carthaginians , was the holy man cyprian , whose feast they yearly celebrate in the most goodly temple of the same saint a litle without the citie . this church had the arrian hereticks taken into their owne charge , expelling the christians , and driuing away the priests with great reproche . the africans being much grieued hereat , it is said that cyprian appeared in a vision , willing the christians to be of good comfort , for that shortly he himselfe would reuenge the iniury . with great certainety expected the africans this promised euent ; vtterly to seek when or in what sort it were to be expected . vpon the very eue of this saints feast was it , that the nany emperiall was discouered from carthage : whereupon the christians assoon as ammat was departed against the roman forces ( while the euent was yet vncertaine of battell ) taking to themselues good hope presētly thrusting out the arrians receased the temple sanctifie it a new , purge the superstitions of the arrian hereticks ; hang vp rich and beutifull offrings , sett lights in redynes ; put in order the golden vessels and pretious paraments , fetching them forth from their secret repositories . the rest of the christians also when they heard of the good successe at decimum , hastning to the same church lightned all the tapers , and lamps ; assisting the priests to whom the function of all such things appertained . in somuch that the vandals themselues held so manifest a fulfilling of this prophecy in great admiration . chap. xiiii . gilimer ignorant how to repaire his state , sollicited the vplandish of the africans to intercept roman soldiers if they stragled , promising for euery head brought him a peece of golde . many indeed of the seruants were in that sort slaine ; whom gilimer performing his couenant , supposed to be so many men of armes . neither fownd he presenter confaile then to send for his brother zazon ( who in this meane season had receiued sardinia from godas ) and concerning his hasty returne , he sent him a letter , wherin he thus complayned : it was not godas that called thee into sardinia ▪ but the bitter fate of the vandals bereft mee at this exigent , both of thee the moores most wretched and miserable ; they euer after the cōquest of africa kept a most bountifull ; went attired in silkes & veluets ; gaue themselues to playes and sports , to musike & hunting , to banqueting & recreations . moores contrariwise leade their liues in cotages , where they scant stand vpright or can stirre , wanting neither sunne , nor snow , nor any other misery of their climat : sleepe on the bare ground ( the best among them laide but somwhat betweene ) forbidden by law of their country to chaunge attyre after the seasons ; but a boystrous course ragged weede they at all times wore alike . ignorant they are what bread or wine is ; but , whether it be wheat , rye , or barly , which they can gette , they neither grinde it to meale , nor bake it , but eate it iust as beasts doe . this harsh conuersation & custome made the vandals to thinke death not vnpleasant , nor seruage shamefull . which not being hidden from pharas , he by letters inuited gilimer to render himselfe , which hee not without abundant teares perused , and returning answere that hee had rather suffer what he did , then what his enemies would do vnto him ; he concluded with request of a citharne , a lofe of bread , and a sponge . which last clause was not vnderstood , vntill the messenger explicated , that he desired a lofe , because since his comming to the mountaine hee neuer had so much as seene any baked bread ; a sponge , to wipe away his teares ; the citharne , to solace his calamities with some wonderfull dittie , being expert in musike . pharas pittying his case , & in him the vncertainty of humane condition ; satisfied his petition : but more strictly obserued his custody and charge . three monthes continued this siege ; gilimer no lesse afflicted in his health thē in his hart , constantly yet persisted obdurat , vntill a poore moor-womā in his sight had set certaine brused corne , to drie ouer a hyrdle : neere therunto sate two children ; the one gilimers brothers sonne , the other the womans : who grieuously pining with hunger ; the vandal first caught the lumpe raw , and scalding hotte , and thrust in his mouth ; which the other , tugging him by the haire of the head , forced him , halfe bittē as it was to deliuer out of his throte . which gilimer seeing presētly conceiued it ominous to his owne fortunes & vpon conditions pacted , rendring himselfe was sent to carthage . chap. xvii . option after this came to belisarius , from iustinian the emperour , that either hee should come to constantinople together with gilimer and the captiue vandals , either els stay behind them , at his discretion . but he finding that enuie , had begun to thrust out his sting against him , resolued vpon going in person to excuse him selfe vnto the emperour . and there according to his worthy deserts receiued he those honors , which neuer had any priuat man since the time of titus & vespasian ; but only emperours themselues if fortunately they subdued some whole nation . for at his entrance , before him went the trophees and spoiles , with the captiues ; and he himselfe triumphing ( yet on foot ) followed after through the citie . the spoiles were no meane matters : goldē thrones of estate , rich chariots , pretious furniture , plate of massiue gold , pretious stones , siluer many thousāds of talēts : much of that which had in times past beene taken out of the palace at rome . among which were also sondry noble and excellent peeres of the iewes , which of old were by vespasian and titus translated from hierusalem out of the temple . these a certaine iewe beholding , forbore not to say aloud , that those things ought not be but where king salomon first placed them : that for profaning them had rome by genseric beene sakt , and for the same respect gilimer by belisarius ouercome . which speech comming to the emperours eares , he greatly dreaded , & willed all those things to be caried vnto hierusalem for the christians churches . last of all followed gilimer with the principall of the vandals : & comming vnto the emperours presence lamented not ▪ but only vtred those words of the scripture : vanitie of vanitie , and all vanitie . to him & to his kindred assigned the emperour certaine honorable enterteinement in france : but into the number of the patricians or nobility he might not be admitted , bycause he would by no means renounce the arian sect . shortly after was to belisarius decreed a triumphe after the fashion of the antient captaines . caried in a siluer chaire of honour vpō the sholderes and arians ; & reuolting from their christian emperour rodulph of austria , haue voluntarily submitted to the heathen tur●k● , and made a league with hell. god of his holy mercie auert the dredfull consequēces , which i haue horrour to think vpon how imminent they are vpon our neighbours neckes . beginning with pitifull ruines of the faith and the detested propagation of infidelity in former age : i am constrained by similitude of causes to dread like lamentable effects in this of ours ▪ and therby with regret & obtestation of publick moane , through expectation of publique miseries , to conclude the vandal persecutions : which otherewise , seeing the almighty restored to the african church , golden times , ought to haue ended in a golden period . tvvo tables . by the first nvmber is designed one of victors three books : by m. the passion of the seauen martyrs : by f. the life of saint fulgentius : by c. the continuation to the historie . the last number importeth the chapter . a svmmarie of the catholickes faith and practise . abb●ss●s , or mothers of nonries . 1. 8. 2. 6. abbot , 3. 12 m. 3. f. 3. alliluya , song solemnely at easter . 1. 9. altar 1. 9. altar-cloathes . 1. 9. angels inuocated . 3. 19. archdeacon , 3. 10. benedicite , 2. 7. benediction of bishops craued of the people . 2. 7. blessing of the ships by a bishop at their setting forth . c. 9. bishops . the excellent vertue , charity ▪ and a●mes of the catholike bishops , 1. 7. 2. 2. m. 2. f. 5. f. 8. 9. they refuse to deliuer vp church-ornaments to the officers . 1. 9. refuse an oath vniustly tēdred . 3. 3. refuse to exclude from catholike seruice such as returned to the catholik faith . 2. 2. bishops are ordered in dioceses vacāt , contrary to the kings inhibition and commandement . f. 6. bishop receiued with procession f. 9. cat olique . catholikes hold fast this name and deny it to the arrians . 2. 10. onely catholikes held for christians . 2. 7. the church tearmed our catholike mother . 1. 5. 3. 19. m. 3. character in baptisme . 3. 10. chastity . vowed and professed . 1. 8. m. 2. c. 2 seeke nonns . chrisom-cloth . 3. 10. christian . seeke catholique . churches . seeke saints . churches opened and ceased vpon sometimes through zeale . 1. 9. c. 13. clergy , s. priests . confessors in act . 2. 7. in hart 27. sometime called martyrs . 2. 7. constancy of catholikes in general . m. 2. m. 3. singulerly , in an erle solicited by the king 1. 5. in a proconsull or marshall . 3. 6. of the husband against wife and children . 1. 11. of the wife against husband and children . 3. 5. 3. 15 ▪ of children . 3. 15. m. 2. of 12. boyes , quiristers . 3. 11. of a yong boy a monk. m. 4. the constancy of catholikes was admired and wōdred by the persecutors themselues . 3. 7. conuersion of many arrians ; and of their priests . f. 7. crosse . confidence in the woode of the crosse . m. 5. that is in the worke performed on the woodden crosse . disputation . s. religion . eucharist , reall presence . 1. 9. faith. the arrians seeme to haue onely an opinion not faith of their doctrine . 2. 8. fryers . that is brethren : ( the french word being freres ) 3 12. heretickes . compared by god to asses , butchers , sulfury cloudes . 2. 5. their society held pernicious . 2 8. heresie is a spice of madnes or frēcy . m. 1. hermits , f. 5. 10. hymnes , 2. 9. m. 5. lamentation , concerning the persecution 3. 9. c. 2. lector , one of the ecclesiasticall orders . 1. 9. 3. 10. 3. 11. lights , vsed at the publique seruice and processions . 2. 5. 2. 7. c. 13. f. 9. masse , the solemne sacrifice of christians . 1. 6. c. 2. celebration thereof , 2. 7. 3. 8. frequented notwithstanding laws to the contrary . 2 8. miracles , in confirmation of catholikes in their faith 1. 8. 2. 3. c. 4. c. 14. c. 10. 2. 7. 2. 9. 3. 5. 3. 8. m. 5. by visions 2. 5. 2. 9. c. 8. c. 13. by strangely plaguing the persecutors . 1. 8. 1. 9. 3. 2. 3. 17. 3. 19. monasteries , are oft mentioned . monkes , 1. 6 1. 8. 3. 12. f. 5. the sweetnes of monasticall life . f. 1. strictnes thereof and pouerty . f. 2. voluntary obedience . f. 8. nocturns , which name at this day remaineth in the catholike mattens ▪ 2 , 9. nonns , virgins consecrated to god , 1 , 8. 2. 6. vncapable of mariage , 1 , 8. nonries , 1 , 8. offrings , & donaries hang vp in the churches , c. 13. orders , holy orders ▪ 3 , 1. patience , s. constancy , f. 4. persecutors of catholikes horribly stroken by gods hand , s. miracles . s. peter . seeke pope pilgrimage to places where martyrs had suffered and miracles there done , 1 ▪ 8. in the end of the chapter , to rome , f. 5. pontificall throne of bishops , 2 , 3. pope , honorably mentioned as gods high bishop 1. 8. at his hand is direction & aide sought for the conuersion of the infidell moores , 1 ▪ 8. to s. peter was the gouernment of the vniuersall church principally committed , 3 , 19. communion with the church of rome ; or seperation from it is reputed all one as with or from s. peter himselfe . f. 5. prayers , publique praiers by night vpon solemne vigils , 2 ▪ 9. pouerty , voluntary s. monkes . priests , the clergy of africa to haue liued vnmaried it is in a manner manifest ; in that not once in so great & long a persecution is mentioned any ecclesiastical persons wife , whereas of lay-mens wiues is frequent mention . prison , masse and sermons in a prison , by stealth , 2. 7. m. 3. procession with wax-lights and tapers burning , 2. 7. f. 9. m. 5. ( f. 7. prophecy of religion to be restored . c. 13. pulpit , wherein lectors red and song ; as certaine voluntarily followed the clergy into bannishment . 3. 11. yookes rifled , prohibited . 1. 9. 3 ▪ 1. 3. 3. buryall . sotemne bury all forbidden . 1. 4. catholiks buried sometime vnder a tree . 1. 10. somelime in priuat houses . 3. 4. bishops confined . f. 2. forbidden to be harbored or relieued . 3. 2 1. 9. catholique . the arrians quarell about this name , and vngracefully challenge it . 2. 10. chastity . all professours of the continent life are hated and chased away . m. 2. c. 2. a. vowed and professed chastity is by the arrians despised & commanded to be violated 1. 8. sacred virgins shamfully handled and tortured by them . 2. 6. churches shutt vp . 1. 11. 3. 1. m. 2. fraxed and brent . 1. 1. taken from catholikes & by the arrians addicted to their common praier . 1. 1. 1. 4. 3. 1. abused to stables . c. 6. churches ransaked & spoiled . 1. 9. 3. 1. cle●gy of the arrians , extraordinarily rage aboue others . 3 , 12. 3 , 13. 3 , 14. m. 1. f. 4. confining of bishops to certaine place for mansion . f. 2 couetousnes insatiable after catholiks goods . 1 , 1. 1 , 3. 1 councells . the arrians alleage false councells for coūtenance of their error . 3. 1. disputation coulorably offred by the arrians and violently demeaned . 2 , 8. 9 , 10. 3 , 1. 3 , 18. f. 7 enuye of the arrians at the vertue of the catholique bishops . 1 , 7. 2 , 2 heretiks . the arrians burn manichaeans to take from themselfes the note of heresie . 2 , 1 imprisonment is ouer all . lawes and proclamations . benefit of lawe & iustice denied to catholiques . 3 , 1 martyrdome is frequēt in sondry chapters . for enuie of this name and glory ; certaine are made deferred to long vexation . 1 , 10. c. 3 mass● decreed and forbidden . 2 , 8. 3 , 1. abolished . c. 2. catholiques slayn at it , and put to death for hearing it . 1 , 9 miracles misinterpreted and discredited , 2 , 9. m. 5. c. 13 monasteries held in speciall hatred , 1 , 1. deliuered to the moores . m. 2 monasticall persons persecuted , m. 2. vrged to break their vow and marry , 1. 8. extremly hated , s. priests . nonns scattered , and tormented , 2 , 6 oaths of state deceiptfully tendred to entrap , 3 , 3 persecution . spoiling of goods , death , and are ouer all . occasion strangely sought vnder pretext whereof to begin persecution , 2 , 6. disobedience and state is styll vrged & pretended , 1 , 5. 3 , 1. 2 , 7. f. 6. persecuting in one place they of policy abstained in another , 1. 6 : and sometimes mitigated for ostentation of clemency , 2 , 1. gods honour , zeale of iustice & clemency also are pretended , 2 , 8. 3 , 1. the ciuill lawes ordained by antient emperours against hereticks are retorted vpon catholiques , 3 , 1. catholiques making supplicatiō are worse entreated , or fruitlesse , 1 , 4. 3 , 2. 3 , 1 6 : flie ouer sea , 1 , 7. 3 , 8 : flie into deserts , 3 , 1 6 : they are thrust to day-labour ▪ 1 , 1. 2 , 3. 3 , 3 : they are pined , 2 , 7. 3 , 2. m. 2. depriued of their dignities and fo bidden to bear office , 1 , 6. 2 , 6. inticing allurements and promises , to peruert , m. 3. m. 4. c. 6 praiers : catholique seruice and praier countermanded ▪ 1 , 6. 3 , 3. the arrians vrge that publique praiers should be admitted in any languague indifferently . 2 , 2 priests vsed with all rigor , 1 , 4 : bannished , and horribly vsed : m. 2. s. bannishment ▪ spoiled of their substance , and terribly entreated , c. 2. malitiously slandred of incontinency , 2 , 6. punishment inflicted for receiuing a monke from beyond the sea : 1 , 6 proclamations against catholiks , 2 , 8. 3 , 1 reconciling by the sacrament of penance , forbidden , 3 , 3 resort mutuall of catholiques is forbidden , 1 , 11 rites ecclesiasticall abolished . c. 2 rome . peculiar malice of the arrians against the sea of rome , 1 , 7. they surname catholiques , comans , 1 , 10 sacrament of christs body and blood irreuerently cast vnder foot , 1 , 9 scripture . the arriās prouoke to it alone , 2. 8 serches by night , and ransaking of houses , 3 , 15 torments : 3 , 4 : 5 : with cordes , 1 , 1 : hotyrons , 1 , 6. 2 , 6. 3 , 7 : stockes : 1 , 8 : whipping & beating : 1 , 7. 34. 3 , 11. 1 , 8 : f. 4 : hāging by the heels : 1 , 10 : 2 , 6 : maiming and dismembring the body : 3 , 8 : 3 , 9 watch & ward to apprehend catholiques : 3 , 15 : f. 4 women vnciuilly and vnshamfastly vsed : 2 , 6 : 3 , 4 : m. 4 faultes escaped . fol. 9 read meerly was my ayme to shew ▪ f. 10. read licentious f. 15. read barbarous f. 20 read but for singula f. 30. read made of stubbed palmes f. 40. read such as are f. 52. read burned in f 65. read larger sense f. 75. read vvhiuering font . f. 83. read true councels f. 114 read emperor . f. 119. read hee farther came to carthage f. 123. read no ability f. 127. read mothers p. f f. 128. read toucheth vs f. 132. the passion of the 7. martyrs is distinct by it selfe & no partt of the 3. booke . f. 133. read rebaptizationis f. 134. read serpentine f. 137. read vs none f 138. read peasant f. 143. read rusp . surius f. 149. read heritage f. 153. read baldnes . f. 155. read eulalius f. 156. read shelty f. 168. read visigothes f. 169. read seemed they and the like discouer f. 172. read hieron . f. 179. blot out 180. f. 209. read caried . f. 211. read large and f. 212. read moan . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a14395-e550 an chris●● 427. ⸬ ali . 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 & agat . trizeric ⸬ basilicis sanctorum ⸬ dext●um , 〈◊〉 may als● gauntl●● psal . 73 ⸬ nobi● sacerd●●● ⸬ rem●entib●uis . ●udith . 16. ⸬ b. desolabantur . p. s. p. f. desolantur . ⸬ an idoll of the africans , of vvhich mention , tert. prosp . am. ⸬ suae religioni licentia tyrannica mancipauerunt . ⸬ s. augustine wrote his booke de haer●sibus , vnto his disciple quoduultdeus , perhaps this man. and his epistle 19. vnto deo-gratias , seemeth vnto him , who was this mans successor . ⸬ clero venerabili . ⸬ mapalia . ⸬ exilio ali . exitio , ⸬ magni sacerdote● * * ⸬ mola catholicae matris . ⸬ immolandi . dan. 3. * * * * ⸬ b. nicenum . * * ⸬ melleis fidei clauiculis . exod. 1. ⸬ p. f. p. s. haue gigitanus and sinnaritan . ⸬ millena●ios . ⸬ p. f. martinian . ⸬ deo sacrata . ⸬ christo membra corporis mei dicaui nec possum humanum sortiri coniugium . * * ⸬ spiritualis secreti commercia . ⸬ conuersus . at this day such as entring monasteries became not ecclesiasticall , are called conuersi ( conuerts ) ⸬ puellarum . ⸬ non iam sua , ●ed christi mancipia . ⸬ palmatos ⸬ compede crudeli p f. cuspide . ⸬ p. f. s●saon . ⸬ b. capsus ⸬ virginum dei. * * ⸬ ministros ⸬ pontifex dei. * * ⸬ buronitanus . p. f. maritha , galibus , ammonis , ptol. ⸬ corpus christi & sanguinem pauimento ●●●rserunt ▪ &c. * * ⸬ b. armogaster . * * ⸬ b. caballini● . ⸬ p. s. p f. canabiuis . ⸬ b. masculinum . ⸬ archimimum . ⸬ catholica libertate . ⸬ p f p. s. ma●inado . ⸬ often after is mention , likevvise of lay-mens vviues , but neuer of priests vviues ( notvvithstanthe chiefe rage vvas against them ) ⸬ consilio magistrata . ⸬ non indigens sed saturus . iob ● . luc. 14. ⸬ i. to mardome . ⸬ i. gensericke . ⸬ procopius . 39. notes for div a14395-e3060 ⸬ b. honerichus . nundrius . procop. honorichus . ⸬ the anabaptists burnt vnder q. elie vvere all of them protestants . ⸬ b. calamitas . p. f. p. s. calumniator . ⸬ per edicta libri . ⸬ b. iutarit ⸬ populo tractare ▪ * ⸬ missas agere . ⸬ p. f. iuly : ⸬ of this holy man much writeth greg. tur. de gl . confess . l. 2 ⸬ throno . ⸬ hiis qui foris sunt , he alludeth to the apostles phrase 1. tim. 3. intending such are not vnited vnto the church of christ . ⸬ vt cespites messi●m desec●●ent . ⸬ part●●●●tio . ⸬ b dederichus & the dericus . p. f. & p. s. theodoricus . ⸬ b. made themselues a brotherhood . ⸬ b. faetidum . ⸬ ptol. cirtesii , whose city was cirta iuli● . ⸬ b. ●ldicus ⸬ ali . th●ucaria . ⸬ p. f. p. s. gamut . ⸬ bestiis mancipauit thou giuest to them which 1. feare thee , a token to flie from the face of the bovve . psal . 59. 3. 3. 4. isa . 26. ● . 6. ⸬ b. venerable . ⸬ b. lara . but ptol. hath lares ⸬ p. f. p. s. abdiritanus . ⸬ super b●●donem . ⸬ diui●● misteria celebrandi . ⸬ domine meus . ⸬ p. s. hath it but once . * * ⸬ p. f. zurita . exod. 15. ierem. 4. ⸬ glory is this to al his saints . psal 14● . ⸬ b vnzibil . but ptol. v●●●●bi●a ▪ pl●● vl●●uburita ⸬ martyres in a longer sense then it is novve a daies taken * * ⸬ reconciliationis in dulgentia . matt. 16. ⸬ diuini sacrificii . ⸬ b. prayses ⸬ the arrabians at this day cal such a troup carauanna and very neare to cannaua is the vvord conuoy , vsuall through christendome in the same sense ⸬ gladios acutos petrarum . ⸬ aggerem publicum . ⸬ coepiscopos . ⸬ b. sancto ⸬ p. f. p. s ▪ ob●d●s . ⸬ b. euangelium . * quae caput est omnium ecclesiarum . ⸬ b. vinia●ense se●undum , ●●c . 2. tim. 2. 1. cor. 5. ⸬ hymni nocturni cantante populo . which tearme of nocturne remayneth at this day in the churches office or seruice ▪ ⸬ b. crudelitate . ⸬ p. f. p. s. credulitate . ⸬ crispantem benedixit aquae fontem . p. f. alueum fontis . ⸬ p. s. p f. irreuocabilis b●●naestimabilis . ⸬ i. the king ⸬ satellitibus . ⸬ b. eusebius . notes for div a14395-e5740 ⸬ maiestatis regiae . ⸬ ●nclytae recorda●●onis . ⸬ mansuetudinis . ⸬ homou●●an● . ⸬ propriae . ⸬ amputatum est . ⸬ no meruail though the arrians lie in the number for neither also vvere they tvvo counsels , being by the church of rome reiected . ⸬ b. induxisse cum errore p. f. induxisse secum in errorem . in p. s. this clause vvanteth . ⸬ these lavves are extant in the decrees of theodosius the vvorthy emperor . b. superstition . * conuictus agere . ⸬ b. commeandi . p. f. p. s. commemorare . ⸬ ordinan di , it is ment of holy orders . ⸬ ordina●ores . * in b it vvanteth . * in b it vvanteth . ⸬ codicillo ⸬ milita●ent palatio *⁎* albetvvene this signe , and the like far after follovving , is in b. most confusedly misplaced . ⸬ officialibus iudicum diuersorum . ⸬ 30. po●do . ⸬ p f. illustres , spectabiles , senatores , populares . ⸬ plebeii . ⸬ circumcelliones . ⸬ ordines ciuitatum . ⸬ hominibus , but surely for omnibus . ⸬ ordines . * * ⁎ * ⸬ propitia diuinitate ⸬ sacrosanctis . ⸬ p. f florentinian . matt. 5. * * ⸬ reconciliare praesumatis . ⸬ diuina●um scripturarum ●cientia plena . ⸬ in matre ecclesia catholica . matt. 22. ⸬ b. leotia . p.s. p. f. leontia . ⸬ b. aemylius . ⸬ euiscerati . i. bovveled . ⸬ p.s. tambar . p. f. tambay . ⸬ aquisregie●●●● . ⸬ ptol. tipasa , at this day tenes ▪ or tun●● . ⸬ b. auius . ⸬ sabana . in spayne this word is at this day current in greeke also sabanon , signifieth any cloath to mundifie vvithall . ⸬ lintea●●ina . matt. 22. ⸬ al theu●●rius . ⸬ abbas . ⸬ sub diaconus . * ibi est mortis dānatio . apoc. 13 * b. despicatis pos . ianuarum . pf . despicatio ianuarum * suae hae reseos aquam . & so hath b. * in p. f. is thrise repeated christianus sum . * b. quiz●n . p. f. & p. s. ziquens but ptol. hath vuic zan and plinie quiza . * * num. 20. psal . 57. * suffragatores . * ioh. 21. * vestros peccatores . * ier. 22. * p. p. ni cas●j &c. * b. the passion of seanen christian brethren . seeke lib. 3. cap. 12. * the 2. day . * ariomanitarū p. f. b. ariahorū . * gladio rebaptizatis . * bis-acutum . * per iudicafis venerabilibus portis . * gen. & percutiā coruorū . luke 2. 2. cor. 6. 2. mac. 7. notes for div a14395-e9280 suarius 1. die ianuarij . * * * * * * notes for div a14395-e10860 epist . 70. procopi . * in chro . possidius in vita aug. * * * . a. quoscunque continētes . * . b . sacrisicia . .c. * clericos . * regiorum , al. regionū . * for the vandals through famine lefte the siege . proc. psal . 118. * lib. de prouid . * lib. 3. cap. 19. * lib. 1. cap. 8. * maurusijs . * conclusion . * i. * ii. * iii. * iiii. * v. * eccl. 1. a most excellent and pathetical oration, or, declamation of gregory nazianzen's stigmatizing, and condemning the emperor julian for his apostatising from the truth and containing, by way of history, the persecution of the christians during his reign, the confutation of pagan abominations and the obscenity, as well as absurdity, both of the substance and ceremonies of their pretended religion, with respect unto its doctrine and the ... ceremonies approved of among the primitive christians. gregory, of nazianzus, saint. 1662 approx. 210 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 105 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a42036 wing g1879a estc r293 11941784 ocm 11941784 51284 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a42036) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 51284) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 31:17) a most excellent and pathetical oration, or, declamation of gregory nazianzen's stigmatizing, and condemning the emperor julian for his apostatising from the truth and containing, by way of history, the persecution of the christians during his reign, the confutation of pagan abominations and the obscenity, as well as absurdity, both of the substance and ceremonies of their pretended religion, with respect unto its doctrine and the ... ceremonies approved of among the primitive christians. gregory, of nazianzus, saint. [2], 206 p. printed by w. godbid for h. herringman ..., london : 1662. reproduction of original in yale university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng julian, -emperor of rome, 331-363. church history -primitive and early church, ca. 30-600. persecution. christian martyrs. 2007-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-10 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-11 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2007-11 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a most excellent and , and 〈◊〉 oration , or declamation of gregory nazianzen's stigmatizing , and condemning the emperor julian for his apostatising from the truth , and ●ontaining , by way of history , the persecution of the christians during his reign , the confutation of pagan abominations , and the obscenity , as well as absurdity , both of the substance , and ceremonies of their pretended religion , with respect unto it's doctrine , and the more , or lesse , consequential ceremonies , approved of among the primitive christians . london , printed by w. godbid , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the blew-anchor , at the lower walk of the new-exchange , m. dc . lxii . gregory nazianzen the divine . his upbraiding the emperour julian for his apostacy . hear this , all ye people , give ear unto me , every inhabitant of the earth ; for with a strong loud trum●et , and as mounted on a high ●ower , looking on all sides , every way , i call , to assemble you toge●her : hearken , countries , na●●ons , and languages , all sorts of men and ages , every one that ●ow is , or hereafter shall be : yea , ( to make my summons the more universal ) listen , i say , all ye powers of heaven , and angels altogether , by whose irresistable means a great tyrant was destroyed ; a great one , and not such a one as sihon king of the amorites , or ogge the king of bashan , petty potentates , and destructive to the israelites onely , a small portion of the universe , but the apostate dragon , the great wit , the all-daring assyrian , and common enemy of the whole world ; who not onely threatned ruine and destruction to all the earth , but also hatcht despiteful imaginations , and belched out most abominable blasphemies against the almighty . hear , o heavens , and give ear , o earth , ( for the times require i should use the loftiest terms of the most seraphical prophet , who spake the highest of all the rest ) neither is it to small purpose , he calling and invoking them for witnesses against a cast-down people of israel that had sinned against god , if i appeal unto the self-●ame creatures , against a dragon , a tyrant , who had as highly trans●ressed against the same god , to ●is own irrecoverable downfall , ●nd , as a just reward for that his ●●tragious wickedness . hear also , if thou hast any sense , ●ou soul of that great constance , 〈◊〉 the cristian souls of empe●ours that were before him : thou ●●ul , more especially , of constance , ●ho having attain'd the inheritance 〈◊〉 jesus christ , hast advanced his ●orship upon earth , and so well ●●ablished his authority with the ●●esent age , that , of all the emperors that ever were , mad'st thy self the most venerable , and commendable for the same . but , o dire misfortune ! the like whereof was never heard , that thou couldst not foresee an unlucky mishap , unworthy altogether , and incompatible with the merits of thine other illustrious acts , namely , thy making way for that man's rise unto empire and rule amongst christians , who , of all other , became the greatest enemy and persecutour of the christians . in which one act , to ill purpose , thou mis-imployed'st thy clemency and courtesie , by unfortunately preserving him to life , who was the death of so many , that far excelled him in all manner of vertue and piety , while they lived . nevertheless , that the soul of thou , the aforesaid constance , now receivest great solace , i verily assure my self , as well in perceiving that his wickedness long since extinguished , and christianity reduced to its pristine integrity , as in this my discourse , which , at present , i offer to god , as a more acceptable sacrifice , purer , and better , i suppose , than those of beasts , or other vain and detestable immolations of meats and drinks , the magnificence and greatness of which sacrifices declared more ●learly unto all the world their im●iousness , and ( as i may so term 〈◊〉 ) foolish wisdome in so doing . ●or the custome and practice of ●●esh and blood , siding with dark●ess , abandoned the light of truth , ●hich , while but glimmering upon ●●rrupt natures , the fruit thereof 〈◊〉 came dry , and in an instant withe●●d , together with the abomina●●e stock , that , for a time , sustain●● them . the rooting out of ●hich unfortunate wretches , be●●g men , sometimes of greater ●●rldly wealth than other worthi●●ss , hath rendred them equally 〈◊〉 famous , as well for their pre●●pitate downfal , as prophane 〈◊〉 worthiness , to all succeeding 〈◊〉 . as for my self , who offer unto god a sacrifice of thanksgiving , and pay my vows to the most high , who is he that can set up a theater of thankfulness , equal in any sort to the least grace we have received ? or , what voice thunder out thanksgiving in that manner as is most fit , for such ineffable benefits , as i would have it ? what auditors , with me , will entertain the words i am now a framing ? the retribution i am , at present , about to render unto the divine word through discourse in words , though not so agreeable perhaps to the efficacy of that gracious appellation the word , wherewith h● is so pleased ( among many other titles assumed by him ) to accep● of ? again , the sting of infamy b● reproach in words , as a deserve● and due punishment to him , wh● made it a crime unto christians i● the greek tongue to make use o● words ? in which regard , out of 〈◊〉 pernicious envy , and hatred towards us , he forbad all christian● the use and exercise of speaking that , which ought to be common to all men . in which his so doing , ●s if to him alone the propriety ●herein wholly belonged , thinking thereby to have more reason then ●ll other , he shewed himself thereby the most foolish and unreasona● of all men , and that for two rea●ons ; first , because thereby he ●eclared himself to be of opinion , ●hat the greek tongue was to be ●ade use of onely for the service ●f religious matters , and not like●ise as indifferently for all other ●urposes , according to the usual ●anner of uttering whatsoever no●●ons of the mind in that self-same ●ialect : just as if under the name ●nd notion of trading , he should ●orbid , at the same time , the use of ●ll manner of trades practised ●mong that nation . secondly , because he thought we were so dull , ●s not to perceive the things he ●id , to be done on set purpose , ●hereby greatly to deprive us of so ●onsequential a benefit : we making some account of the excellency of that language , and he fearing thereby his impiety , might the more easily be convinced . as if arguments had their force in the elegancy onely , and appropriating of greek words to the same purpose , and not in the knowledge rather of simple and sincere truth . besides , having a tongue , it 's less possible to hinder us from setting forth the truth therewith , than from otherwise adorning the same with eloquence in that language . so that , being inhibited by julian's ordinance to learn greek , he might hinder us onely to speak as the athenians did , that is to say , more elegantly , perhaps , and properly : but never the more , for all that , retain , or stop the currant of truth it self . whereby he made his weakness appear sufficiently , and yet never the more with-held himself from being reproved , and confuted , having over and above acknowledged , that in that he had nothing to doe to meddle , or to trouble his head with such matters . the truth is , it was not for a man who had no great assurance , either in the truth of his own re●igion , or in his own ability of ●eaking well , to go about to hin●er us from speaking ; no more ●han if he should think himself the ●aliantest champion in the world , ●nd thereupon forbid all gallant ●hen , either to fight , or to enter ●●to the lists with him . no , so to ●o would be thought rather a sign ●f a fearful coward , than valiant captain , seeing the prise is won of ●hose that fight , and not of them ●●at sit still ; of those that have ●●eir full strength allowed them , ●nd not of the maimed , or that are ●●ated in any part of their vigour 〈◊〉 try mastery with . if there●ore thou beest in fault , for hin●ering on thy part the means of ●ombating , and wilt not suffer 〈◊〉 to fight , therein thou shew●●t thy self overcome , and thence ●all i carry the victory against ●ee without contending , because thou permittest me not to fight . see then the fine doings of this wise emperor , and law-giver , who , that there might be nothing free , whatsoever , from his tyranny , hath published his own folly , by being , in the beginning of his reign , desirous , and undertaking after to exercise that his tyranny on words , and on the art of eloquent speaking . it will be a most fitting thing for me notwithstanding , to render all possible thanks to almighty god , with the words of my mouth , for recovering so to do through his providence to offer up unto him all kind of honorable sacrifice , not sparing any thing therein , either of goods , or other inheritance possessed by me ; who , having run the hazzard both of the times , and of his tyranny , have been preserved however , by the onely providence of god , for that purpose , whom , before all things , we are bound nevertheless , both with our words and deeds , to glorifie after that man●er . as out of an abundant harvest , ●herefore , common to all partakers ●ith me of such his grace , i 'l fi●●sh the intended discourse i have 〈◊〉 say of words , fearing , if i stretch 〈◊〉 speech farther , i be longer ●han is requisite , and somewhat ex●●avagant beyond the due bounds ●● that subject , for which i came ●ther to dilate of . and now , me-thinks , i perceive ●y discourse well-nigh approach●h , and advanceth it self , in a ge●●ral congratulation , to all that i ●●hold at present . and therefore , ●call unto a spiritual dance , and ●efreshment all you , who in fast●●g , weeping , and praying , pass ●●ys and nights to obtain deli●erance from oppressing evils , ●●ounding a most assured remedy ●●ereof on hope , that never fail●h . i call , in like manner , those , ●ho have suffered infinite pains , ●avels , and vexations , through ●●eat and d●verse torments of the times , been made a spectacle to men and angels , ( as the apostle speaks ) their bodies abased , but their souls remaining invincible , doing all things through christ that strengthneth , and comforteth them . and you , after the same sort , who , undervaluing ( the object of mortals malice ) wordly honors , have taken in good part the spoiling of your temporary goods , have , for a time , been injuriously separated from your husbands , wives , fathers , mothers , children , or any other , in whatever degree of blood , affinity or friendship , allyed unto you , were willing to participate with your saviour , in the fruit of his blood-shedding , and otherwise suffering for his name-sake , being now able to say and sing with the prophet unto god , thou hast caused men to ride over our heads , we went through fire and water , but thou broughtest us out into a place of safety . i call , on the other side also , to this famous banquet , all those , who , acknowledging god above all things , have hitherto re●●ined an assured faith , notwith●●anding the mysteries of provi●●nce , which , oftentimes out 〈◊〉 contrary accidents , draw un●oked for events , and by vertue ●●ereof , win us as evincingly to ●epentance , our reason being for●erly carried away with perverse ●●petuosity , which should have ●●en held out , or renewed it self , 〈◊〉 not being so envious at the fool●sh , ( as the psalmist hath it ) when 〈◊〉 saw the prosperity of the wick●● ; but rather conforming our ●●lves to the will of god , and con●●uing constant to the end , by put●ng little repose in what we saw ●resent before our eyes ; which ●eing brought to pass nevertheless 〈◊〉 we would have it , should con●●rm and further fortifie us in the ●●uth . i call , also , you , who have ●our minds wholly fixed on the ●ca●fold , and great theater of this ●orld . in doing whereof , i will 〈◊〉 the words of esdras , saying , ●ome hither , women , who come to see the plays , and stop the eyes of your minds , keeping them from errors and deceits , know , it 's the same god that 's exalted among the nations , exalted in all the earth : in all times , and things , he hath wonderfully and extraordinarily made himself known , but never so manifestly never so evidently , as at this time . moreover , would to god there were even in this good company , in this numerous troop , which heretofore chanted with us , not a feigned and unsavoury song , and whereunto we gave honorable way , have opinion they 'l one day render themselves worthy of reproof . but i wonder wherefore they are so retired apart from us , and marvel how , in so solemn a rejoycing , they are not present with us , and that contrarily they have made a particular dance , which falls not at all in any good cadence . they 'l pardon me though i speak after this manner , and that zeal encites me to declare and manifest things as they are . notwithstanding i will ●●eviate the stinging of my tongue , 〈◊〉 the honor of the hope and pre●●rvation of my brethren , having ●●w more respect to the antient ●●●endship , then to the neglect i 〈◊〉 . but yet because hereafter i ●●all be more patient , i will be ●ore vehement at present in chid●●g and reproving . i exclude then 〈◊〉 of this assembly with grief and ●●me trouble , a sort of men , la●enting at that they understand 〈◊〉 , grieving at that they feel for there lies the pity of their ●il ) however i reject it . these 〈◊〉 they who have not sowed on 〈◊〉 and firm ground , but their 〈◊〉 fell upon stony places , where ●●ey had not much earth ; the ●●me are they that hear the word , ●nd for a while with joy receive it , 〈◊〉 have they not root in themselves , ●nd therefore dure but for a time ; ●●r when tribulation or persecution ●riseth because of the word , by and 〈◊〉 they are offended . i will banish from this company yet further off those that are worse who departing from him that ha● purchased , and conducted them t● a place of greater safety , and magnificence , have given no manner o● resistance to the times , or to thos● that cousen'd them into a miserabl● and slavish captivity : but rather with obstinate alacrity , shewe themselves perverse , and of no reputation , being scandalized at th● good word of god , and suffere● themselves to be carried awa● without any affliction , or tentatio● at all assaulting them . nay rather , ( like inconsiderate wretches 〈◊〉 they are ) either to gain some littl● temporary estate , or retain other evil gotten goods , have sold their eternal salvation in exchange forsuch transitory trash , such riches ( falsly so called ) of short continuance . and now , seeing we have cut off from this noble assembly , that which is superfluous , let us take courage , and purifying our bodies and souls as much as is possible for us , all agreeing in one spirit , with one voice , sing the triumphant and ●●torious ditty that israel rejoy●●● in , at the time when the 〈◊〉 were swallowed up in the 〈◊〉 , ( meriam leading and be●●ning the tune , as followeth ) i 〈◊〉 sing unto the lord , for he hath 〈◊〉 gloriously , the horse 〈◊〉 his rider hath he thrown into 〈◊〉 sea. ( i change that of the 〈◊〉 ) but where it hath pleased 〈◊〉 , and as he thought fit and just , 〈◊〉 that doth , and disposeth all 〈◊〉 , even he that turneth the 〈◊〉 into the morning ( as the ●●●phet amos hath it ) and maketh 〈◊〉 day dark with night : — 〈◊〉 strengthneth the spoiled a●●●nst the strong : — he rules 〈◊〉 governs , as in a circle , all this ●●rld , that which agitated and t●●ubled , and which is not : all our 〈◊〉 that are subject to variation 〈◊〉 change , and that are carried ●●●etimes on this manner , and ●●●etimes on that , for our sakes , 〈◊〉 are immoveable , fix'd , and 〈◊〉 firm in the divine providence , however they seem to go ●● proceed contrarily . that whi●● is known to the world , ( viz. ●● divine wisdom of his father ) 〈◊〉 us is covered and hid : he hat● put down the mighty from th●● seats , and exalted them of low degree . also , ( which i have take from another text of scripture ▪ the arms of the wicked shall 〈◊〉 broken , but the lord upholdeth 〈◊〉 righteous . in like manner fro● another place , as my memo●● serves me , ( having abundance 〈◊〉 texts wherewith to compose th●● song , and which offer themselve● to this thanksgiving ) it 's he 〈◊〉 raisethg up the wicked above the 〈◊〉 , then putteth him down agai● that he appears no more : if we tak● heed to turn away readily , and 〈◊〉 the evil pass . who is he among them th●● treats of divine matters , that 〈◊〉 sufficiently sing , and make relatio● of these things ? who , that ca● worthily represent the power o● god , and make all his praises understood ? what voice or power of ●●●quence equal this miracle ? who 〈◊〉 that divided the sea by his 〈◊〉 , that brake the head of the 〈◊〉 in the waters , that brake 〈◊〉 head of the leviathan in pieces , 〈◊〉 gave him to be meat to the 〈◊〉 inhabiting the wilderness ? 〈◊〉 who hath shut up the sea with 〈◊〉 , when it brake forth , as if it 〈◊〉 issued out of the womb ? when 〈◊〉 the cloud the garment 〈◊〉 and thick darkness a 〈…〉 for it , and brake up for it my 〈◊〉 place , and set bars and 〈◊〉 , and said , hitherto shalt thou 〈◊〉 , and no further , and here shall 〈◊〉 proud waves be stayed ? truly 〈◊〉 hath appeased them , they not 〈◊〉 been long time furious and 〈◊〉 up . who is it that hath 〈◊〉 us the favour to go upon the 〈◊〉 of serpents and scorpions , 〈◊〉 laying not our selves in wait to 〈◊〉 their heels , that , at the same 〈◊〉 , assailed us publickly , and 〈◊〉 up their heads against us , 〈◊〉 also he ordained we should tread under our feet ? who is that hath done justice and judg●ment when it was not looked for who , that hath not for ever reac●ed out the rod of sinners upon 〈◊〉 righteous ? ( i say , upon the right●ous , if righteous any may be said be , while remaining upon eart● and no otherwise ) or ( to spe●● more humbly ) upon those 〈◊〉 knew god ? for the truth is , 〈◊〉 have not been afflicted as righteous for , as none simply are so , so , fo● being so none are afflicted but fo● their good , and to the end ( lik● brave champions ) they should pu● shame and confusion upon their afflicters . but , as sinners rather , w● had the punishment of sin through afflictions imposed upon us ; after which , the lord , in mercy , hath been pleased to shew his fatherly care and affection towards us , by his so having chastned us , that we might become wise , and ( as far as he thought needful ) to make us the more advised in our after return unto him . for , he hath not rebuked us in his anger , nor chastned 〈◊〉 in his heavy displeasure ; but 〈◊〉 shewed his mercy in the one , 〈◊〉 in the other , viz. in his chastise●●nt and pardon . who is it that 〈◊〉 done vengeance among the ●●●tions ? chid and rebuked his 〈◊〉 ? the lord strong and 〈◊〉 , the lord mighty in battel . 〈◊〉 a voice , a verse , that hath 〈◊〉 to the great graces we now 〈◊〉 , which isaiah uttered to 〈◊〉 ages , and is very agreeable 〈◊〉 this season , and sutable to the 〈◊〉 of benefits , at present , 〈◊〉 by us : sing , o heavens , be joyful , o earth , and break 〈◊〉 into singing , o mountains : god hath comforted his people , will have mercy upon his afflict●●● ▪ for all creatures , all 〈…〉 have knowledge , as i 〈◊〉 , of these things . for the 〈◊〉 was made subject to 〈◊〉 not willingly , but by reason of 〈◊〉 who hath subjected the same 〈◊〉 . because the creature it 〈◊〉 also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption , into th● glorious liberty of the children 〈◊〉 god. for we know , that the wh● creation groaneth and travelleth 〈◊〉 pain together untill now . the apostle also enters further into the sam● celebration , and rejoycing , to 〈◊〉 god's children have the enjoyin● of this contentment and delight now then , sing , o barren , ( for cannot pass by the alledging 〈◊〉 scripture ) thou that didst not bear● break forth into singing , and 〈◊〉 alond , thou that didst not travel wit● child , for more are the children 〈◊〉 the desolate , than the children of th● married wife . rejoyce also all you , who hav● been wrapt up in this unpleasan● and irksome winter of adversity for god hath had pity of his people , and hath not forsaken his inheritance : he hath done wonderful things , his antient determination and purpose is true , which 〈◊〉 to satisfie those that fear him , tha● hope in his mercy . for he hat● broken the gates of brass , and 〈◊〉 th● bars of iron in sunder . ●t's true , because of our 〈◊〉 he hath humbled us ; but 〈◊〉 ●ave been comforted , and the 〈◊〉 being broke , we have been 〈◊〉 by the grace of god , which 〈◊〉 called us , and which comforts 〈◊〉 that are lowly of heart . see 〈◊〉 i compose this hymn with 〈◊〉 words , and divine 〈◊〉 ▪ and truly , i know not how to 〈◊〉 merry , and recreate my soul 〈◊〉 any other , being transported 〈◊〉 my self ( as it were ) with ●●●lowing content . so that i 〈◊〉 no esteem of low and 〈◊〉 things , fitting and alledging 〈◊〉 many matters , which are 〈◊〉 unto me by the holy 〈◊〉 . ●ell then , there have been 〈◊〉 ( in the first place ) the 〈◊〉 of god's providence in 〈◊〉 translation of enoch , and 〈◊〉 of elias ; in noah that 〈◊〉 , and , with him , a 〈◊〉 of all things , in a little 〈◊〉 of wood , containing the whole world , from the deluge the universe , to the intent 〈◊〉 the earth after might be f●nished with more righteous in●●bitants . again , in old abraha● that was called , and gratifi'd in latter days with an off-spring , make faith of an other seed , 〈◊〉 promised posterity : who willing presenting , according to go● command , his onely son , that 〈◊〉 free-born , in sacrifice , in stead him found a ram in a bush , god's appointment , to offer 〈◊〉 unto the lord. the ruine 〈◊〉 of the wicked sodomites , 〈◊〉 were swallowed up with fire 〈◊〉 brimstone , was wonderful , wh● at the same time , righteous 〈◊〉 and his family were onely save● and , which is yet more wonder● the pillar of salt into which 〈◊〉 wife , for looking back , was tu●ed , remaining after , to represe● unto all faithless people , what fearful thing it is , when on called of god , to return 〈◊〉 unto the acting of what ever thi● expresly forbidden by him . we ●ead likewise of joseph , who was ●old into egypt , and being filled with the wisdom of god , was after made governor next under pha●aoh of that whole land , to make ●he better provision in a time of ●earth and scarcity , for his father ●acob , and all his houshold . moses ●ad the honor to see god , received , ●nd gave the law to the israe●●tes , and , being appointed by god 〈◊〉 to do , was their conductor out ●f egypt to the land of promise . the ten plagues of the egyptians , ●nd the deliverance of the israe●ites , at the same time inhabiting in ●he midst of them , was very won●erful . so was the sea its turning ●ack with a rod , and going toge●her again upon a word spoken by moses , at what time the israe●●tes had passage through the same , 〈◊〉 on dry ground , and the egypti●ns were drowned , and utterly ●ver-whelmed with the waters ●hereof to their final destruction . what can be spoken enough of those two canopies ( as i may 〈◊〉 speak ) carried over the heads 〈◊〉 the israelites by god himself , in their passage unto the land of canaan through the wilderness the pillar of the clowd which l●● them by day , and the pillar of fire which gave them light by night ? of manna , rained among●… them in their camps , as they went , from the lord out of heaven , and quails sent them from the same hand of providence enough to glut six hundred thousand persons in the wilderness ▪ of the just quantity of that heavenly manna measured out 〈◊〉 them by god , whereof they ha●… never the more to store up , th●● gathered more at a time then wa● commanded them , nor they 〈◊〉 less , to suffice nature , that gathered not so much ? of waters some drawn out of a stony rock others , of bitter made sweet ? of amaleck's being fought against b● prayers , in a mystical and hidde● manner ? the sun its standi●● still , and the moon staying her ●ourse ? jordan divided , and the walls of jericho falling upon the ●ound of trumpets made of rams ●orns , after compass'd about seven ●ays ? the earth , and the fleece 〈◊〉 wool , interchangeably wet ●nd dry ? strength in samson's long ●air , equal in power to a whole ●rmy ? a little company that ●ap'd water carrying away the ●ictory , and with as small a num●er vanquishing , beyond their ●nemies expectation , many thou●●nds of their adversaries ? i need ●ot , i perswade my self , recite so ●any wonders as followed upon ●he incamation , and happy comming of jesus christ into the ●orld by birth , or that which the ●oly apostles after did in his ●ame . many books and histo●●es there are , that plentifully bear ●itness of those matters . but of 〈◊〉 which is come to pass in these ●●mes , i shall again further make 〈◊〉 manifest unto you . hearken then , and i will relate the same to all you that fear god , to the intent that the generation that is next to come , and the succession of generations after that , may know the wonderful power of god. in which regard , because it s not so easie a matter to declare these things , without representing the greatness and quality of the peril wherein we were formerly plunged , and that cannot be done without discoursing of the evil complexion of his nature , and of what principles and seed of malice he came , who was the author thereof , to such outrages ( having by little and little encreased his impiety , even as poison that comes from cruel beasts , and venomous serpents ) referring the larger and more ample discourse of those acts , to those that have a purpose to compose tragical books and histories , ( for having not the leisure to dilate much of things too far from our present subject ) i shall , in reciting part among many others , leave something printed and engraven on your memory , as on a pillar , to be communicated to them that shall come after us , and betake me to his more principal and apparent actions . he then ( viz. julian ) having been first preserved by great constance , succeeding in the empire of his father , when the troops were armed against their chiefs , making some stirs , and ●he imperial house governed by ●ew captains : then , i say , ●eing saved with his brother by ●ncredible and extraordinary means , ●e gave not thanks either to god ●or his preservation , or to the emperor , by whose means he was preserved ; but persisting ungrateful both to the one and to the ●ther , shewed himself an apo●tate to god , and rebellious to constance his foster-father . now you must know , there was ● palace wherein these two bro●hers , who alone remained of the ●lood of the emperors , were , by ●he commandment of that most gracious prince , brought up , and there served according to the fashion of emperors . that he ( viz. constance ) did , to justifie himself in part , that the disasters , happening in the beginning of his reign , came not from him . then ▪ to shew the freedom and magnanimity of his courage , in calling them to the association with him in the empire . finally , for the better , and more firmly establishing of his estate . in which , notwithstanding , there fell out more goodness than prudence , with respect unto himself . they then , being at rest and tranquillity from all business , becaus● they had not yet the imperial dignity , but by destination , and i● hope , their age not permitting tha● they should be employed i● places of command ; received by the care of the emperor , who wa● their uncle , perfect instruction i● all sorts of sciences . certainly they gave themselves the more to philosophy , not onely that which treats of reasons and ●iscourses , but also moral , and which concerns piety , frequent●●g and conversing with persons ●ccomplish'd , and who made their ●ertues appear in their honest and ●●olish'd actions : so that they made ●hemselves to be enrolled in the ●rder of church-men , so far , ●hat they read the gospel to the ●eople , not thinking it any de●aing , or disparaging themselves ●n point of honor , so to do : but ●n the contrary , supposing there could not be in a prince or potentate a more excellent ornament , than to be actively employed in their own persons about offices touching religion . so that ●n them a great affection to moral philosophy , and christian doctrine , appeared , building for the saints and martyrs magnificent tombs , giving great gifts to churches , and being conversant about such like acts , which were evident tokens , and shined in both of them , for a time , as lively characters of christian philosophy , and the fear of god. one of them indeed was trul● and vertuously inclined to piety for , though of a stirring and troublesome nature , yet , for matte● of faith , he was constant and firm ▪ but the other dissembling , an● gaining time , hid under the appearance or shew of simplicity ▪ an evil intention of mind , ( a● one may guess at the matter . ) to which purpose i cannot conceal 〈◊〉 miracle that then hapned , a goo● one , and such as may serve for instruction to many , that are not so sincere as they should be in the truth of religion , of which openly they seem to make much profession . these two brothers being employed in beautifying the monuments of martyrs , and a jealousie between them who should bestow most magnificence and liberality in building a chappel they set up with great costs and charges ; as they did not proceed with the like design , so the masons wo●k thereabout did not go on with the 〈◊〉 success of dispatch to the one ●●rty , as to the other : for where●● what the eldest set workmen out , proceeded on to some tol●●able perfection , god being ●●eas'd to accept the same , as ●●metimes he did the sacrifice of 〈◊〉 , that , as an offering of the ●●rst-born , with a pure and sincere ●art , was presented unto him . ●he other's work , viz. of the ●●ungest , ( see , alack , the lord 's ●●ghting of the wicked in things ●●nder'd by them unto his ser●●ce , who by small discovereth ●●eater matters ) his work , i say , 〈◊〉 the sacrifice of cain , was ab●●minated by the martyrs . the ●artyrs indeed he made to smile at ●hat he did , but the ground , ne●●rtheless , sunk under that part 〈◊〉 the fabrick which was built by 〈◊〉 . which , so soon as perceived 〈◊〉 him , made him bestir himself 〈◊〉 taking pains to erect the same ●●ain out of hand ; but , after all 〈◊〉 labour and pains-taking , it disdained , for all that , to receiv● foundation from a person so d●famed , so blasted in his reput●tion ; as if thereby proclaiming 〈◊〉 the world the after-ruine whic● necessarily should befall it for 〈◊〉 own unworthiness ; or , as if in 〈◊〉 hapning , it would honor the ma●tyrs , by the neglect and litt●● esteem it seem'd to make of 〈◊〉 detestable a person . which ce●tainly was an undoubted presa●● of his folly and arrogance , as 〈◊〉 of the contempt he should 〈◊〉 afterwards towards holy ma●tyrs , together with many othe● outrages purposed by him to 〈◊〉 put in practise against the church● of the christians , and other th● like places destinated by the●unto sacred uses . with respe●● whereunto the almighty , aft●● this sort , ( though for the prese●● it was not known apparently 〈◊〉 any , yet ) at a distance seemed 〈◊〉 persecute , as it were , the persec●tor , and well nigh declared the reward and recompence of those 〈◊〉 impious doings . o the subtle nature of corrupt ●ypocrisie to do evil ! which , not●ithstanding , could not avoid the ●…ain that was set to catch him , ●nd into which he fell afterwards ! o how admirable is the lord , in manifesting what was to happen , ●y cutting down wickedness , and ●aking further declaration of his ●●acious providences ; a miracle ●…uly paradoxal , yet true . o the ●●eat fore-sight and heroick mind ●f the martyrs ! that for the pre●●nt , would not receive honor●…●rom him , who , for the future , ●hould disparage them , that re●used monuments and gifts from ●im , who should make many a ●rave champions faith , against ●is will , illustrious , and envy ●hem , at the same time , in their ●ombats and victories , for so fight●ng ! to say truth , they would not , ●y any means , permit themselves ●…lone should receive scandal , and ●e injuriously dealt withal ; viz. that their monuments should be ●uilt by so wicked hands , and other churches served with more holy , neither give occasion after to the author thereof thereby to boast in such his profaneness , 〈◊〉 setting up with the one hand 〈◊〉 some , and pulling down with the other to the rest , certain chapels dedicated to holy martyrs , some of them reproached , and other in outward shew reverenced and respected by him ; vailing , under a counterfeit appearance , ever , the true neglect and contempt he usually made of all things . wherein , nevertheless , 〈◊〉 found no great matter to glory of , though never so well advised in deceiving men , god almighty , at the same time , being undeceived , who understandeth all things , and confoundeth , in their ow● subtlety , the most crafty , though never so cunningly masking themselves under the colour of what ever appearances otherwise . for , although the lord with-held not , for a se●son , this indignity done to the martyrs , neither the forecast and hidden malice wherewith the 〈◊〉 was put in practice , nor stop●●d the current of such wicked in●●ence from falling upon them , 〈◊〉 causes ever just , and best ●●own unto himself , according to his inscrutable wisdome , 〈◊〉 secret disposal of all things , even as 't was his will to have 〈◊〉 iniquity of the amorites come ●its full , before their destruction ) ●et requisite it was nevertheless the story , that this malignant ●●ture should be detested of all 〈◊〉 , and the honour done by him the martyrs , as unworthy of 〈◊〉 , be utterly rejected . a thing , heeded , which may serve well 〈◊〉 the edification of many , there●● to discern the equity and justice god in his all-wise acceptance all things , in what manner so 〈◊〉 offered , and presented unto 〈◊〉 . for it is he that saith to israel ●hen they had sinned : bring no ●ore vain oblations , incense is an ●bomination unto me , the new moons , and the sabbaths , the calling of assemblies i cannot 〈◊〉 with ; it is iniquity , even the s●lemn meeting . neither doth 〈◊〉 that is sincere and down-right towards god , need any thing depe●ding upon men to take delight i● that 's unworthily presented unt● him , the lord no less abhorri●● him that killeth an oxe , then th●● slayeth a man ; that sacrificeth 〈◊〉 lamb , then that cutteth off a dog neck : casting out of his temp●● the hire of a whore , receiving 〈◊〉 holding suitable to his acceptan●● the sacrifice that is presented un●● him with pure and innocent hands with a mind lifted up to heave● and clean from taking pleasure 〈◊〉 whatsoever sin committed by hi● no marvail then , if he refused th● honour that julian after offered 〈◊〉 to him , seeing wickedly , and from 〈◊〉 malignant heart , he presented th● same unto god ; who regards 〈◊〉 as man , neither casteth he his 〈◊〉 upon the outward appearance , b● penetrateth even into the bottom of the heart and thoughts , whenc● virtue and vice fetch their appro●●l , and receive either recom●ence of reward , or punishment ●ccordingly , from the almighty . ●hus fared it with julian in this ●atter . if any difficulty of be●●ef therein remains , so that the ●●uth thereof may be called into ●●estion , there are witnesses yet ●●ving to be produced that saw the ●●me , who related , and represented 〈◊〉 miracle unto us , and who have 〈◊〉 purpose also to communicate a ●ore ample and full description ●●ereof unto posterity . well then , after become men , ●●ey should have entred into the ●recepts of philosophy ( would to god such their entrance had never ●een , or that they had attained ●nto the perfection thereof ; which , 〈◊〉 them that are well born , serves as 〈◊〉 weapon of true virtue , to defend ●hem from the impostery of all ●anner of contrary inconveni●●nces , though , to the perverse and ●●ase minded , it becomes sometimes 〈◊〉 spur , to set them forward in their untowardness , ( as in julian , wh● to give the devil his due , was we●● vers'd in the study of whatev●● profane literature . ) it 's true , 〈◊〉 was a great philosopher , and ye● for all that , 't was not possible 〈◊〉 him to conceal his disease , to kee● close in his mind the deceit of impiety that therein lurked . for , 〈◊〉 fire in wood , though the flame appears not , is known by the smo●● and sparkles that ascend from 〈◊〉 or , as water that runs in hollo● places , in time of great wind● having no way to expatiate it sel● nor issue free , but is oftner troubled , and mingled with earth , an● other filth , renders a sad noise fro● within , being prest with the violence of the wind , and kept bad by the force of other accident● meeting together with it : so thi● man , though he concealed much o● his profound wickedness by reaso● of the time , and instruction of th● emperour , it not being for a whil● either lawful , or safe to make known his irreligion openly , ye● discovered he nevertheless , some●●●●g then of the inwards of his ●●…ghts to men of more under●●●●ding and subtle in paganisme , 〈◊〉 in the true religion , and do●●●●… of jesus christ : also , in the 〈◊〉 which he had with his bro●●●● , wherein he maintained the ●●●…eks ( that is , the gentiles ) ●●●…ing then befitted him , under pre●●●…e of disputing to uphold the ●●●…ker side : but it was , indeed , a ●●…ourse , or exercise meerly a●●●●…st the true religion , and which 〈◊〉 much contented them who 〈◊〉 the character of a more impi●●● religion imprinted in their ●●●…ts . ●ut so soon as the emperour had ●●…ared his brother gallus king 〈◊〉 ●he romans , giving him , with 〈◊〉 government , a great part of 〈◊〉 land ; and that to julian also , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 permitted full power , and 〈◊〉 , to keep company with the ●…ctors and freely to hear the dis●●●rse of the gentiles : and also , 〈◊〉 asia was as a school to him of the false religion , whose in●●bitants , the most part of them , 〈◊〉 conversant and much verst in ast●●logy , and prognostication ; that 〈◊〉 can fore-tell things to come , 〈◊〉 likewise in sorcery , and in incha●●ments , ( a science ordinarily f●●lowing the other ) there remain no thing but one , viz. that 〈◊〉 and authority were joyned to i●piety . now , it was long befo●● that the great iniquity of some ●●quired this for him to our 〈◊〉 : as who say , the health , ● good constitution of the christi●● body being arrived to the 〈◊〉 of its perfection ; power , hono●● and plenty of all things brough● change . for , the truth is , it● harder matter to keep , then to ●●tain unto what is desired , an eas●● thing by care , and pains-taking , call back , and cause lost felicity return again , then to conserve after gotten : seeing , when in p●session of this world's goods 〈◊〉 any great aboundance , we are 〈◊〉 to wax proud , and a man's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wise man tells us ) shall 〈◊〉 him low : but honour shall 〈◊〉 the humble in spirit . 〈◊〉 , being humbled after afflicted 〈◊〉 our pride , ( for after pride , hu●●lity often follows , as after hu●●lity , honour ; god resisting the 〈◊〉 , and giving grace unto the 〈◊〉 , ) we are thereby the more ●●nestly enforced to seek after 〈◊〉 lost condition till we obtain 〈◊〉 same : which , after found , we 〈◊〉 not so heedful in preserving till 〈◊〉 made more wise by having the 〈◊〉 in the whole , or , at least in 〈◊〉 taken away from us . in this 〈◊〉 ( as it should seem ) it befel 〈◊〉 christians at that time , god , 〈◊〉 weigheth all things equally , ●●asureth all things justly , being ●●eas'd to oppose , after this man●●r , one contrary to , or with an 〈◊〉 . which , that holy man after ●od's own heart , david having 〈◊〉 much experience of in his life●●me , puts usually in the number of 〈◊〉 gracious mercies the lord 〈◊〉 done for him by abasing him , and then restoring him , not bei●● unmindful , upon any occasion , 〈◊〉 thankulness to acknowledge 〈◊〉 good he thereby received fr●● him . to which purpose , what 〈◊〉 he ? before i was afflicted , i 〈◊〉 astray : but now have ▪ i kept 〈◊〉 word : putting by this method ●●mility between sin and repe●tance , as if it were engendred 〈◊〉 the one , and likewise did engen●●●● the other . which , if ye mar●● is most true ; sin , for the 〈◊〉 part , being the mother of hu●●lity , and humility of repentan●● so we , after humble , have 〈◊〉 lifted up , and whereas heretof●●● being by little and little , thro●●● the good conduct of god brou●●● to such an estate , and measure 〈◊〉 happiness , as we are now in 〈◊〉 ( as i may so say ) at such his m●●cies , it seemed good unto god 〈◊〉 cast us down . among many other sad thin● that then befell us christians , ' tw●● none of the least , that the kin●dome , and life of caesar ( viz. 〈◊〉 gallus ) came to an end . how 〈◊〉 fell out , or by what means , i 〈◊〉 forbear to tell you , as being ●illing to offend either the 〈◊〉 thereof , or him that suffered it , that respect i owe unto the pie●● of them both . nevertheless , 〈◊〉 approving of them in their ●●●knesses , but considering them ●hey were men , they could 〈◊〉 of them be exempted from 〈◊〉 faulty , and in that regard both enough to be reprehended , were not possible that the reasons 〈◊〉 we shall use to accuse the 〈◊〉 , might be the justification of 〈◊〉 other . this man then ( julian i mean ) 〈◊〉 the appointment of constance , 〈◊〉 presently heir , not of the 〈◊〉 but of the kingdome of his ●ther gallus , and soon after was 〈◊〉 also with him , who gave him 〈◊〉 estate , being forced to pay the ●●mmon tributeof all men , as over●●me , and carried away by death , 〈◊〉 the loss , and destruction of all 〈◊〉 survived him . and now , what shall we touching this most divine , this 〈◊〉 christian emperour ? i care 〈◊〉 for addressing my complaint 〈◊〉 any but to thee , o thou 〈◊〉 soul , as if thou sawest , and he●est me , while , at present , dire●●ing my speech unto thee ! 〈◊〉 know , that it can offend thee in 〈◊〉 thing , who art now resident 〈◊〉 god , who inheritests his 〈◊〉 who art gone from us here 〈◊〉 to exchange thy earthless 〈◊〉 for a better , and more durabl●● heaven . tell me , neverthele●● who was it that suggested 〈◊〉 counsel unto thee of leaving 〈◊〉 thy successour ? who gave to 〈◊〉 that advice , which comes so 〈◊〉 short of that sublime subtlety ; 〈◊〉 great judgement , wherewith 〈◊〉 wa' st indued ; not onely above 〈◊〉 the princes of thine own 〈◊〉 but above them all , in like 〈◊〉 that ever were before thee ? th●● who hast purged our horizon 〈◊〉 barbarisme , and subdued do●●stick tyrants , the one by reas●● 〈◊〉 other by force , but with such ●●●terity both , that the one did no 〈◊〉 , was no let , or hinderance 〈◊〉 other : and whose trophees ●●●eived by armes and battles , 〈◊〉 fair , and great ; but those 〈◊〉 without effusion of blood , 〈◊〉 yet more excellent , and ap●●●red more glorious to all the 〈◊〉 . thou , to whom from all 〈◊〉 of the universe● embassa●●● , and deputies were sent : 〈◊〉 , to whom all nations yield●●● obedience , or , at least , were 〈◊〉 the point of obeying , so that 〈◊〉 , who were not yet 〈◊〉 , carried themselves in that 〈◊〉 , as if already they had been ●●●rcome : thou that wa'st led by 〈◊〉 hand of god in all thy delibe●●●ons and actions : thou whose ●●●gment seemed to surmount all 〈◊〉 force ; and thy force , on ●●other side , to surmount all ●●●gement : but the glory , or fame 〈◊〉 piety , bore the bell away , 〈◊〉 from the one , and the other . 〈◊〉 then , in this onely act of thine shewedst thou thy self 〈◊〉 , and hast been surprised ? 〈◊〉 what purpose , i beseech thee , 〈◊〉 that easie propension of this 〈◊〉 inhumane goodness ? which of 〈◊〉 infernal spirits was it that 〈◊〉 the same into thy mind ? 〈◊〉 was it possible that thou shoul● deliver , in an instant , to a 〈◊〉 villain , to a common murdere● ▪ 〈◊〉 fair an inheritance , so 〈◊〉 an ornament ? ( i mean the c●●●stians under thy dominion , in 〈◊〉 life time . ) the flock 〈◊〉 through the out-spreading 〈◊〉 of that bright morning-star , good sheepheard jesus christ shining upon them , is so 〈◊〉 in all the world ? the royal pr●●●●hood of god multiplied , 〈◊〉 spread abroad with so much 〈◊〉 and travail here on earth . it may be ( my brethren ) i 〈◊〉 seem unto you to have shewed 〈◊〉 self partial and malicious in 〈◊〉 discourse , in that , among the 〈◊〉 sons of my accusation , i do 〈◊〉 readily adde what is true . but , if observe what i have declared , ●●u'l find by the same arguments 〈◊〉 my complaint , i have suffici●●tly justified what i said , and ●●●ewise that the absolution is fix●● to the accusation . for , when i ●●oke , and used this term good●●ss , i thereby declared his inno●●nce . and now , who is he , among ●●em who have known him but ●●eanly , who knowes not that be●●use of his zeal to religion , and ●●fection to us-ward , wishing all ●●od , and prosperity to the chri●●●ans , he made so great account 〈◊〉 julian ? as also , that he made 〈◊〉 so much reckoning of the ho●●ur of his race , or of the increase 〈◊〉 the empire , as of us ? but , on 〈◊〉 contrary , would have given all ●●ings , the empire , life , and all ●hereof any thing is dear , and ●●ecious , for our assurance , and ●●eservation ? there having been ever man living , that desired a ●●ing more to heart , then he the ●●gmentation of christianity , and to see it attain to the height of glory , and power in his days . for certainly , neither the su●duing of nations , nor the goo● policy of his empire , nor 〈◊〉 abundance of his wealth , nor 〈◊〉 hieght of his honour , nor the co●templation that , in name , and e●fect , he was king of kings , 〈◊〉 any other things , in which 〈◊〉 ground their felicity in this wor●● ever brought him so much conte●● as that we by his means , and he 〈◊〉 , prospered both with go●● and men , and thereby ( as in a mi●rour ) saw the authority of 〈◊〉 church established indissolubly 〈◊〉 ever : raising thereon his consid●rations higher , and more royal● then many others , in clearly di●cerning that the roman estate ●●thered its greatness , and increas● with that of the christians . an● in consideration ( it seems ) th● untill the coming of christ in 〈◊〉 flesh , they attained not unto 〈◊〉 highest point of rising into an ●●solute empire of monarchy , 〈◊〉 perfection of government , which 〈◊〉 , and not before , could ever ●rought to pass , or accomplish●● : he remembred our cause , ( as 〈◊〉 reason he had to do so ) with 〈◊〉 much zeal , good will , and all ●●rty affection . so that , if it ●●pened at any time , that it was 〈◊〉 somewhat harsh to us , it 〈◊〉 not that he the less esteemed 〈◊〉 or would do us a dispeasure , or ●●●tifie others to our prejudice : 〈◊〉 his seeming severity tended 〈◊〉 to reduce us to one and the ●wor● belief , and not otherwise to ●●ide , and separate us by schismes . 〈◊〉 for all this , he was but little ●●tchful ( as we have formerly 〈◊〉 ) on his own guard through his ●●●plicity , as also , in his clemency 〈◊〉 appeared a kind of weakness : 〈◊〉 he that is without malice thinks 〈◊〉 of malice , and therefore he 〈◊〉 not of that which was to 〈◊〉 , by his not knowing what it 〈◊〉 to dissemble . by such means as these impiety 〈◊〉 in by little and little , two contrary affections meeting togethe● the one in a good people , the ●ther in the wickedest and 〈◊〉 atheistical man of the who●● world : who fretting without ca●● against the christians , had nothi●● to say against our doctrine : 〈◊〉 having no considerable precepts 〈◊〉 the gentiles school , that could 〈◊〉 maintained by reason , without e●ample , sought by his impiety 〈◊〉 render himself renowned and ●●mous , beginning , in a new ma●ner , a war with him , who ma●● him emperour . but when 〈◊〉 knew he could not carry it 〈◊〉 vertue , and lawful means , he 〈◊〉 do it by the contrary , namely 〈◊〉 the same affection , that he broug●● about his other mischeif and wic●edness . behold then the apolo●● made to christians in the 〈◊〉 half of constance : which 〈◊〉 not but seem just and equitable 〈◊〉 men of judgement . howev●● there are some who finding themselves satisfied in this matter , 〈◊〉 not yet be satisfied therewith , but ●●cuse him of simplicity , and small ●●resight in imparting the empire , 〈◊〉 thereby putting the authori●● , and forces into his hands , who ●as his enemy , and whose brother 〈◊〉 had formerly put to death . hereupon , it is necessary for us little to discourse upon this , though 〈◊〉 be but to shew that this act of 〈◊〉 was not wholly against reason , 〈◊〉 humanity both , no , nor yet un●ecoming altogether the grave ●●ovidence , and good judgement 〈◊〉 the emperour . for , it would 〈◊〉 a shame to us , having received 〈◊〉 much honour from him , and ●●owing him to be so accomplish●●d , and excellent in piety , not to ●●eak further in his just defence : 〈◊〉 especially , seeing he is dead , 〈◊〉 hath now left us . in which ●●gard we cannot justly be re●●oached for using flattery , having 〈◊〉 liberty to speak freely , with●ut any suspition , in proposing law●●l onely , and true grounded argu●ents on his behalf . to which purpose , who wou●● not have thought the honours co●ferr'd upon him should have re●dred him more mild , and peac●able ? as also , the confiden●● wherewith too assured of hi● more ingenious , and just ? lik●wise , in that the two brothers ha●… by a royal judgement , and sentence , the one received punishment , the other advancemen● there was no possibility of believing , that he , who had adorned j●lian's youth with dignities and honours greater then could ever b● hoped for by him , would ever punish the eldest without a just ●nd lawful cause . so that , for resolution of the thing in question so f●●… it may be answered , the one 〈◊〉 constance his acts ought to be attributed to the temerity of gal●● who was punished , and the oth●● to the good nature of himself , wh●… gave those honours unto julian or , to say truth , constance had no● so much assurance in julian's fait● and oath , as in the power that wa● then remaining in his own hand . some thinke , under the same ●elief alexander the great gave ●orus , not his life onely ( who ●ravely on the other side , fought ●or the crown ) but also the king●ome of the indies . neither ●ould he make his magnanimity ●etter appear , then by such an act ●f his , who being alexander , ●hought there went more of him 〈◊〉 overcoming , then by armes ; ●eeing 't was in his own power ( as 〈◊〉 conceived ) if the other , viz. ●orus , had shewed himself un●rateful , and rebellious thereupon , ●o have overcome and utterly vanquished him afresh . so his great ●ssurance , great constance his confidence , i mean , in his own strength , was the cause of his so liberally ●estowing those great honours , that ●ut of a magnanimous mind , and heroick spirit , he so profusely conferred upon julian . but what need i debate so much of this , seeing its easie for me , although i let go this reason , to gain my cause ? for if he that truste● another man , doth ill , how muc● more he that is trusted , if he fa●● in such his trust ? and if it b● blameable , not possibly to fore ▪ see an evil inclination ; in wh●● degree of blame and baseness sha●● we put that perverse nature , tha● so foully deceived him , who so fairly , and ingeniously trusted thereunto ? but certainly it 's a thing , whereof we cannot soon beware , unles● we be as malicious in our selves . besides , let us do what we can , it 's a hard matter to make a wicke● man good . for reason would , that this man should have shewed himself faithful to constance : an● if there had been any sparke of ill-will towards him , to have utterly extinguished the same . but , on the contrary , in recompense of so many benefits , he conceived against him an evil affection , became ● malefactor towards him his benefactor , making it his design to do evil unto that gracious emperour , who had no other design , then to do ●ood unto him . behold , good people , the do●trine that the platonists , the ●hrysipsians and the famous peripa●●ticks , the stoicks , and other , who ●orme their pallats to speak so ●rettily , have taught him ! take ●otice of the geometrical pro●ortion , the discourse of justice , ●nd of those patient philosophers , that maintain , it 's better to take , ●hen to do wrong . see also what ●rave preceptors , what great coun●ellors of state , what grave law-makers he took to him in the quar●ours , and drew out of taverns ; and of whom he was wont to say that [ he approoved not their manner of living , but rather admired their eloquence : ] nor it neither , but , possibly , rather their impiety . these alone were the men , whom he thought good to advise with , and to ask counsel of , in whatever to be done , or , otherwise , left undone by him . and , are we not well advised ( think ye , ) to admire this kind 〈◊〉 people , who forme idea's of co●mon-wealths in their discourse , th●● can never be reduced into act who sooth up cruell tyrants 〈◊〉 their oppression , with fair speechs and present to the gods a half pen●● with a grave look of the forehead ? of this sort , some believ● there is no god at all ; others n● p●ovidence , but that all thing● come to us by hap-hazzard , ●● chance : some , that we are governed by the stars , and figures ●● fatal necessity ; ( i know not where they have it , nor from whom ) others , that all things tend to voluptuousness , and therein the quintessence of humane life consists ; but , as for virtue , they give it a fine name onely , and extend its relation no further then the limits of this life , positively putting it down for granted , that [ the faults we commit in this life dyes with us , and no further account to be made for them after death . ] the ablest of all their wise men are endued ( it seems ) with no bette●●nowledge , but being wrapt up in ●he muddy and obscure darkness of ●rrour , and ignorance , never lifted ●p the understanding to discern ●ver so little the beams of saving ●ruth , but rather troubling them●elves with things here below , and that fall under the cognisance of the senses , never comprehended ●ny thing about the nature of devils ( as most reasonable it is that god , the creator of them , should be ) if there were any one among them , that had dived never so little further into the abstruse secrets of nature , being destitute , at the same time , of the grace of god , he rested upon that which to him seemed easier to understand , and brought the vulgar multitude to conforme themselves thereunto . is it then any great wonder , that he , who was endued with such precepts , and taught by such masters , should prove a traytor to him that trusted him ? a felon , and rebell to him that raised him up ? if there be yet any other question of defending , by accusing him , he could not ( i should think ) be much troubled in mind for the death of his brother , who was his brother's enemy by reason of his religion , and so much displeased to see christianity flourish . no , but being transported with rage rather against true piety , he the sooner troubled the state , to establish and give liberty to his false , and foolish opinions : it being requisite , according to their reasons , to annexe the empire to philosophy , and ( as it fell out after ) rather to complete , then to cause the evils of the common-wealth to cease . now the first act of his rebellion , and temerity was , to make himself be crowned , and to procure , or rather assume to himself the sublime title of emperour ; which , in times past , was wont to be obtained , not as a rape , or prey of fortune but by succession , or by the will of the emperour , or else ( as anciently practised ) by order from the senate . but he would 〈◊〉 acknowledge , as author of his ●●nour , him , who was the true ●●rd of the monarchy . then ●●ving forged in his mind a foolish ●●cessity of taking up armes , which 〈◊〉 was so rash , and un-advisedly ●●ld to undertake , ( see but what 〈◊〉 contrived , and to what point he ●●duced his oversight and folly , o 〈◊〉 extreme fury of this man ! ) 〈◊〉 went armed with great forces ●gainst his prince , and part of the ●est , under the colour and covert 〈◊〉 excusing himself for taking up●● him the crown . i say under 〈◊〉 colour , &c. because , as yet he ●●ssembled , and endeavoured to ●ver his disloyalty , and madness 〈◊〉 a time , when indeed , his whole ●ope , and full intention was to ●●tablish himself in the empire , ●nd by his ingratitude render him●●lf notable to all the world . wherein his hope ( as it fell out ●fter ) did not deceive him , was ●ot in vain . with respect where●nto , i would not that they should be ravish't with admiration , 〈◊〉 mind not the incomprehensib●● height of god's providence governing all things , and ascribe litt●● or nothing to him in the all-wise di●posing , and regulating of state● who , whatever they imagine to th● contrary , as sweetly , as secretly ordains whatever he will hav● brought to pass , in its due seaso● and the same for the better alway● though silly men sometimes mislike thereof , and are not , perhaps , satisfied in their understanding wherefore he doth so . no● this divine providence ( you mu●● know ) induced not this man 〈◊〉 do evil : for , god is not the author of evil , but of all goo● things , sin proceeding never from him , but from the party alone tha● makes choice thereof . as for this wicked impe of satan , ( i mean julian ) he stayed no● his restless motion , but readil● running to those companies thi● were of his government , and unto a part of the marches of the barbarians , whereof , rather by craft , ●hen by open war , he became ma●ter , approached the imperial court ( as instructed so to do , say ●ome of his party , by prognosti●ation , and the advertisement of devils , who promis'd him an hap●y adventure , and a change of ●hem that then governed the af●airs : ) or , according to the saying ●f those who know truth , he the ●ooner advanced , thereby to arrive , ●t a day prefixt , to effect horrible ●nd secret wickedness , as hasting to ●e at the murder , whereof himself was the author , covering the con●piracy then by means of one of ●is domesticks . so that , it was ●ot divining , but knowing certain●y , and the act it self a work of wickedness , and not a benefit the devils had granted him : who by ●hat which fell out in persia , have ●ade the power they had well ap●ear of luckily conducting his af●airs . let them be quiet then , who attribute to devils his celeri●y , or quick dispatchin that matter , however , we cannot deny but th●● the foul act of his consulting with d●vils was damnable . nevertheles● had not the disease of the emperour prevented the incursion of th●● tyrant , and the secret war bee● stronger then the disclosed army the villain had soon felt , that 〈◊〉 hasted to his ruine , and that , before he was chastised by the astonishment he was put into by 〈◊〉 persians , he had carried the punishment of his deserts to the r●man territory , where he , befo●● that , had contrived his wicked conspiracy , which was likely enough because as then he discovered no● himself , although enclosed with th● army of the most valiant emperor , that he might have no way of escaping : as it was easie to judge by that which happened afterwards , there being but little expectatio● of cutting off the means of retreat to him that had already th● empire in his hand . but , as th● emperour marched vertuously against perfidiousness and impiety ( good god what a mischeif do i 〈◊〉 make mention of ! ) he dyed 〈◊〉 the middest of the way , repen●●●g himself to god , and men , 〈◊〉 he had been so kind unto julian , 〈◊〉 , as much as it was then 〈◊〉 for him to do , shewed the af●●●tion he bore to the true religion . years , at present , mixt with joy 〈◊〉 down my cheeks , and , as the 〈◊〉 and floods , strive together , 〈◊〉 , in their meeting , mingle , and ●●●uble one an other , while i am ●●●covering what happened after . 〈◊〉 the end and issue was pleasant 〈◊〉 agreeable to us , as the begin●●ng had been sad and heavy , not ●●ely in regard of the christians , 〈◊〉 their afflictions , which pro●●eded , either by the instinct of 〈◊〉 evil spirit through the will of ●od , who knows the cause there●● ; or ( it may be ) from our ar●●gance , which had need of being ●●strained , and purged : but also 〈◊〉 the regret of that wicked soul , 〈◊〉 of those , carried together with 〈◊〉 ▪ to perdition . there are some , who bewail onely the last plagu● and torments they endure here below , as having no respect at al● but to this present life , and , 〈◊〉 their mind , regard not the futur● nor believe any chastisement sh●●● be imposed upon , or recompe●●● done them for the things commi●ted by them in this world , leadi●● the lives of beasts , and mindi●● nothing but the present time onely placing their soveraign good in h●mane tranquillity , and , contrarily attributing misfortune , and infelicity to adversity , and to thing that happen crosse to their desires ▪ but , as for my self , i deplore mo●● the torments they shall receive i● the other world , and the which 〈◊〉 surely , though secretly prepare● for the wicked ( to say nothing 〈◊〉 that which is more grievous , viz. to be deprived , to be banished from the presence of god for evermore . alas what sore punishmen● will that be ! ) but how can i refrain bewailing of this miserable man ? how otherwise chuse but more lament ●●ose , who , of their own accord , 〈◊〉 self-motion have retired them●●lves to his false worship , then ●●ose that compelled thereunto by ●●rsecution ? and how can i hinder 〈◊〉 lamenting yet more him , that ●●rried others , then those who vo●●ntarily rendred themselves , and 〈◊〉 part , or sided with the wicked 〈◊〉 their profaneness ? contrarily , it 's a thing neither ●rievous , nor irksome to christians 〈◊〉 suffer for the name of christ , ●ut a happy contentment , not one●y in consideration of the heavenly ●●fe , but also of the constancy and ●lory he hath made way for them to ●ttain unto here below among pe●ils . whereas to the followers of ju●ian , the evil that 's already befallen ●hem is beginning of future torments that are threatned , and destined for them hereafter . so that , it had been much better , they had been longer punished here , then to be reserved to that high seat of justice in heaven . but i will not in●● hereon further , that i may 〈◊〉 the law , that forbids rejoycing 〈◊〉 the fall of an enemy , when he 〈◊〉 cast down ; and that rather , bei●● our selves in better condition , 〈◊〉 should shew our compassion towards him in his greatest nece●sity . i will resume therefore the chi●● scope of my discourse , and spea● of him from whom proceeded 〈◊〉 unlimited a desire after vice , 〈◊〉 immense a zeal to all manner 〈◊〉 wickedness . how came it to pa●● that he ran so fast to mischief● from whence was that his enmity to jesus christ ? he entre● and entituled himself his disciple he had the knowledge , by conference , touching many subtle discourses of truth , proposed by himself , and heard , from others , fin● precepts of saving health , or eternal salvation . and behold , no sooner came he to be emperour , but he made open profession of paganisme , as if he had been ashamed of being formerly a chri●●●an , and for that reason would ●ischief the christians , because ●●mself had been a christian in the ●●ginning . but here was the ori●●nal of his audaciousness , ( as they 〈◊〉 , who boast of their being of his 〈◊〉 counsel ) having washed 〈◊〉 ground with filthy and dete●●●able blood , ( see , into what foul ●●rms i am constrained to fall ! ) 〈◊〉 had a purpose to have establish●d abominable ceremonies in op●osition unto ours , being himself ●according to the proverb ) as the ●ow that wallows in the mire . he ●rofaned his hands thinking to wash ●nd purge them with that , that ●●uched the sacrifice , which is done ●ithout effusion of blood , by means ●hereof we participate with god ●n his passion , and in his divine nature . the royal palace was ●mployed in dissections and sacrifices , serving himself in his wicked reign with wicked coun●ellers . and now , while making mention on of dissections , and of the foolis● or rather damnable affection he bore to them , i know not , whethe● i should put in writing , a common and triviall miracle , or give credi● unto what is said of it . for , the truth is , my mind hangs , as in 〈◊〉 ballance , not knowing which way to incline , there being some thing● worthy to be beleived , others not ▪ neverthelesse , it being no new thing , but oftentimes happening that upon the change of grea● estates , by means of such vai● dissections of beasts , &c. som● prodigious things have been presignified ( though , in this manner to fall out after , is that which seem● worthy of admiration , both to me , and to all them , who are willing , and have a desire that holy thing● should be declared , and handled holily ) i shall take the boldnesse to make further relation of what 's reported . behold then what happened . one day as he sacrificed , the standers by saw in the entrails of the beast [ a crosse crowned in a circle ] which ●●ought astonishment , and troubled ●●me of his own party , as if there●●… had been signified that we ●…ould carry away the victory : ●…t the prince of impiety being ●ore couragious , replyed that it ●●pressed rather we should be shut 〈◊〉 , and enclosed . behold then 〈◊〉 miracle that i spoke of ! if it 〈◊〉 false , the wind will blow it ●●ay , if true , it 's balaam prophe●●…ng ; and samuel coming again , ●●d appearing unto the witch of ●●ndor , and saul ; the devils con●●●sing christ , whether they will 〈◊〉 no , and the truth , to procure ●●lief , proved by its enemies . it ●…ay further be that this was done , 〈◊〉 ordained , to reduce this man ●●om his impiety . for god , who 〈◊〉 prone to mercy , can , and doth ●●ten use many extraordinary waies 〈◊〉 lead men unto salvation , through 〈◊〉 knowledge of the truth . see an other thing ( reported of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any , and credible ) one day , ●●…ing into a hideous , and almost inaccessible cave ( would to 〈◊〉 from thence he had fallen i● hell , rather then gone on furth●● to such mischiefs ) and having man in his company worthy of 〈◊〉 hells , who took himself to be great master in this science , 〈◊〉 rather sophistry ( for among th●● they have a fashion to devine 〈◊〉 conferring of future things 〈◊〉 devils in obscure places , wheth●● it be they love darknesse , beca●●● they are darknesse it self , and exc●lent work-men in the darkn●●● of sin , or , be it they avoid meeti●● with good people on the face of 〈◊〉 earth , least such , after seen them , might take any power fro● them in their devining ) he 〈◊〉 struck into a great fear . now , astonishment had seised on 〈◊〉 villanous man at his first entra●●● into the cave , before spoken 〈◊〉 and increased more and more aft●● ( for it 's said such dealers with 〈◊〉 devil have strange and inward b●ings , and representments ) and 〈◊〉 there appeared unto him ph●tasmes of fire , with ( i know not ●hat ) other follies , and raving ●●ymeras ; being surprized there●ith ( for he was a novice in this ●●ctrine ) he had recourse to the ●●rosse of christ , and call'd to his 〈◊〉 him against whom he then re●●●ted . ( that which followes is ●●ore notable . ) the crosse of ●hrist had the better of it : for the ●evils were overcome thereupon , 〈◊〉 the frights vanished ; but what 〈◊〉 out afterwards ? mischief took ●●eath again , he again grew hardy , 〈◊〉 begins , as formerly to play his ●●anks afresh ; whereupon the ●●me frights , in an instant , repre●●nt themselves . what then ? he ●as fain to addresse himself , once ●ore to the crosse of christ ; im●ediately after the devils are qui●●ed : whereat , the novice being in a great perplexity , the master 〈◊〉 the sacrifice , that was near 〈◊〉 perceiving the matter , pervert●● both the truth , and him , told 〈◊〉 the devils were not affraid of 〈◊〉 crosse of christ , but had both 〈◊〉 and christ in abomination . 〈◊〉 evill speech of that leud man c●●ried him away quite : for as he sai● so he immediately perswaded hi● and thereby drew this untowa●● disciple of his into the gulfe 〈◊〉 utter destruction . wherein th●● was nothing strange , for a vicio●● nature will sooner follow the co●●sell of a wicked man , then retire 〈◊〉 the advice of a good . what he 〈◊〉 and what he said more in the cave and what illusions he was cheat●● with before he came up , they 〈◊〉 learned the same , and since instr●cted others therein , know very we●● he came up i am sure , much tro●bled in mind , making the sa●● appear more evidently in his ou●ward gestures , and in the gastlyn●● of his looks , as also by those mean● further manifested , who they we●● whom he adored , continuing on 〈◊〉 that time more especially 〈◊〉 he was alwayes full of 〈◊〉 ) to commit all manner of ●●●kednesse . i say , from that time , ●●●ause then he shewed , and made 〈◊〉 be more seen . insomuch ( as i ●●●eive ) he gave it out to be taken 〈◊〉 of , that he had not lost his 〈◊〉 in descending , and having fel●●wship with devils , calling the ●●aviour , in that his being inspired , ●●ball , and appropriating there●●th to himself fair , and honourable 〈◊〉 . these were his beginnings . but 〈◊〉 that which he hatched was ●●●closed , and the mind that he had 〈◊〉 persecute us appear'd , he thought 〈◊〉 an other device worthy of a man ●●rowly flush't , and perfect in ●●ckednesse , or else , that had 〈◊〉 the same of those , who had 〈◊〉 exercised in such doctrine . for 〈◊〉 it was a thing too bold , and gross , 〈◊〉 declare war openly , and consti●●te himself captain of paganisme , ●hich had brought some difficulty to that whereat he aimed : so w● had made our selves more couragious , if they had not taken us b● force , and had opposed to tyrann● the great affection which we ha● to the true religion : it being th● disposition of generous courages t● be bent against those , who woul● carry things by force : even 〈◊〉 the flame , that 's excited by th● wind increaseth so much the more as the wind is more vehement grounding his judgment therein , no● onely by the reasons he had to● comprehend it , but also by precedent persecutions of the christians which had brought to christianity more glory , then diminution , in tha● christians had setled their minds i● piety , and , as hot iron in water , hardned them against perills . bu● he thought that making war wit● subtlety , and adding force with perswasion , also mingling a mild manner of dealing with his tyrannical power ( which was nothing else , but to cover the fire with abait , ) he thought ( i say ) that this manner of proceeding was ground●d on reason , and would carry the ●atter . for , above all things , he ●●vyed them , who were champi●ns of martyrdome , and therefore ●rove , with all his might , to force , ●nd constrain people to return to ●aganisme , and proceeded so sub●ely in it , that none perceived it : ●nd contrarily we endured punish●ents without having the honour ●f martyrdome . but , it was ●reat-simplicity in him , for all that , 〈◊〉 to do . first , because he per●waded himself , we knew not the ●ause why we were in trouble , ●nd that by this sophistry , and ca●illation , he thought to cover the ●ruth , not seeing that the more he ●aboured to take away these honors , ●o much the more he made us ap●ear greater , and fairer . secondly , ●or that he perswaded himself , that what we did , was for the desire of ●ain-glory , and not for the zeal of truth . as on their part , for the ●ame cause , they were wont to make use of empedocleans , of aristeans , of empedotineans of t●●phonians , and a troop of such li●● wicked juglers . one of whi●● casting himself into the gulphs 〈◊〉 sicily , to make men beleive 〈◊〉 should become a god , and be ●●ken from them , to change this 〈◊〉 for a better , was discovered 〈◊〉 his chamlet cloak , which the flam● cast out , to be dead , and cons●quently no god , but a lover on●● of vain glory , and an ignorant , 〈◊〉 silly asse . others , secretly retiring in pl●ces under ground , sick of the sam● disease of vain-glory , and love 〈◊〉 themselves , being discovered after got not so much renown by the●● secret retreats , as reproach for suc● their impostures . but , as for christians , its thei● only joy , to suffer for gods cause for the true religion of christ : i● comparison whereof , we ma●● little account of pleasing men have no other aim , but to be accepted of the almighty . besides which consideration , they ●●at are truly wise , and lovers of ●eavenly , and divine matters , 〈◊〉 to be joyned with christ alone , 〈◊〉 christs sake , without any other ●●ward : they that do good works ●ith intention of receiving recom●ence for the same , being in the ●econd degree of vertuous people : ●nd they that abstain from evil do●ng for fear of punishment , in the ●hird . thus is it with us , that are ●rue beleiving christians , and the proof that we are so minded indeed , ●s easie for them to find , that will undertake it . but , iulian desirous to deprive us that are christians of the chief honours , ( for many judge by their own affections , the affections of others ) above all , set upon our fame and reputation . wherein he proceeded not openly , as former persecutors , but tyrannically invented alwayes something against us , that it might be to him a chief crime , to force the people of the habitable earth and to tyrannize over the most perfect , and accomplish't doctrine that ever was . but certainly , he made war wit● us , and persecuted piety in th● cowardliest , and basest manner tha● might be , in regard , among th● persecutions wherewith he astlicte● us , he caused frauds , and decei● to interveene in troubling us . for , whereas power branche●● it self into two considerations , th● one consisting in perswasion , th● the other in force , and violence ▪ he made use of that part of his power which was the hardest and most inhumane , namely force ; ( reflecting for the most part unto tyranny , through the unrulinesse of the common people both in city and country , whose audaciousnesse is otherwise intollerable , being carried inconsiderately unto all attempts sometimes , without either wit , or discretion ) this force he put in practice against the christi●ns without any expresse edict , or ordinance , for what he would have them do , but onely that he would establish an unwritten law , by ●hich he forbad any one of them ●ould be sought after for his good ●ill , and affection to religion . the ●●ntlier part of his power , which ●as perswasion , he reserved to him●●lf , although he kept not the same ●●violately . for , as nature cannot ●ermit , that the leopard should ●uit his spots , or , the moore his ●lacknesse , or fire its heat , or ●he devil the hatred he bears to ●han ( who from the beginning was 〈◊〉 murderer ) so it could not suffer ●hat this man should abandon his ●ruelty , wherewith he was fully ●ncensed against us . but ( as they 〈◊〉 ) the cameleon changeth her self ●iversly , and can take all colours , ●ut while i leave there this fabu●ous sophister , proteus the egyptian iulian did the same to the christians , bearing towards them all affections of the soul , except mildnesse , his very mercies to them being cruell , and his perswasion mixt with much violence ; covering , under the outside of equal dealing , all manner of injustice , and oppre●sion . which the more easily 〈◊〉 be guessed at , by those subtle me●● usually put in practice by him , 〈◊〉 draw us to his lure : his perswasio● to this purpose being alwaies bri●● but his violence , which follow●● after , if not yeilded unto in wh●● he would have , lasting long . in 〈◊〉 word , his accustomed manner 〈◊〉 dealing with us , was after the fashion of hunters seeking to catch thei● game , viz. either with snares 〈◊〉 of fair words to take us , 〈◊〉 with other weapons of violence 〈◊〉 make after us , untill reduced unde● him as his prey . having resolved in his mind , and made good this division of hi● power into seeming mildnesse , an● force , he betook himself to another stratagem ( which only was resolved upon , though otherwise very inconstant , and extreamly variable in all his proposals ) and t' was this , to begin the execution of his wickednesse upon those of his own house , and guard ( a way practiced by all persecutours ) there being no hope ●f invading those that are further ●ff , if those nearer hand be not ●●rst looked after . even as an ar●y cannot fight its enemies , if , at ●he same time , it be revolted ●gainst it's chief . for this reason , ●e changed all the officers of the ●mperial house , putting some away , ●thers to death , neither , for that wanting in their several respects ●articularly to this great emperour , ●ut because they then shewed it most of all , and at the highest . for which two considerations they ●ecame ( it should seem ) unprofita●le and might not be suffered to serve him . he gained the souldiery afterwards , partly by himself , partly by means of their commanders : and esteeming it easier to perswade , he won some by offices and dignities , others , ( who knew no other law but the will of their prince ) by their simplicity : and ( to say more ) he drew to him a great part of the army , viz. as many as he found weak , and inclinable , and who then , and before , were servants of the times . having gained some , and in hope to gain others , he was not nevertheles● master of all , neither could he th●● persecuted us , procure to himself such a multitude by his ministry , but that yet there remained more then seven thousand , who bowed not the knee to the baal of his power , who worship't not the image of his gold , and who , though bitten perhaps with his serpentine words , by looking after on the brazen one , or on one that was a type of christ on the crosse , received no hurt by him . of which number there were not a few , that had honours and dignities , whom , a man would have judged in appearance , might have suffered themselves to be wrought upon , either by fear , or hope . there were also very many of low condition , of no great esteem , but for their number , unto whom having given the assault , he was by them repulsed : even as a great , and thick wall by a thin and ●●eak engine . moreover , he angred not him●●lf any more , because those that ●ot from him had courage , and ●onquered : for he was so much out ●f his senses , that those , whom he ●oped to overcome , seemed to him ●s all won already . yea , he had ●he boldness to undertake against ●he great standard , which being ●oftily displayed , with the cro●s woven therein , conducted , and magnificently guided the army , that had the vertue ( as the latine word bears the name ) of comforting , and lessening labours and trawails , and which ( as a man may say ) is the king of standards , as well of them adorned , and enobled with the pictures of emperours , enrich't with devises by embroderies of diverse colours , as of those carried at the end of a lance , and flying in the air , with faces of horrible dragons , and jaws gaping , casting flaming lights , and embroidered with ranks of shels represented to the life in cloath of gold , & thereby affording both applause , and pleasures to the beholders . after then that with content he had ordered his house , and thought he was on the top of all his businesse and out of whatever fear and danger , he attempted that which followes . what was that ? to suppresse the truth of god , by labouring , tooth and nayl , ( as we say in the proverb ) utterly to subvert , and root out , not onely the christians , but also christianity it self , from off the earth . o foolish , wicked , and ill taught man in things out of thy reach , and of highest concernment ! dared'st thou thus obstinately to undertake so silly , and unlikely an enterprise against that fair portion of gods inheritance , and manna of the habitable earth , which had penetrated throughout all extremities by means of the profit , and facility of preaching of the gospel , ( that thou childishly calledst folly , and yet had subdued the wise , withstood devils , and resisted time ) as being old , and new together , accordingly , as those of thy party , the heathens have composed one of thy gods ? the first , viz. the truth of the old testament , declared but to a few , the last , viz. that of the new to very many : the former , as the draught or discription of a shadow , the latter as the accomplishment of the same mystery folded up , and reserved for a certain time onely , and to be revealed after . again , who , and from whence art thou , that thou daredst to set upon so rich an inheritance of christ ? so rich , and great , i say , both , and which shall never perish , although there were never so many more furious , and more out-ragious then thou wast : but shall advance itself , and grow more and more famous for ever ? in regard i beleive the prophesies of old , and those things in like manner which are manifest at present before our eyes , things that as god he hath created , and as man inherited , which the law hath set forth , but grace accomplished , the prophets fore-told , the apostles confirmed , and the evangelists consummated , or made good and perfect from the beginning unto all ages . hast thou been so bold as to approach near the holy sacrifice of jesus christ with thy abominations ? and to come with the blood of thy beasts in opposition to his divine blood , that hath washt and purged all the world ? diddest thou dare to make war against peace ? to lift up thy loose hand against him that was fastned both for thee , and by thee upon the tree ? hast thou set , or composed thy tast against gall ? wouldest thou set up a trophee in defiance of the crosse of christ ? erect against his death a destruction ? against his resurrection a rebellion ? against the truest martyr that ever was ( if a martyr we may call him ) those that were no martyrs ? persecutor as herod , traytor 〈◊〉 judas , but that thou never shew●d'st thy repentance in an halter as ●e did ! thou who hast crucified ●esus christ in like manner as pi●ate ! enemy of god's as the iews ! who , to thine own inevitable , ●hough future destruction , wast ●eserved , for a time , to be author ●f so much mischeif ! dost thou ●othing respect those that have ●een sacrificed for the name of je●us christ ? hast thou no regard to ●hat great st. iohn baptist ? to st. pe●er , st. paul , st. iames , st. steven , ●nd a world of other valiant cham●ions , that both before , and since ●heir time , have miraculously main●ained gods truth in peril of their ●ives and goods ? manfully fought ●gainst fire and sword ? powerfully ●ubdued beasts and tyrants by pre●ent torments , and denounced condemnations , as if they had only borrowed their bodies , or , indeed , had no bodies sensible at all of what they suffered for gods cause ? now wherefore all this ? that with their mouth , at last , they should renounce the true religion ? so belike or , otherwise , thou wouldst never have caused honour● to be ordained for them , together with praises , and feasts . but so far off was this devil iulian from bringing this to passe , that the christians in his reign , for the most part , not onely still perfisted in their former profession , and defence of gods truth , but also by them devils were cast out , diseases cured , apparitions and prophesies followed , their humane bodies upon touching , or repairing unto , had vertue and power given them a● well as their sanctified souls , to work miraculous effects : yea further , drops onely of their blood , or , the like little remains of their martyrdome , had the same efficacy and power , &c. what sayest thou ▪ wilt thou still slight , and not yet have a reverent esteem of such like persons ? thou , who admirest the burning of hercules , caused upon a disaster of having offended women ? and the dismembring of pelops , either for the love of strangers , or gods ? with respect whereunto the pelopides rendred themselves noble and remarkable both by the shoulders , and by the ivory : who admirest the gelding of the phrygian preists , that receive their shame with the sweetnesse of musical instruments , wherewith appeased after ? the torments and cruelties used in the mysteries of mythra , and his burnings , as well just , as mystical ? that murdering of strangers kil'd by bull 's the sacrifice of that kings daughter , because of the city of troy ? and the blood of meniceus which was shed for the thebans ? then that of the daughters of scedasus at euctres ? thou that makest so great account of those young laconicks , who whipt one another till the blood followed , and besprinkled the altar for the delight of that chast goddesse , and virgin ? who makest so great esteem of the hemlocke of socrates ? of the thigh of epictetes ? of the belly of anaxarchus ? whose patience was more by necessity then of good will : who commendest also the precipices of cleombrotus , moved to cast himself from thence by the reading of the discourse of the soul ? the dispute of pythagoras touching his beanes ? the content of death by theanes ? or of i know not what other of his school , and sect ? neverthelesse , thou most wise and generous , if thou wilt not admire the things i have said came to passe heretofore because of our religion : at least contemplate on that which is present , and consider the patience of our scipioes , and epam●nonda's : seeing thou marchest with thy army , and causest thy self be served with meats common , and not delicate to eat : that approvest very much of those emperors , who make war , and conduct their armies themselves : that savourest of i know what generosity , and discretion in honouring the virtue of thine enemies , and makest more esteem of the valour ●f thine adversaries , then of the ●owardlinesse , and idlenesse of whosoever of thine own party : ●eest thou not many among us , ●aving in their possession neither ●ouses nor goods , stript likewise ●f their flesh and blood , and yet ●hrough such their sufferings approaching near unto god ? who ●ye on the bare earth , their feet ●as homer speaks of a certain devil that desired to honour him ) all ●irty ! who are humble , and yet ●levated above all here below ? who are on earth here with men , ●nd yet , at the same time , in heaven above with god ? who are bound , and yet free ? forced , and yet invincible ? who possesse nothing in the world , and yet injoy all things that are in the world ? who consist of two sorts of lives , the one which they make no reckoning of , the other , whereof they esteem very much ? who dye to live ? who through the dissolution of body and soul , are re-united unto god ? who live exempt from all inordinate affections , and yet filled with the holy and true love of god ? to whom appertains the fountain of light , whose beams already penetrate their souls : who are spiritually nourished , as it were , with angelicall singing of psalms ? and kept turns , whole nights , together in praising god ? who have thei● minds already in heaven , by a divine rapture , before they dye ? to whom appertains cleannesse and purity ? who know its all one to depart from this world , and to be with god ? to whom belongs rocks , and also paradise ? to be cast down upon the earth and yet to be set upon thrones in heaven ? to be naked in their bodies , and yet cloathed with incorruption in their souls ? to be here in deserts , but yet in heaven with good company ? who neglecting and repressing the sensualities of the body , injoy , for all that , a perpetual , and un expressible content of the soul ? whose tears are the deluge ●f sin , and restauration of the ●orld ? whose extended hands put ●ut fire , tame the raving of wild ●easts , dull the edge of the sword , ●ake whole troops fly away ? and ●now thou also , that , at length , ●hey shall withstand , and triumph ●ver thy impiety , although , for a 〈◊〉 , thou bravest it , and , with thy ●evils , dancest ( as i may so say ) 〈◊〉 the delights of thine own hearts ●●sts , and heathenish devices . nevertheless , o impudent fel●ow as thou art ! how can it be ●hat , in the mean time , thou better ●onsiderest not of these things ? ●hou , who art as liable to death , as ●ny other worldling ? how can'st ●hou find in thine heart to make no ●reater esteem of those before ●poken saints of god , neither to ●everence them as thou oughtest ? ●re not the gifts and graces , where●ith those clear lights of heaven ●hine so bright , far to be preferred ●efore the unsatiable covetousness ●f solon that wise man , whom craesus made tryal of with his lydian gold ? or the philocaly of s●crates , that is , an affection in doating upon fine things ? for i am ashamed to think of , much less b● in love with his foul sin ( of sod●my , i mean ) although , with ver● much artifice , heathen men hav● strove to cover it , and are commended for their so doing . o● the licourishness plato shewed i● sicily ? which brought him to suc● a condition , that he was sold without being redeemed by any of hi● own disciples , or other of th● greek nation ? or , the glutton● of xenocrates ? the cinicalne●● of diogenes ? who made a tun hi● house , wherein he more accounte● of beggars , then of princes ; o● barly-loaves , then of fine manche●● ( as the tragedy hath it . ) or , th● philosophy of epicurus ? who kne● no other soveraign good , then th● pleasure he took to please hi● senses . you , make great account o● crates . certes , 't was an exploi● worthy a brave philosopher , vo●untarily to quit himself of his ●reat revenues : and , that they not ●inder him in his study of philo●ophy , to cast away much riches ●ormerly possessed by him in great ●ontempt , but the manner of his ●penly making known the same , ●y boastingly publishing the know●edge thereof to posterity , is a ●●gn he was ambitious of popular ●pplause : a mark whereby we dis●ern him to be affected as well with ●he tumour of vain-glory , as with ●he humour of being a philosopher . ●ou admire him , who being at ●ea , and commanding all his goods , 〈◊〉 a tempest , to be cast over●oard , thanked fortune that she had ●educed him to a sultan , or to a ●hilosophers cloak . also anthiste●es , who , as a quarreller , having all ●is face broken , made no more ac●ount of it , then the writing on his ●prehead , as on a table the name ●f him that had beaten him ; to ●he end , peradventure , he might make his complaint more hainous against him , when time should serve . thou highly prizest 〈◊〉 other , that lived not long since who making his oraisons to th● sun , stood upon his feet as long a● the day lasted , observing , it ma● be , to begin then when it came nea● the earth , that such his prayer● might be the breifer , and finishing them when the sun set . thou als● makest great account of him , who in winter , being on the guard , too his charge so to heart , that he passe● the whole night , which froze hard in contemplation , and had hi● mind so intent thereon , that he fel● not the cold at all . thou praises● also the curiosity of homer's desir● to know the riddle of arcadia● and aristotle , who stayed sometim● on the bank of euripus , to understand the cause of its ebbing an● flowing ; neither of which bein● perfectly understood by either o● them , was the cause of the one an● of the others death . thou esteemest also of the wells of cleander of the girdle of anaxagoras , an● of the weeping of heraclitus . now tell me , how many hast thou of these ? and how long have they ●asted ? and wonderest thou not at so ●any thousand of ours , that have ●ollowed the like philosophy , and ●ar more admirable , all their lives ? ●eest thou not how , in all parts of ●he world , as well men , as women ●f our religion , have striven one ●ith an other , even unto admira●ion on all sides , who should be ●ost renowned for vertuous living , ●orgetting even the laws of nature , ●hen endeavouring to appease god 〈◊〉 their chast conversation and pa●ence , not onely the meaner sort ●f people that are wont to live of ●odily labour , but the great and fa●ous also for their ancestry and ●ignities ? who changed their for●erly accustomed delicious man●er of living in all plentifulness 〈◊〉 variety of delights , for the ●rder discipline of a more severe 〈◊〉 , to follow christ : who , though 〈◊〉 attaining to the grace of eloquent speaking , ( true piety not consisting in rhetorical straines , and in the fruit of wisdome proceeding from the lips ( according to the opinion of one of your own poets ) and being of little value , ) yet most excellent they were , notwithstanding , in the sweet disposition of their souls , in the sincere and exact government of their lives and actions , to the will of god. but this man , shutting his eyes to all this , and aiming onely to please devils , ( which already many times , justly overwhelmed him ) before he made any ordinances for common affairs , rush'● upon the christians : and , althoug● he had two things which gave hi● trouble , viz. the galileans ( for 〈◊〉 he was pleased injuriously to ca●● us ) and the persians , who , bearin● troubles patiently , continuall● made war against him : so it was he had a business came so near him that the persian war seemed 〈◊〉 him but as a play and fable : where of , though he made no shew , yet he was so transported with fury , that every one took notice of him : but this so prudent person , so good a common-wealths-man , considered not , that in the first persecutions , there happened but a little confusion and trouble , because our doctrine was not then spread among so many people , the knowledge of the truth as then made manifest but to few that had need of more light , but now that the word of our saviour is so far spread , and so well establish'd among us , to strive to pull it up , and to shake christianity , it 's no other thing , then to overthrow the roman empire , to expose to all manner of danger and ●azzard the whole state of the republick : which is the worst that our greatest enemies can wish to us , namely to see us receive these evils from our selves , and by the means of this new and admirable philosophy and policy , by which we become so happy , and return to the first age , and golden condition of the world that was without trouble , without all kind of dissention , or warring one with another . but they 'l tell me , the people are gently governed , taxes remitted , magistrates worthily chosen , theeves punished , and such like things , with respect unto temporary felicities , and make it good . for it must needs be we should have our ears tingle with such manner of applauding him in his government . but the divisions , neverthelesse , and commotions of towns and countryes , the destruction of families , the quarrels of private houses , the separation of married folks , that were likely to follow such a mischief , and , as the truth is indeed , have followed the same , brought they any augmentation to his glory , or commodity and benefit otherwise to the common-wealth ? who is he , that is such a partizan of paganisme , so void of common sense as to avow the same ? for , even as in a mans body , when a member or two are out of order , the other cease not to do their office , and to conserve the welfare of the rest that are in health , and the greater number , by means whereof , even those that were ill affected , ●ut of frame often come again to their naturall constitution : but when too many parts are ill affected , there 's scarce any remedy , but ●hat the whole body becomes in danger to be overthrown : so in ●tates and republiques , particular defects may sometimes be made ●p , when , at the same time , it fares well with the generall : but when ●he greater part is weak , without doubt the general is in much haz●ard to be destroyed . a case so obvious and trivial to every common understanding that the grossest enemies we have cannot possibly ●ut soon foresee the same , especi●lly at this time that the christians ●re so increased . but the malice of this man hath ●o blinded his reason , that hand over head he ceaseth not to molest ●ll manner of christians , little and great : yea , so tainted he is with all kind of wilfull hatred against us , not onely unworthy of a judiciou● emperour , but also of a far meane● man in understanding and place that , as if , with our name , h● could take from us the beleif whic● we repose in christ , he hath commanded our name should b● changed , and that we should be no longer called christians : yea , 〈◊〉 make us ashamed , as if thereby w● were accused of some great crime● he made a new edict touching th● same , calling us therein , and o●daining we should be called galileans , in stead of christians ; she●ing indeed thereby that the name o● christian is a glorious and honourable title , otherwise , certainly , 〈◊〉 would never have taken it from us ▪ and , in lieu thereof , given us a● other lesse famous , and not of the like reputation . or , whether fearing some vertue to lye hid under tha● name , which might cause those o● his party tremble , so oft as spoken in their hearing [ in like manner as those devils in the gospel are reported to have trembled at the name of christ ] took away the occasion of their being so troubled , by forbidding us to be called after that name . as for us , we desire not to change those names whereby he is called , knowing nothing more ridiculous , then those appellations of phales , isiphales , venerable pan , &c. wherewith he takes a pride to be stiled : being names not onely infamous , and shamelesse , but such , as upon consideration of the reasons wherefore at first they were taken up , cannot otherwise then give offence unto modest ears that take notice thereof , neither envy we his title of caball , whereof he boasts so much in his follies , or that other epethice of hercules kill-cowe , &c. worshiped as a god , because , in his thirteenth labour , he begot with child in one night fifty daughters of thyestes . if endeavour to find out new names , wherewith to reproach him for his fouler , and more villanous actions , we are not ignorant how to fit him with a great many more to the purpose , then those , whereby to vilifie us , he hath invented against the christians . the history of his unworthy acts is not so altogether unknown to us , but that it 's an easie task , thereout to furnish our selves with names more then a good many , whereunto to intitle him , as due to his deserts , though much unbeseeming the man he would be taken for , being not content to be stiled by the title of emperour of the romans onely , but also would be called emperour of the whole world . for so he perswaded himself , he should be before his death , as being bewitched into such a beliefe by those devils , and magicians that thereinto infatuated him . as for our being call'd galileans , that are ch●istians , we are no whit ashamed thereof , seeing christ our blessed redeemer was so called . yea further , seeing he that is lord , creatour , and governour of the universe , son , and word of god the father , sitteth on the same throne , with him , mediatour , and high priest , and , for the love of us , ( that despised , and cast his image in the dust , as ignorant , perhaps , a great many of us , of that high mistery of his deities conjunction with our flesh ) took upon him the forme of a servant , and ●ore our sins in his own body on the ●ree , that they might dye with him : if he , i say , suffered himself to be called a samaritan , and ( which is worse ) a devil : ( to whom it was an easie matter with an hoast of angels , yea , a word speaking only to vindicate himself , and repulse a whole world of wicked men ) and was neither offended thereat , nor made complaint against them that did him that injury , but sent them gently away , ( shedding tears to obtain pardon from god his father for them that crucified him ) shall we , that are vile worms , however christned in his name , hold it an unseemly thing , think it much to be defamed , after that sort , or troubled therewith , when , in the same manner , reproached for his sake ? god forbid . nay rather , — being reviled , we blesse : being persecuted , we suffer it , esteeming more of such injuries , and other scoffings , wherewith reproachfully thou tauntest us , then to be otherwise made rich by thee , for a time , with the muck of this worlds goods , then to be advanced by thee to fleeting honours , and offices , and whatever other earthly preferment that 's in thy power , and choice to confer upon us . yea , moreover , whereas it 's thy whole delight , thi●● hearts content is solely fixed on such matters , we stick not to make open profession unto thee , and unto all the world besides , in the words of the apostle , that we determine not to know , ( much lesse to be affected , and hunt after ) any thing among you , save jesus christ , and him crucified . he had one quality more in him , an unworthy and dishonest one both , and that was , he accustomed himself , when covertly ayming to gain us to his party , at the same time to put on the fox his skin upon that of the lions , or , ( as i cannot better express the same ) to cloth , under the mask of minos his justice , his own cruelty , and oppression . to abridge my discourse , the rest of his abominable actions i 'le leave further to be dilated , unto those hereafter that shall be pleas'd more largely to pen the whole history thereof , not doubting , but many will strive to make posterity acquainted with things of such consequence , and whether tragedy , or comedy , ( call them as you list ) deserve not to be concealed . as for my part , i 'le reduce unto those passages before spoken of , one , or two of his most signal acts , to let them who admire his deeds , and count him praise-worthy for the same , know , a man cannot invent charges enough , is not able to find faults so many , or reproaches so great and shameful , as he deserved . it 's a maxime among emperours , ( i know not whether it be practised with other monarchs , but among the romans it 's exactly observed ) viz. that , in honouring them , they set up for the reigning emperours , publick statues ; for , as for crowns , and diademes , they suffice not ( it should seem ) no , nor scarlet , nor solemne ordinances , nor taxes , and tributes , nor great number of people to applaud them at their first entrance into supreme authority : but it 's their pleasure , over and above , like gods , to be adored , that thereby they may be held for more majestical and sublime . they will also have the same adoration done , in like manner , even to their very pictures , and images , that thereby their eminency may be set forth more absolutely , and completely . among these images , and representations , each emperour chuseth severally unto himself certain of them : e. g. some , setting forth to the life great cities making presents : others , a famous victory crowned with triumph : some , magistrates on their knees , with devises expressing their charges and offices : others , cruell beasts kill'd with arrows , directly shot through again ; others certain vanquished barbarians laid prostrate at their feet , or otherwise kill'd in diverse manners . for they desire not onely the truth of things , whereof they assume the glory to themseves , but also , to have representations , and pictures thereof . see now how this man plotted , what craft by him was used against the christians . as those , who in drinks sometimes mingle poison , so he infused , upon a time , abomination among his imperial ceremonies , confounding together the adoration of idols with the ordinance of the romans . for which purpose , among the effigies of emperours , and other usual pictures , he caused to be interposed the resemblances of devils , and that done , exposed them to the people , cities , and principle governours of provinces . these images , or pictures were after that manner contrived , that who so adored the emperour , the mischief could not be avoided , but , at the same time , he must , of necessity , adore therewith devils , the effigies , or pictures of devils , being so cunningly interweaved with those of the emperour . now who so adored not those representations , the imperial majesty was offended therewith , and the party refusing to give honour thereunto found guilty of high treason against the emperour . there were some wiser , and more advised , who finding out the deceit , were not taken with this so artificially invented snare ; who were afterwards punished for such their prudence , under the pretence , they had not honoured the emperour : when as the true cause was , for their being faithful rather to the great monarch of heaven and earth , and to the true religion . a great number of the simpler and poorer sort of people were ensnared herein : who , in my opinion , deserved to be pardoned for their innocency , being by subtlety thereunto inforced . after this sort , matters being thus deceitfully handled , 't will be sufficient to make this person infamous , and worthy of just reproof , in regard private persons , and princes , should not govern themselves alike in their affairs , their actions being of different weight and importance , a private person not so much to be blamed when he doth any thing by subtlety , and after a covert manner , because otherwise , perhaps , he is not able to compass what he would have , by force , and therefore is constrained to use art , and dissimulation : but , as for a prince , it should be otherwise , because , as it is a shame to be overcome by force , so , i esteem it yet a greater , to cover his designs with craft , and faining . there 's beyond this an other matter , which , though it came from the same forge and conception , is yet worse , because the evil of greater consequence . i will annex it here unto what i have spoken formerly . there was a certain day , wherein the emperour would bestow a largesse , whether accustomed and ordinary , or more solemn and at a prefixt time , to manifest his inward malice towards us , it skills not . 't was ordained then , all the army should assist therein , that every one , according to his degree ▪ and dignity , might receive his largess and pay. ( behold here another mistery of villany , see here how iniquity playeth its part ) under the colour of liberallity he would bring it to passe , by alluring the souldiers with money , ( who for the most part , are ordinarily covetous enough , if not too unsatiable ) the businesse was this . being pompously set in great state , and also very powerful through his wiles , by reason whereof , ( as if he had been an other melampus , or pro●heus ) he could change himself into whatsoever formes , at his pleasure , ●ccording to the quality of affairs he had in hand , ( the story that i am ●bout to tell , would move compassion in whosoever of any good nature , or tollerable apprehension , whether beholding this sad specta●le with their eyes , or otherwise ●earing the samerelated unto them : ) there was before him gold , there was incense , and just against him fire ; close by stood the master of the ceremonies , who gave notice what was to be done : the outward pretence was , the making ●se of certain more ancient , and honourable ceremonies in that their reception of the emperours largesse , but the issue after was , they were to sacrifice incense in the fire , and receive from the emperour the wages of such their perdition ( very little indeed for a thing of so great concernment , for the losse of so many souls , by their committing therein so hainous and execrable an offence against the almighty . ) o wretched gain ! o miserable recompense ! wherewith the souldiery were betrayed , and sold by such an invention they who had conquered the whole universe , by means of a little fire , a little gold , and a little incense , were discomfited and destroyed ▪ 〈◊〉 ( which was more pitiful ) thought not upon their death and ruine . such as went thither , for the lucre of 〈◊〉 little money lost thereby their souls , kissing the emperours hand , and perceiving not , that , at the same time , they kist the hand o● their assasinate , and were nothing the better by so easily suffering themselves to be carried away , a● by an inviolable law , unto such simplicity , and unadvisednesse ▪ how many thousand persians should there have been to have made such a defeat ? how many archers , and slingers of stones ? how great a number of armed souldiers ? what engins to beat down walls could have done that , which one onely hand , one only journey , and one wicked counsel brought to pass , and accomplished ? i will insert here one story more lamentable then the former but ●ow recited . 't is reported that some of the before-said souldiers having been deceived by ignorance , after the act committed , and re●iring to their houses , as they were at table with their companions , and about to drink water ( as accustomed to doe ) not thinking of the mischief which they had brought upon themselves , but taking the cup in their hand , and lifting up their eyes on high , began to call upon the name of jesus christ : whereat , one of them more sensible of what they had done , then the rest , said to them , after this manner . [ what mean ye to invoke jesus christ , after renouncing him ? ] with which words being astonished , and stricken ( as it were ) half dead , what strange thing ( say they ) do you affright us withall ? tell us , when was it that we renounced him ? unto whom the other replying , when ye burnt incense before the emperour , which was a sign of such your renouncing him ; presently these poor souls leapt from the board , as men bereaved of their wits , and , incensed with despite and choler , ●an to the market-place , crying aloud , [ we are christians , we are christians , we have not been traitors to thee , o saviour christ ! let all the world know it , and principally our good god , for whose sake we are content to live or dye , as seemeth good to him : we have not wilfully abjured the confession of thy holy name ; if with our hands we have transgressed , our hearts never gave consent thereunto : we have been deceived with the emperors gold ; that was it , whereby we were contaminated : but such our unperceived abomination , when time was , we have since the knowledge thereof , utterly abandoned , and desire our blood may be shed in expiation for ●hat great offence formerly committed by us . ] after which out●ries openly made by them , they an directly to the emperour , furi●usly throwing the gold received ●rom him formerly , before his face , ●n presence of the standers by , unto ●he earth , exclaiming with a loud ●oice , we have not been call'd by ●hee to receive honour , but to be markt with the infamy of repro●ates : do us the honour , who are ●hy souldiers , to kill and sacrifice ●s to christ , who is our king : for ●he fire of incense burned by us at ●hy command , command us to be ●urned with fire ; and for the ashes ●hereof , reduce thou us to ashes : cause our hands to be cut off , which ●nwittingly have been advanced to other gods : honour others with thy gold , who will not repent the ●eceiving of it : as for us , the riches which we look for , is to gain christ , which gain vve prefer before all other gain , before vvhatever other riches , or honour , or things of this life , that thou art able to impart unto us . this vvas it they said , and advertised others to take notice of th● craft that vvas put upon them , t● purge themselves from the sins o● this intoxication , making satisfaction , or leastvvise endeavouring so to doe , by their blood , unto christ jesus that dyed for them with vvhich resolution of their the emperour being exceedingly irritated , vvould not , neverthelesse command them to be put to death publikely , for fear of rendring them martyrs in his so doing : but gav● order they should be sent forthvvith into exile , punishing them that vvay , the more reservedly , fo● the neglect , the little regard the● seemed to shevv unto his person i● their speeches , and actions before him , but novv specified . had he pu● them to death , there could nothing be more acceptable unto them and , as for his banishing of them , they vvere so far off from being troubled therevvith , that they too● it as a great favour from him , rejoycing with inward delight in their souls , ( i dare say ) in that thereby they conceived themselves the more freed , or at least , they were the more removed out of sight from being upon every occasion , defiled and deluded further with his enchantments and deceits . having this intention , and imploying otherwise his malice diverse wayes ( for his mind was nothing setled ) and inflamed more with a diabolicall fury , than with ●ny naturall reason , being uncon●tant in his resolutions , he concea●ed alwayes the secrets of his wick●dnesse . but as 't is said of the ●●re of mount aetna , that it is hid●en in the bowels of the earth , ●ourishing and increasing its self in ●eing retained by force , or some ●ther thing , ( viz. the breath of a gyant in torments ) rendring hor●ible murmurings continually from ●he low pits thereof , casts out a moke on the top , ( an inevitable sign of the calamity aproaching , if the fire become so great that it cannot be stayed ) and then with violence breaking its bounds , ascendeth upwards , and enlarging its widenesse , makes a strange vomiting , which spoiles and corrupteth the land neer adjoyning : so was it with this man , who sometimes commanded , and helped himself in our affairs with the frauds , and impostures of his deceitfull , and sophisticall edicts . but , since his untamed fury was let loose , he could not by any means conceale his malice . fo● from that time , he began to persecute those of our religion openly . where , passing over thos● ordinances he made against ou● sacred churches , ( which wer● generally published ) together wit● robbing us of those offerings , an● money consecrated to god , proceeding no less from avarice , the irreligion ; the forcibly taking a way of our holy ornaments , whic● were pulled from us by filth● and profane hands , the priests and sextons , for keeping them , being dragged up and down , and tormented , defiled also and covered over with blood streaming from their bodies torn with lashes of rods , when their hands at the same time , were fastned to pillars ; the crosse-bow-men running through provinces , and cities , wickeder and crueller then himself , who gave the command that we should be utterly routed instead of the persians and scythians : forbearing ( i say ) the speaking of these things , who is it that knoweth not the sa●agenesse of them of alexandria ? who , among many other enterprises which furiously they put in practice against us , making use of the licenciousnesse of the times , without any either honesty , or modesty in ●o doing , ( being a people furious ●nd turbulent by nature ) so far ●eightned after destruction , their ●hirst , that ( as 't is reported ) they fil●ed our holy temple with two sorts of blood , viz. the blood of beasts sacrificed , and of men. in which barbarousness of theirs an officer of the emperours army was chief , who , for this onely cruelty , got him a name , and made himself famous amongst them . who is he , moreover , that hath not heard of the swarms of the heliopolitans , and rashnesse of the gazeans ? who , for their mercylessenesse towards us , in recompense thereof were honoured and applauded by him , and had experience of his liberality . who is he that hath not been made acquainted with the fury of the arethusians ? who till then being altogether unknown , were since had by him in great reputation , it not being vertuous actions alwayes that bring reputation and credit to persons , but also superlative wickednesse sometimes , and , never the like heard of , brutish invention pu● in practice to punish innocen● christians . i will onely recite tha● which may seem horrible and crue● to very atheists themselves . certain chast virgins knowing little of worldly affairs , as excluded from the sight of almost all other save themselves , by these barbarous arethusians having been dragged stark-naked into the market-place , to the intent they might be put to the more open shame , were commanded to have the hair of their head cut off , after which , their flesh cut in peices , ( my god! scarce have i the patience to repeat it ) was immediately thereupon by them savagely devoured with their teeth in a feast sutable to that their execrable fury , filling their bellies also then with the raw livers of those virgins , and after that , common meat being brought in , some of them took the bowells and guts of the aforesaid virgins , yet reaking hot , and mingling them with hog-wash , threw them to the swine , before the others faces , that they might see their hungry hogs tear the same , and , together with barly mingled amongst it , eat it up all . a dish of meat which till then , never the like was fed upon , and wherewith the inventer thereof should have endeavoured to glut the devil onely : as , the truth is , the devil after made a fine meal of the blood of the wounds which that wicked emperour julian received in his bowells , and whereof he was slain when shot into his body in the last wars that he ever fought upon earth , with the persians . again , who is such a stranger in our affairs , as hath not heard of marcus arethusius a famous man among us ? who ignorant of the story of him , except i relate the same at present ? who in the raign of constantine's giving full liberty to the christians to exercise their religion , pull'd down one of the gentiles temples , or rather a retreat , or habitation of theirs for devils , and converted a great number of them that were pagans unto the christian faith , to the right way thereby unto everlasting life , as well by the excellency of his manners , as by his eloquence : and for the same cause , was not well liked of by the arethusians , or , at least , those among them that were followers of devils ? but , since the affairs of christians were troubled , and that those of the greeks , and other gentiles began to rise high , he could not avoid the violence of the time . for the vulgar , being wont ; for a time , to retain their passions . as fire that is hid in wood , or , as a stream of water that is stopt , upon any the least occasion riseth , and breaketh through all . he then observing the madnesse of the people , who were not a little animated against him , and threatned him , was resolved at first to flye from them , not so much for want of courage , as to obey the command of christ , which wills us to retire from one city to an other , and thereby to give way to our persecutours . for good christians must not onely regard their own particular , though never so vertuous and constant , as beware of their enemies , and that , on their part , they give not the least occasion to do them an injury , which , without scandall to their weak brethren , and to the prejudice of true religion which publikely they make unfained profession of , 't is in their choice to put by , or make prevention of . it so fell out , neverthelesse , that perceiving many to be apprehended , and dragged before magistrates because of him , and that there were some in danger of the losse of their souls , by reason of the cruel persecutions wherewith they were afflicted in their bodies for his sake , he would not altogether neglect them , who for the making sure of his person , were in hazzard to lose their own . wherefore , being first holily and well-advised , he returns back from his retirement , and offering himself to the people , resolved with patience to undergo whatever calamities of the times : with respect whereunto , what injuries and oppressions were there , unto which he was not exposed ? what could be more lamentable ? every one brought ( i know not what ) resolution to adhere to that foul sin of diversly afflicting him , carrying neither any regard to the constancy of him , nor to the quality of his persecutours ; who were the more irritated against him through a supposition , that his return to them proceeded rather from a contempt , or neglect that he made of their persons , then of any virtue , or constancy in himself to undergoe vvhatever tribulations to be inflicted upon him by their fury . whereupon , this holy old man , this voluntary souldier of jesus christ vvas led through the city ( venerable for his age , but more for his life to all the vvorld ) exposed to these tyrants , and hang-men , and conducted by people of all manner of qualities , rich and poor , young and old , men and women , some of one sort , and some of another , hurried together : yea ( and which was more strange to behold ) those who had estates , and were of the wealthiest , strove together , were emulous among themselves , who should punish him most , all indifferently esteeming it a commendable thing to inflict whatever torments upon him , and to triumph over him ; whom all the people of the town villanously handled , some halling him through the streets , other thrusting him into the kennels : these plucking him by the hair of his head , those smiting him upon every part-of his body : using further , shamelesse reproaches , and not to be spoken of , among so many other mischiefs ; just as those are wont to be done unto , vvho vvere punished in those paganish mysteries of mythra . he vvas also lifted up in the air as in a svving , too and fro tossed from one side to the other : he had his precious body received naked upon the points of their pen-knives , who acted their parts in this mournfull and sad tragedy against him : yea further , they put his legs in a presse , and squeesed them to the bones : they cut off his ears with a fine slender thread , making him , in the mean time , stand upright in a basket , and rubbing , or besmeering him all over with honey and salt , they exposed him to waspes and bees about noon , when the sun shined hottest and clear : which made his flesh seem , as it were , to melt , and gave those animals a warm throat full of this happy meat . i call the meat , this flesh happy , because , however tortured , yet suffering patiently for christs sake , he rendred every part of his body happy , as a blessed sacrifice , and most acceptable in the sight of god. there 's an other story as well worthy to be remembred , and spoken of him , and that is this . this good old man and young both ( for the dolours which he underwent in his old age caused him not to abate of the lively chearfulnesse he was indued within his youth ) smiling in the height of his torments , was heard to utter these famous and most remarkable words unto his tormentours , saying , [ i esteem very much the posture wherein you have put me in thus lifting me up , it 's a good omen to see my self exalted , and others below me . ] he had as much to say touching the different condition wherein himself was , in comparison of those that persecuted him : the contemplation whereof seemed to make him feel no more pain , then as if he had been onely an assister at the tormenting of another , taking those his sufferings for an honour , and not for a punishment , wherewith they seemed after a sort , but indeed were no way able to afflict him . where is there a man never so little gentle and debonaire , that is not affected with this gallantry , that reverenceth not this holy martyr for these brave acts ? but the times permitted not to shew pity in such cases to the christians , neither the irregular passions of the emperour , whose unrelenting will it was still , that the people , cities , and magistrates should , by all means , carry themselves cruelly unto us , though many of them , for all that , were utterly ignorant of the bottome of his wicked heart . thus went the affairs with this constant old man. if you ask the reason ? 't was because he refused to give five shillings to his executioners : which was an argument evident and plain , that he had the patience to suffer for the cause of god , and his true religion only . in regard , whilst they demaunded at first a great sum of money , in lieu of the temple it's being pull'd down by him , and would abate nothing of that price , but either the whole sum was to be laid down by him , or else he rebuild it at his own charge , one would have thought this refusall of him came from want of means , and disability to satisfie what was demanded , rather then from zeal to the true religion : but after that by his constancy he had gained to be abated in part , and continually had something cut off with respect unto the price formerly required , so that the demand in the end amounted but to a little in value , yea so little that it was easie for him to pay it , the difference between them was who should remain master , they in making him give something , though never so little , or he , on the contrary , ( who was not to be forced , ) to pay any thing at all , although very many there were that voluntarily offered to give for him more then they desired , not onely because of his unparallel'd piety , but also in consideration of his invincible and unconquerable constancy . at what time a man might cleerly see , he fought not in this list for money , but for religion . let then those that so much admire this philosophicall emperour , resolve us , whether these , and the like actions of his , were signes of mildnesse and gentlenesse , or contrarily , of much pride and cruelty . as for my part , i beleive the question is soon answered . i have not as yet declared how this sufferer was one of them , who had formerly saved this detestable prince , when all his race was in dangers , by secretly conveyhing him away from those that sought to destroy him . the reason , it may , be , of his deserving to be so grievously punished , namely , for his imprudent preserving him then , who became after so great a plague to all the world . in consideration of which whole businesse , with respect unto the patient suffering all manner of cruell torments , and other lamentable reproches by this martyr of ours , a certain greek , that is to say , a pagan in religion , ( though in his behaviour otherwise , somewhat above , and beyond all other of his kind that ever lived either before or since his time , to be admired at ) being not able any longer to behold the tormentours on his own party , and the constancy of him that endured thus all manner of punishment on the other , brake forth into these noteable words unto the emperor , and in the presence of the whole company that was then assembled together , & spake after this sort . [ are not we ashamed , sir , to fee our selves so overcome of the christians , that we have not the power to be masters over one poor old man , who hath gone through all sorts of torments , and of whom , if we had had the better , it had been no great matter ? is it not a great impeachment of our credit , when all 's done , to retire vanquished by him ? whereupon ( as it seemed then ) the other officers blush'd , but those kings , that is to say , the pagan priests mock'd at it . could any thing in the whole earth be more shameful and wretched , not with relation so much to him that suffered the same , as , on the other side , especially , who caus'd these mischiefs , and other the like abominable outrages to be put in practice ? in this sort , after a most barbarous , and never the like heard of inhumanity , dealt they with arethusius ? so that the cruelty of phalaris , and of echetus will seem small , in comparison of theirs ; more espcially of his who compelled them thereunto , and was author thereof . o that i could meet with the creature , that had the gift to infuse into me the knowledge of herodotus , the eloquence of thucidides , whereby to paint out the wickednesse of this man ; to set forth in livly colours to posterity , the whole history of those severall passages of profound villanies that were acted by him throughout all his whole life . i pass to make mention of orontes , or of them who had their throats cut in the night , which he hid in favour of the emperour , being staid because of the body of him to whose death he seemed to consent , for that would be more proper to be put in verse . neither will i speak of the caves , and places under ground in the imperial pallace ; or , of that which was done in ponds , and in pits , and in ditches filled with the pernicious treasure , and detestable mysteries , not only anatomies and dissections of children and virgins ( made use of to cause divels appear by divinations , & in other abominable and irregular sacrifices ) but also , of them who were in trouble for the true religion . concerning all which , it 's my advice not to tax him openly ; and that because himself was ashamed thereof . and good reason , for it 's certain , had he not endevoured to keep them secret , they had turned to his confusion , after made known and discovered . as for the christians of caesarea , a magnanimous people , and constant in piety , who were so injured , and cast down by him , it 's not a matter , it may be , which deserves reproach ; because that being irritated against fortune , ( which sometimes was contrary to him ) in time of prosperity he had ( in his opinion perhaps ) just cause of vengeance ; as also , we must excuse somewhat the injustce that then bore sway , and wherewith ●hey were then so much infested . who is it that knows not how ●he multitude furiously incensed ●gainst the christians , killed a great number of them , and threatned ●et worse ? and thereupon the governour of the province keeping a middle way betwixt the time present , and the edicts then already made , and esteeming it , on the one side , better to comply with the season , and on the other , to carry some respect unto the laws ; after putting a great number of the christians in prison , chastised also some pagans . whereof , being afterward accused , he was brought before the emperour , and thereupon deprived of his government : whom ( although alleadging the emperours ordinances , on which he had grounded his judgement ) it failed but a little of his being condemned thereupon unto death ; thoug● in the end , he experimented hi● clemency , and was banished only ▪ his reply , nevertheless , to th● emperour , was gallant and brave for , when extolling unto him th● valour of the pagans above the galileans , in that one paga● sometimes brought under his subjection many galileans . [ wha● great matter is it , ( quoth th● governor to the emperor ) if on● pagan overcome or subdue a multitude of galileans ? hath not you● highnesse made an edict for th● pagans to do thereafter ; are no● they backed by your command , to use all manner of violence against them , when whosoever will , is not only permitted , with all sor● of injustice , to molest them , but also assisted , and may call for what help as he thinks fit , at his pleasure , to wrong and confound them ? when as he that is most cruell , is most commended ; he reputed the best subject that exerciseth his wit most to vex them ? when for a pagan , in the least manner , to be courteous to a ga●ilean , is to be criminous in the ●ighest degree ? when noneless with●tand , none sooner yeild themselves ●o our fury , than those galileans ? when not only a few , but many ●undreds of them , though of force to resist , yet in obedience to your majesties pleasure and will , patiently submit themselves to one poor pagan executioner , to be punished ? to beat then those that resist not , and after to boast of their manhood that do so , what is it , but to publish rather their violence , than to make good their valour to posterity ? besides , the pleasure of a prince , or emperor , is a law not written , which , being upheld by force and authority , hath much more power in it , than when written , and not upheld by the same force to maintain it . this should not be so ( say they ) who have set forth unto us a new god , good and gracious . contrarily , your highness publickely hath forbidden us to trouble the christians , as also commanded that christians should not be injured at every mans pleasure ; so that thereby the christians are discharged from our causing them any more wrongfully to be afflicted . the hydra , though you cut of● one of its heads , is never the less hurtfull , because , in stead of tha● one cut off , other nine succeed in the place thereof . and ( if we must beleeve fables ) did we ever see a patarical chimaera gentle and pleasant , because it had three divers formes , which should rather cause the same to be thought hideous ? or , must that infernall cerberus , or scilla , the plague of sea-men , be counted harmless , because the upper parts thereof ( as 't is said ) are pleasing and beautifull to the sight , as resembling a faire creature of humane kind , when the rest of it are full of the figures of dogs-heads , and of other wild beasts , that commit all manner of mischief ? when it swalloweth up whole fleets of ships , and is as dangerous as charybdes , right over against the same ? but what ? wilt thou find fault with the arrowes and stones , and excuse the crosse-bowes , and those that shoot in them ? or , shall we condemn the hunters dogs for greedily running after their prey , and worrying of it , and at the same time , hold them excused and innocent , that make use of them ? 't will be very far from reason so to conceive , and needs some sophisticall cheat to cover over , and wrap up the truth by the force of a fair speaking tongue , to defend these vices . their 's a means ( i confesse ) to warrant ( in some sort ) him that would disguise himself with these subtleties , by taking to him the helmet of pluto , the ring of gyges ; which , in turning the beril or broad part , makes him that wears it , become invincible . on the contrary , this great impostor , by how much the more he striv●● to walk in the dark , and no body see him , to dance in a net ( as we say in the proverb ) and not be perceived , by so much the sooner ( as it happened ) was he descried and laid open by the judgement of truth : at least , by those that had eyes in their heads to perceive , that he alone was author of these mischiefs , of those actions , which himself with all his subtlety , was never able to make good . so easie a matter it is for wickednesse , we see , to be convinced and made manifest unto all men , when , however daubed over , for a time , with fair shewes , it hath recourse still unto its own naughtinesse , and falls foul upon the head alwayes of its first contrivers . if the acts thus committed by him untill this time were very uncouth , and far strange from magnanimity , or whatever other imperial vertue , may we say that what he fore-thought to put in practice for the time to come would prove better , and more ingenuous ? no such matter : yea , it had been somewhat more tolerable , if what he purposed to do , had not been far worse , and crueller , then that which we have already recited . for , even as a dragon , when he raiseth part of his scales , and beginneth to set up his bristles , the other being sin a readinesse , it s not possible for him , but he must also raise , and set them up , in like manner , although ; till then , they were composed , and stirred not : or , as in thunder , when rumbling in the clouds , the lightning thereof we di●cern with our eyes , before hear with our ears the great claps that follow after : so , this fulminating emperour had already hatched in his mind , and contrived in design those abominable enterprises which after he intended to bring to pass , and was fully bent most barbarously to put in practice against us which were so strange and unusuall till then , that to him alone it appertained both to invent , and to cause them after to be executed . it s true , before his time , the christians had been made sensible of grea● troubles and vexations that dioclesiaen their first persecutour , an● maximinian ( who succeeded him being worse , as also maximi● ( the cruellest of the three , whos● statues beaten down in publiqu● places , and yet to be seen , serv● as a memoriall of the hurt done b● him , and in which are engrave● for ever the deformities of his person ) ▪ brought upon them . but neither of these three , no , nor an● tyrant that ever preceded them at any time thought of , or invente● the like stratagems , wherewith 〈◊〉 torment us , had he lived to hav● finished such his diabolical desig● and hellish purposes against us . these then were his drifts , ( 〈◊〉 those of his privy councel averr● but he was prevented by the grac●ous providence of god , and 〈◊〉 the tears of many a good christia● that shed them in abundance , applying no other remedy against the venome of this their persecutour . it was in his intention also , to take all manner of liberty from christians : and to inhibit them all things : viz. the conference of publique assemblies , of markets , and of all places also , wherein any jurisdiction was held : as being none of them capable of such rights , if first he had not presented incense before the altar , and thereby discharged the salary of such , and so signal a mystery . o emperours , o kings , o law-makers ! have not yee ( even as the influence of heaven , the light of the sun , the benefit of the air , by a gracious and universall decree , are common to every one ) established laws , and ordinances for all the world freely and indifferently to make use of ? yet this wicked man , this perverter of all things would go about to deprive us christians thereof . so that though never so much injured in our persons , cheated in our goods , or receiving what ever other intollerable wrong from them , it should not be permitted us , by way of justice , to have any recourse to whatever laws , or ordinances , to right us . in this regard , they began to assume liberty to themselves to mock and flout us , yea to assault us with blowes unto that excesse , that they scarce suffered us to fetch our breath , or enjoy one quiet hour amongst them . which nevertheless , was so far from disheartning us for making ever the lesse profession of the faith and repose that we put in christ jesus , that it heightned in a great many of us who were so injured , a greater constancy to go●s glory , howbeit to the authors of our persecution , greater sham● and reproach for so troubling us . but le ts hear the reason , of all this ( i beseech you ) of this assasinate , of this apostate-law-givers thus dealing with us . you shall have it in his own words , your law ( quoth he ) permitteth you neither to defend your selves , nor to demand reason of justice , nor to possesse any thing in particular : but rather to make no account of this world , or , of the things that are in it , as being all of them transitory , and vain . mo●eover that , it 's not for you to render evil for evil , but whosover shall smite you on the one cheek , to turn to him the other also : again , to one suing you at the law , to take away your cloake , to let him have your coat also . it may be , he will adde , we must pray for them which despightfully use , and persecute us . for , how should not he have the exact knowledge of all things commanded , and permitted us christians ? he , i say , who before attaining to the empire , was entred into the order of a reader of the holy scriptures , and who had the honour to serve at the high altar , as also , to adorne our martyrs with churches , and chappels ? above all , i admire one thing of him , that , seeing he had exactly studied our books , he took no notice , ( or else , in good earnest , would not see that which is written elsewhere ) viz. every wicked man that goes away from god shall perish : in like manner , he that troubles them , who remain faithfull , and contrives punishments , whereof himself is worthy . with respect whereunto , if we must needs be such , as he will have us , and govern our selves according to those aforesaid precepts of our saviour , concerning the regulating our actions thereunto : and , as for himself , in the mean while it may be lawful for him to live as wickedly as he lists , in all manner of ungodliness , by using oppression , and whatever other deceit against christians , that desire to live more quietly , in all righteousnesse towards god , and good conversation towards their neighbour : if the actions ( i say further ) of mans life , being either vertuous or vicious , the gods , whom those of his own party seem to worship and obey , approve of vertuous men , and reject those that are vicious : if this be a thing confessed by the testimony of our very enemies , and of those that persecute us , we have then gained what we desire to have granted , we have obtained our cause . if it be said by them moreover , that on their side also , they have any honesty , or fair deportment , though but in word onely , and not in deed towards us , and are not so impudent and accomplished in wickedness ( thereby supposing to please themselves , though not their prophane gods ) as to maintain , that vice appertaines to them as their proper inheritance : let them shew us how , and what justice there is in it , that we should be so constant in our suffering afflictions , and they not to pardon such as pardon them ; considering we have the better at one time , and you at another ; seeing the affairs of this world rowle and change , first of one fashion , then of another . have the christians ever used you , as you have used them ? what libertys have we deprived you of ? against whom is it , we have incited the peoples fury ? to whom have we sent captains , that that did more than was commanded them ? what people have we reduced into the danger of hazarding their lives for us ? who are they we have deprived of their places and honours , appertaining unto them , as to honest men ? in a word , what did we ever commit like unto many things which you have in part executed , and in part , threatned to practise against us ? truely , you cannot say what : you ( i say ) who so reproach us for being defective , for our coming short of that meeknesse , and gentlenesse , that by christ our masters counsell is required of us . moreover , thou , who art so wise , and well advised , in shutting us up within the narrow precincts of christ's stricter advises in the gospel , why markest thou not , that in those very places , some things are injoyned us , upon promise of reward , if we do thereafter , which are not imposed for all that , upon necessity of obeying , under pain of punishment , if we not performe the same ? for , though it be a thing very excellent , and to be wished that all were perfect , and if possible , attain to the top of well-doing , in whatsoever commanded , or forbidden us : yet , seeing there 's a great difference between those that do those duties whereunto injoyned , some obtaining to a great height of perfection ; others unto a mediocrity only : what reason hast thou , to make ordinances , whereunto all are not bound for observance , and yet punishest such as performe them not ? every one , not deserving a reward for what he doth , being not liable presently unto punishing for what he doth not . and therefore , in binding our selves unto what we should observe , as much as may be , through the whole course of our lives , it becometh us , at all times , to regulate our manners and actions , by the laws of true philosophy ; which , as it rewardeth ever , where rewards become due to our deserts , by doing what it commands ; so it punisheth no● at any time , where punishments are not due for our not doing that , whereunto , by way of counsell we are onely , lovingly and most tenderly advised . but , i will again embarque my self in the discourse of what he [ julian ] did touching sciences , and the use of tongues ; it not being possible to ref●●in from often making mention of him , and forcing my self to defend him in what lies in my power to speak truely in his behalf , and yet justly otherwise , rendring him worthy of neglect , where he deserves the same . in which regard , he never did , ( i may speak it impartially ) a more unjust and insufferable action , than when he would have prohibited us christians the study thereof . which perverse resolution of his , barbarously intended against us , every man , me thinks , that with delight , addicteth himself to the profession of good literature , should contemn , even as i do , who cannot hold from revealing my self to be of that number , and who , by reason , and in comparison , thereof , have quitted altogether , and wholly abandoned all other things of this life ; whether they be goods , money , jewels , plate , authority , honours , or the like trash , depending upon those unappeaseable tormentours ; the vexatious desires of this world , that as in a dream , bring fading pleasures , but no true joyes to the beholders thereof with their eyes . but , as for my self , i have embraced the onely study of tongues , and other sciences , having no manner of regret at the pains i have endured , aswell by sea as land , to attain thereunto ; desiring that i , together with all my freinds and well-wishers , may be abundantly furnished , and fortified therewith : and which i have allwayes cherished , and chosen above all things , next unto that soverain good , the glory of god , and salvation of the elect , depending on him in his son , and our saviour je●us christ , through the grace and powerfull operation of the holy ghost . so that if every one ( as pindarus hath it ) feels , or is sensible of his own losse most , it 's necessary for me to discourse of this subject ; not any thing that can be imagined being so agreeable therewith , as to render all possible thanks to the word or son of god the father , by the words and benefit of the tongue , for that the study of tongues , and other liberal sciences have hitherto been left free to us . but , what ayled thee ? or from whence proceeded it ( o thou light and unsatisfiable man ! ) that thou wentest about to forbid the christians this study of sciences and tongues ? which was , not onely in the number of those evils , wherewith we were threatned , but also , well neer ordained and published . why so ? and wherefore i pray ? whose counsell , reason ( i beseech you ) hath carried thine understanding ? ( call'd by thee , in thine own terme , and fancied phrase , mercury . ) what willfully wicked men , what inchanted devils have suggested the same unto thee ? if thou wilt , we will tell the truth , why . it was requisite and meet for thee , after committing so many foul and enormous things , that thou shouldest be reduced unto such a passe , as to be hurried into thine own confusion , by , in what thou reputed'st more prudent and wise , therein unwittingly to make thy self appear to all the world a very fool through thy much over-sight , and indiscretion . for , say , i pray ; to what did this thy ordinance tend ? what reason therein had'st thou , for that thy new and strange prohibiting us the leave of attaining to the knowledge of the tongues , and other sciences ? if any equall , and indifferent ? produce the same , and wee 'l quietly be satisfi'd without further complaining . for , as accustomed we are to overcome with reason , so will we never ( with gods help ) be so destitute of common sense , so void of tolerable understandi●g , as not to yeild , and give place to reason , in like manner . yea , but reply you , sciences and the greek tongue belong to us ; even as barbarisme , and ignorance to your religion ; which consists in no other great matter , then to say only [ i beleeve . ] but they among you , nevertheless that follow the sect of pythagoras , will they not laugh you to scorn for so saying ? seeing [ ips● dixit , the master said it . ] was enough among them : viz. their great principle , and of more account , than whatever answer else , though never so prudent , and to more purpose . for after this first , and so much esteemed maxime of theirs , in making no further answer , ( which was injoyned all them that followed his philosophy , ) he accustomed himself to speak little : it being certainly observed among them , upon whatever question asked , or reason demanded to reply onely , [ so pythagoras is of opinion . ] and therewith without other satisfaction , or further resolution given , to rest content . so that , it was in a manner the same thing , though with some little change of words and syllables ; for them to remain satisfied with pythagoras their master 's [ i have said it . ] as for us , with respect unto what said by christ our master , to say [ we must beleeve . ] all this notwithstanding , you forbear not still to mock , and detract us , for that , by our religion , we have bound our selves to give credit unto that , which persons filled with the spirit of god , have transmitted unto us . whereas , their very authority , were there nothing else , is proof sufficient for what they have written , being of more power , and force , to convince the gainsayers , than all the ipse dixit's of pythagoras , all the demonstrations , and positions of whatever other philosophers , and humane doctors since the beginning . but suppose the tying our selves to believe certain doctrines , delivered unto us after that sort , be lyable in good earnest , to be reproved , and justly contradicted by you : how can you prove the use of tongues to be in your power only ? if so , how comes it to pass , that we , against your laws , and ordinances , have a share therein ? for , to whom belongs the greek tongue ? to whom to speak , and understand it ? i say , to speak , and understand it , thereby to distinguish the force of words , with which you aequiocate , when diverse things are comprehended under one , and the same expression ; some understanding one thing , and some another ? but thou must confesse , the greek tongue depends either on the service of thy religion ; or else , on the pleasure of those that first invented , and established the same . if on thy religion , tell me where , and by what preists , it was first ordained , that the greek tongue should be spoken therein ; as we see it hath been resolved , whereof , and to what divels , we should sacrifice ? for , according to the statutes , and rules of your doctors and preists , it 's not lawfull unto all , to use all alike ; or , to one , to use all after the same manner . in what place , ( as in the countrey of the lydians ) is it a holy thing , proper and pecu●iar unto them , to render curses unto hercules ? and to beleive , they do this fained god a great honour in singing reproachfully unto him ? or , ( as to the inhabitants of taurus ) to kill strangers ? and ( as in lacedemonia ) to be whip'd till the blood springs forth untill it touch the altar ? to whom is it a holy matter , ( as to the phrygians ) to be gelt , as they were , the musick sweetly sounding , and they losing their genitals in dancing ? or , ( as in other places ) to use sodomy , keep brothel houses , and make use of such other the like mysteries ? there was a custome , and ordinance also , to speak greek unto some of their devils . which , if still it should be used , it could not prove , or thereby be inferred as a proper , and peculiar thing for the greeks , or pagans to apply to some one of their gods , or devils that whereof every one might be served , every one of them make use of : . even , as it is ordained to sacrifice very many things that are vulgar and common : which , if thou sayest , it 's not so , and the dialect of this tongue appertains properly to thee , as of thy domain , and in this right , repellest us : i answer , it cannot be comprehended what reason thou hast for it , or how thou can'st appropriate it to devils . for , although the service , or caball of thy religion be performed in the greek tongue , it followes not therefore , that the greek tongue depends on religion : neither is it a sufficient reason to proscribe , and exclude us from making use of so good a dialect : the conclusion would not be pertinent . as if two qualities happen to be in one subject , it followes not , those two are one same thing . for , supposing one same man to have the art of drawing pictures , and melting gold , it should then follow that his gold-mel●ing , and picture-drawing should be one and the same thing : which but to suppose only were a very vain , and most absur'd conceit . i demand then of thee , ( who art so jealous of the greek tongue , ) what thou meanest , in not permitting , but rather going about to hinder us from making use of it ? forbiddest thou us thereby the down-right , and trivial manner of speaking thereof , accordingly as the common people are accustomed to speak it ? or , that of speaking more elegantly therein , and with choicer tearms , that are not so intelligible of the unlearned , or of those that are not so well ver'st in the knowledge of tongues . a tongue is not proper , or peculiar to them , who have invented it , or to any art , or profession comprehended in the mind : but to all that can understand it . for , even as in the artificial tuning of musical instruments , the string heightned , or loosed , renders divers sounds , yet all , according to his mind , that , to make good harmony therewith , playeth ; and governeth the instrument : so useth the divine word , the great and soveraign work-man , for matter of sciences , and so forth , with us ; it being , according to his pleasure , that this man should invent one art , that an other , and communicate the same , without appropriating either , to their first inventors : and thereby render out lives more pleasing , more acceptable , or more tunable each to other . tell me , then ? the greek tongue , appertains it to thee alone ? what ? the rudiments of letters , were not they the invention , first of all , of the phoenicians ? or ( as ●ome say ) of the egyptians ? or rather of the hebrewes , a wi●er peo●le then either of them , who maintain their law in tabl●s of stone , was first written by the finger of cod ? belongs it to thee alone , to speak elegan●ly , as those of athens ? and measures ( i ought first to have named the science of encamping , and making war ) to whom belong they ? belongs not that of war-like inventions to the euboeans , if it be true palamedes was of that nation , and for the same reason , evil spoken of , accursed , envyed , and after condemned by those that set forward to the conquest of troy ? well then , if the egyptians , phoenicians , and hebrews , of whose inventions we make use , in our doctrine : if the inhabitants of the isle of euboea , claim that as theirs properly , the same reason that thou alleagest : what shall we do ? or how justifie our selves to them ? w●… being liable , by the same law , tha● thou wouldest make , to be deprived of many excellent arts , descended unto us from others , and , consequently , our selves forced to render them back again to their firs● inventors ; till , at length afte● returning what we had from them ▪ it befall us , as it did the jaye i● the fable , who , when she had restored unto other birds the feathers that she borrowed of them her self afterwards remained naked and became deformed . to give an instance , or two , in certain particulars . the art of poesy , doth it belong to thee only ? or may it not rather be ascribed to a poor old woman ? who being punch'd on the shoulder ( as the tale goes ) by a young fellow passing by , and affronting her , she fell thereupon into such a fury , that unadvisedly , and upon a sudden she rapt out a verse : whereat the fellow taking delight , with more curiosity after skanned the feet thereof upon his fingers : and , by this means , the admirable art of poesy was first occasioned . again , if thou braggest , and art so vain-glorious because of thine armes , tell me , brave sir , from whom haddest thou them at the beginning ? were not the cyclops they that first invented the art of forging ? if scarlet also be so much prised by thee above all things , who made thee so cunning and knowing a man therein , as not to ascribe the first finding out thereof to the tyrians ? in whose countrey a shepheards dog of theirs browsing upon a swad of red beans , and his chapps becomming all over , as it were , bloody therewith , gave his master a hint thereby , to take notice of the flower thereof : and from thence sprang the first attempting to die , with the juice of it , that cloth which is now in so great esteem with you , o ye emperours ! and great persons . what sayest thou in thy claime farther unto husbandry , touching plowing , and tilling the earth ? as also , to the art of making ships ? when the athenians deny thee the right , to be the sole master , and proprietor thereof , by ascribing the first invention therein , to ceres , triptolemus dracon ; as also to celeus , icarus , and to the rest of that fabulous rout . where took your filthy mysteries , ( fit onely to be celebrated in the night ) their first rise ? to pass by these foolish matters , and have a fling again at thy fury , or rather impious acts : from whence hadst thou the invention of taking thy first imitation of formalityes , and giving the same to thy paganisme , as also other of thy most abominable ceremonies in serving thy false gods , are they not from the thracians , ( as the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies ; ) and thy manner of sacrificing from the caldeans , and cypriots ? even as astronomy from the babylonians ; magique , from the persians ; the art of divining by dreams , from the telinesians : as that , by birds , from the phrygians , who first observed the motion , and flying of them . to avoid prolixity ; from whence hath sprouted every science put in practise by thee ? hath not some one , or other , gathered from each of them a particular invention , and through reducing the whole altogether into one mass , thereby forged out unto thee a false , and foolish religion ? may we not then openly avow it to thy face , that when thou shalt have rendred up each art of thine , to it 's own authour and inventor , there will remain nothing behind to thee , but thine own folly , together with thy new ordinance of denying us all things , for the further establishing of thy fond and wicked religion ? thou being the first of the christians that hast plotted a revolt against jesus christ thy master ; as in former times , the scythian slaves rose up in rebellion , and revolted against the scythians that were their masters . in my conceit , thou hadd'st done better , to have endevoured the discomposing , the overthrowing of our union ; who , in relation to thy laws and ordinances , seem wicked , and perverse ; that thereby the remainder of thy empire being at rest from such like fighting businesse , a man might see the roman republique ( as in it's first splendor ) delivered from all civill warrs , which are far worse than forrain : even as we should rather prevent the destruction of our own bodies and flesh , than that of strangers . now , ( howbeit all the actions of this our impostor towards christians , in relation to what before spoken of , fall out to appear frauds , only cover'd over with courtesies , & consequently , far unworthy of imperial majesty , ) i shall yet produce some finer , and fuller of subtlety , that were acted by him . to which purpose , he perceiving after all this , that in confideration of the precepts , doctrines , and divine testimonies , aswell of the old , as new testament , ( of the old , by prophesies , and evident inspirations of gods spirit : likewise of the new , by the revelations of the son of god , and of miracles , great , and remarkable to confirme us in those things , which , by the fundamental positions of our religion , we make open profession of , ) we began to become most constant , and confident in the truth , and faith of christ ; that we might not be quitted in these respects without his assaulting , and offending us for the same , as he did others , upon the like occasion . behold he contrives and puts in execution his designes against us ! as rabsheketh ( leiuetenant to senacherib king of the assyrians ) sometime did against the jews , who entered with an army , into the country of judea , and having with great power , laid seige before jerusalem to take it , when he saw he could not carry it by force , and that the traitors within could not deliver him nothing according to his expectation , he endevoured with fine words , and in the jews own language , to make himself master thereof ; which the besieged taking notice of , demanded first that , addressing himself to them , he would speak in the assyrian tongue , and not in the hebrew , for fear , least under the sweetnesse of their own language , they might cunningly be brought into servitude : so this man [ the emperour julian ] after the same manner , desiring to bring us under his subjection , was upon the device of founding colledges in all towns , of erecting pulpits to preach in , and chairs to read and expound his pagan instructions , as well , those that concerned manners , as other pretended holy mysteries : likewise , of publishing a form of prayers sung by them , and answered one toanother : also , touching the discipline of those who should happen to be faulty in the preface of their caball ; and , generally , imitated all good orders , and establishments that are observed in our religion . for he had well-nigh brought to passe an ordinance for building of hospitals , and other publique houses , also recluses for virgins , and other that for devotion desire to retire themselves from worldly affairs : again , other places , where care to be taken in making provision for sick folke , and other sort of distributions to poor people : also , as we are wont to use letters of recommendation from one countrey to an other in favour of the necessitous , as occasion offered it self , so would he have ordained to be done on his party : with the like wholesome constitutions borrowed from us , and seemingly much approved , and liked by him , in like manner . behold then , what this new sophister , and teacher of strange doctrines had resolved upon ! but , in that , touching these matters , the purpose and intention of this man was not accomplish'd and effected , i cannot say whether it was more advantagious to us , ( that were forthwith delivered from him , and his ) or to him , ( whose enterprises were vain as dreams : ) because , easie it had been presently to discern the difference betwixt the actions of men , and the imitations of apes : of whom , though it be said , they can counterfeit some subtleties which men use , and do b●fore them , to deceive them , yet herein they are to seek , in that not able through their imitation to discover the reason of our craft in so doing . whereby it falls out , that neither the thessalonicall mare , nor the woman of lacedem●n , nor those who drink of the water of arethusa , i mean the sicilians do better carry away the price among them of their kind , then the ceremonies and customes of christians : which , though comely , significant , and grave , as also of laudable use , are such , not withstanding , as cannot be attained unto of any other sort of men , that go about to imitate them : their original being taken , not so much from the invention of men , as from the assistance of god , in their making , and continuing the same still to his church , and people . but , there 's nothing prettyer , then ( as on a theater ) to observe , and heed well the admirable imitation of these men , and excellency wherewith they endeavour to counterfeit us . what then , i trow , is the manner of their teaching ? what the end of their assembling together ? is it not , that ( as plato saith ) we may see this city move and wag ? which is but a discourse in words . whereas true philosophy , in the generall , consisting of two parts , viz. theoreticall , and practique : the former more hard and sublime , the latter , though lower , yet more profitable ; both of them , helping each the other , are in perfection in our religion . because , as we make use of the theory for the knowledge of heavenly things , so we establish the practique as the basis thereof : it not being possible to participate with , or to attain unto true knowledge in the theory , without endeavouring to do thereafter in the practique . as for their manners , i know not whether therein they are , either more ridiculous , or vile , and abject , their law-makers destitute of divine inspiration while compofing them , and the laws themselves thereupon resembling roots of trees undermined and carried away with water , floating up and down , without having any firm foundation whereupon , for any long time , to repose them . to compare , neverthelesse , our our condition with theirs in this regard ; as they give unto themselves the liberty to sport and play in many passages of their fables : so we , in like manner , are not debar'd of all mirth , when commanded , in scripture , to rejoyce with them that tejoyce : neither free , more then they from sadness , when advised to mourn with them that mourn &c. there being with us , as well as with them , a time ( as solomon speaks ) to weep , and a time to laugh : a time to dance : — a time to keep silence , and a time to speak . a time to love , and a time to hate : a time of war , and a time of peace . let their theater then ( i know not what else to call their temple ) be set up , and they of the better sort in the common-wealth , o● that have attained unto gray hairs , be placed in the highest chairs , o● whoever else make themselves taken notice of for the honour of their race , or wisdome in things of this world , ( wherein there is more false and fading pleasure , then true piety ; ) for wee 'l agree to them in this point . what then ? as for their after rejoycing , let themselves , in what they have a mind , please themselves , be cloathed with scarlet , honoured with flags and garlands : if this be true felicity , and above that which the common sort can attain unto , let them ( a gods name ) enjoy the same , esteem the estate that is vulgar and low to bring with it neglect and contempt both : contratily , the other , that 's more magnificent and exquisite , to gain authority , and beleif : never will they abase themselves so much , i am sure , as to esteem it , as we do , a point of honour to be humbled ; and , not in the fashion of clothes , but in the manner of well living to make true estimation of what represented before our eyes , imploying our whole time , not about trifles , and curiosities , but in that which depends on the inward man , and consists , not in seeking after popular applause , but in well governing all manner of unruly passions , and affections incident unto our souls . on which point , for the present , wee 'l set up our rest . now what followes after ? thou , for thy part , wilt represent unto thine auditory riddles , or dark , and hard matters to be interpreted [ divine oracles ] ( as thou callest them ) thou wilt read , and expound unto them books , that treat of the mystery of thy religion , and of the world. but , tell us , what are those books ? and who be the authours thereof ? will it not be a fine thing ( think ye ) to sing of the generation of the gods fained by hesiod , and of their wars set forth by him ? of the rebellions of tyrants and giants , with their deaths ? and of other horrible accidents and disasters that befell cottis , giges , briareus , enceladus ? of your gods , some described , by the same author , to have dragons feet , othe●s cloathed with thunder ? of your isles thrown down upon them , and serving for receptacles , and graves , to those that they are cast upon ? again , to sing of the sundry foul swarms , and diversity of imagined hydraes , chimera's , gorgon's , and the like monstrous mass , and confused rabble of all manner of other wickednesse , and profannesse ? are not these sweet things to gather out of hesiod , and to feed the ears of the people withall ? also , the bewitching story of orpheus following thereupon , with his harp , and song drawing after him wild-beasts , and birds ? to relate of jupiter his magnificent titles , and the many significations thereof ? with his being the most high soveraign among the gods , and yet covered with dung ( whether of sheep , of horses , or of mules , i know not ) that thereby he might make the power of his god-head understood , by his producing from thence a great number of small insectile creatures , and giving life unto them upon their productions ? after all which , to make mention of that impure goddesse of theirs , who more immodestly , than became her feminine deity , shewed her self half naked ; to make her worshippers ( i think ) as well in love with her , as with the religion , wherein she was publickely adored , and represented after that fashion , by her images , and other pictures in her temples , and else-where , to be look'd upon ? neither doth herein the totall or whole sum of their foolish fopperies consist but unto these , ( as upon a stage ) are made to appear phanes , euricapeu● , and he that swallowed the other gods , and vomited them up again , or discharged his stomach of them afterwards , to make himself known the father of gods , and men. are not here , in these high points of their religion 's mystical matters , sound and subtle doctrines of edification for the common people to gather out , and to make use of for their souls health . besides these , and a number of the like ridiculous toys , certain allegoryes are invented , by their doctors imaginations therein , transcending humane capacity by which they precipitate as weltheir own , as their auditorsunderstanding unto confusion . again , touching homer , and those many fond stories fabled by him , where wilt thou affixe the same ? for it 's he , who of old , composed comedyes , or rather tragedyes concerning your fained gods. you 'l finde ( i beleeve ) both the one , and the other in those redoubted poesies of his , whereof some cannot chuse but move and stir up their laughter , as well as other , tears . the truth is , 't was not a matter of small consequence for oceanus to be reconciled to thetis : and therefore , well might she run about , and rave like a mad woman , upon the thought only , that through the abstinence , for a time , of conjugall duties ; viz. in not commixing dry things with moist ; there might eminent danger follow after , to the prejudice of the whole world . be it so . but what tolerable reason may be given ? what the least sober interpretation can be made of that meeting of jupiter and juno , the same time , when at mid-noon , not at mid-night , juno so shamelessely entreated , and entised him also , mostlasciviously to accompany with her ? your poets endevour , indeed to dissemble it in their verses , strewing for them a bed of fresh hearbs , and renewing the same with flowers of safron , and hiacynths . but where ? and from whom had they these things ? to what end further ? and what reason is there yet among you , that the same juno , sister , and wise of the aforesaid jupiter , should sometimes hang in the air , and in the cloudes counter-ballanced with chaines of i●on , together with manacles of gold ? she , i say , who had her arms so white , and her fingers so rosie ? had any of the other gods demanded a reason of jupiter , wherefore that his fair goddesse was put into such a posture by him , without first asking pardon of him , for that his presumption , he had cast himself in danger of jupiter's displeasure , for that his good office shewed towards juno . at another time , the said juno , neverthelesse , sportingly encompassing her slender waste in the loose girdle of sweet love , put on , together with it , such blandishments of enticing affections , such winingly bewitching charmes of wanton expressions , that with his own lips thereupon , he could no longer refrain , from giving sentence on her behalf ; protesting she so irresistibly surprized him , in those her amorous allurements , that , of all his other mistrisses , there was none to be compar'd to her . what means also that divine mystery of the brown eye-brows , and the shaking of those locks that made all the heavens tremble ? what the wounding of mars , that dull lover ? and of that indiscreet adultresse venus the fair , shut up in a brazen nett , bound , and manacled by lame vulcan , who , to his own shame and confusion , assembling the gods together , to see this spectacle , for a little money let them depart again ? if able to render a reason of such like toyishness , tell us further , i pray , what was meant by that fright , and stir among the gods , touching that unchast helena , that by reason thereof , the heavens fell on such a thundring , the earth on such a cracking , that it wanted little , but both had been removed out of their places : the sea likewise turned upside-down ; the gates of hell opened , and thereupon , what before , so long time lay hid , made known and discovered . all which , and more , a great many the like strange things , having been as strangely and diversly delivered unto posterity ; who is he among you , so subtle and profound , yea , though he had the understanding of jupiter , that with what ever discurring imaginations higher than the cloudes , can reduce them to common sense , or in any kind of mediocrity , make them as much as tolerable to be understood ? which if true , & they are not ashamed to confess as much ; in like manner acknowledge them to be base and dishonest things ; then the proof thereof , ( without having recourse to a mythologie to serve them for a covering , with respect unto what they suppose so finely to have found out and invented , ) will be apparent and manifest enough . what shall we say further ? is it not a handsome thing , think ye , for those men , that hold so firmly & constantly unto what in the ceremonial circumstances of their profound religion , they make profession of , to abuse and fool themselves after this sort with obstruse and non-sense fables ? thus , neverthelesse , they are accustomed to do , for the most part , who thereby would endeavour in what ever , though never so weakly said , or done by them , to escape from being reprehended . but they 'le reply , perhaps , the businesses before spoken of are but meer conceptions , matters , which they so greatly stand not upon , but invented on set purpose onely to take up the peoples thoughts , and delight their fancies withall . if so , then let them produce , and shew us other things of their theology , that are more solid , and naturall , that we may further confer with them about the same , and , in the interim , tell us , whether it be not great sottishnesse to boast , and make a more then ordinary account of matters that are onely fabulous , and to be blushed at ? again , whether it be not a foul shame , to publish to all the world hidden things , and unknown to many ( sor every one is not learned ) with pictures , and figures , and ( which is worse ) with great losse of money in temples , altars , statues ? also by sacrifices , which put men to the cost of so many crowns ? when a man may be pious enough in the true religion without much cost , is it not a folly to desire rather to follow error , and falsehood with infinite charges ? but , let them say , they are fictions and jeasts , wherewith poets abound in their measures , and in fables , to delight , and tickle their ears therewith that hear them , mixing , after that sort , hidden and covered senses , that few but learned and discerning men know how to make use of : i ask the question , how can others make account of , or have those deites in any great estimation , when those poets of theirs , themselves abuse after that grosse manner , the gods they would have honoured , that it's reward enough for them , that they are not punished for their so doing ? for seeing , by their law , under pain of death , they are prohibited , in any manner , to use whatever blasphemy , or reproach towards the gods , what punishment , ( suppose ye ) are they worthy of , that frequently , and in publique mock , and jest at them , in their poesies , after the foulest manner , with the filthyest , and most injurious taunts can be thought on ; yea , and leave the same after , as in a comedy , unto posterity , for , a long time , to be laughed at ? touching their having some things more covered , other more manifest in their religious worshipping of their gods , i acknowledge that in our religion it is so also , but with this difference : in our books concerning the same , the common and litteral sense hath nothing foul , or dishonest in it : and that which is hid to the vulgar , to the learned therein it 's very admirable and clear : even as if a body perfect in beauty were in some secret place , covered with a vestment fit , and correspondent thereunto . moreover , representations and resemblances of divine things , ought , methinks , to have nothing therein dishonest , or , unworthy of what they signifie : or , be such as men would take ill , if the same should be done unto them . yea rather , they ought to be things exquisite in beauty , or , at least , not vile and base : that , either discreet men may justly take exception at , or , the vulgar be thereby scandalized . on the contrary , what you practise , there 's no credit to be given unto , and what outwardly represented by you , is as detestable . for , what sense is there , to make a man's self be led in the streets through the dirt , and drawn to the port among rocks and shells ? what is the end ? and to what purpose are such like things recorded by you ? as for thine own part , thou wilt forge us jests , and allegories , of thy travels and imaginations , but no body will give credit unto , o● beleeve the same . and why ? because what already in sight , and above-board , is plain eno●gh , and intelligible . whereby , as thou gainest none that will give eare unto thee , so thou losest lookers on , to behold and see what thou wouldest have taken notice of : men , aswell stopping their ears , as with-holding their eyes , the while , from the apprehension of such unlikely , and impertinent matters . again , the reason of your theory , and allegories is such , and so far from the purpose intended by you , that it is easier too bring together things far apart and seperated asunder , than to make agree , and reconcile in one and the same person , your fictions and figures . it being thus with them touching their religious mysteries fought and derived from naturall philosophy , what may , or will be said by them with respect unto their morality ? what principles and maxims have they in use therein to forme men unto vertue ? what remonstrances to better by degrees and make them more perfect ? they 'l reply , perhaps , and say , for example , first , that concord is a fine thing , viz. to see cities united , people , and families agree well together , and every one , for his own particular , to govern himself according to the right rules of uncorrupted nature ; which separating , and yet reuniting all things , hath composed , though of many parts , yet but one onely frame , or fabrick of the whole world . and this they 'l not stick ( it may be ) to shew , and set forth by diverse examples . but in relating to the wars of the gods , their seditions and revolts one with another , and an infinite number of mischiefs , and evils which they suffered , and procured thereby , and whereof the most part of their poesies are full : instead of peaceable , they make their auditory mutinous ; in stead of wise , vain ; rather than thereby render the proud , humble ; or the audacious , modest , and well mannered by such examples . for if , without having such ( as it were ) pictures before their eyes , it be an hard peice of business , to bring them from evill to good , from vice , to vertue ; who naturally are inclined , and given over , in a manner , to all filthinesse . how may we imagine it a thing possible , to perswade such unto a more orderly life , unto more peaceably behaving themselves : when in prosecution of such their other evilly inclined affections , they seem but only to conform themseves , in so doing , unto the examples of their false gods ? which profain deities of theirs , being diversly set forth unto them by poets , their only preachers , ( as i may so say ) some as patterns of one vice , some of another : what are they , the people , otherwise thereby , then as it were , encouraged unto the same ? what their gods , but their guides ( i mean the peoples conductors ) in whatever manner of evill concupi●cence ? neither are those foul feinds patterns only , but also pat●rons of all kind of abomination : and in consideration thereof , are as severally honoured , and served by their several worshippers and servants , with severall altars , and sacrifices , dedicated , and sacred unto such , and such foul enormities , &c. with respect whereunto , your party , having their full swing , and liberty to wallow in as licenciously as their hearts can wish ; would it not be a hainous matter to punish by law , things established by law ? for their gods to take vengeance on those men , for acting those things , in regard whereof , themselves are especially acknowledged to be divine , and more particularly , adored as the only patrons of such affairs , and in whose behalf , it 's rather an honourable , than reproachfull matter , to be vicious ; ( if vicious in such a case , it be lawfull to cal● any ? ) would any man beleeve this ? or , can there be any such in justice ? any supposed wrong o● offence taken so oppressive , an● not to be tolerated among you as this ? secondly , if we prefer , and extoll the honour and respect due to fathers , and mothers , and for that they are the first mediate cause of our entrance by birth into the world , give them honour with the first : doth not theology , and reason both teach that we should do so ? to which purpose , doth not their god saturne do well ? hath he not left them a fine example ? he , who gelt vranias , that he should beget no more gods , and then threw his genitals into the sea , whereof a god was after engendred ? and jupiter , that , in imitation thereof , rebelled against saturne his own father ? such examples of cruell paricides among the gods , and the like , do they not well to insert in their books to be imitated of children , in honouring their fathers and mothers , after the same fashion . the third point , shall be neglect of riches ; as who can say , the not procuring of them at all hands , is no matter how , though never so wickedly . to which end , in what matter shall their mercury be represented ? what shall we say to that sharke ? what honour ? and after what scene , are we to atribute the same to his budget ? to the vertue and gift of grace that this filching god had to steal , and carry away , with a trick of nimble conveyance , whatsoever he once laid his prolling fingers upon ? what to phoebus also , who is said to give nothing without gold ? unto whom , nothing is so welcome as ready coin ? behold ! are not these rare encouragements and examples , to put men , though by nature otherwise never so covetously affected , into an utter detestation of the muck of this world , money , so perniciously sought after . moreover , with what face can jove's preists exhort his worshipers unto continency , when jupiter , sometimes , wholly applyes himself to the love of women ? at other , to phrygian boys ? for whose sake ( if poets say true ) he turn'd himself into an eagle . &c. also , wherefore is it , that at a drinking match , wherein , meeting with other of your inferiour gods , to the end those profane deities might be more voluptuously attended upon , you feign him to cause them to be served , and waited upon by those boys , he so much delighted withall , in stead of butlers , and other servitours ? let hercules , ( if you please ) be there also , who deflowered fifty of the daughters of thyestes in one night : and then i know no reason , wherefore having put an end to this thirteenth labour of his , he may not be put likewise into the number of those other gods. their furious , as well as fighting god mars , will he not be a fine fomenter of peace ? a ready resolver upon all occasions , to cut of ●holler ? bacchus their god of wine , a sober deity to encourage his worshipers unto a due moderation in quaffing and drinking ? and that crafty companion of theirs cost●er , to withhold men from deceipt and cozenage ? again , when others are sad , that move from place to place , upon seeble and weak legs ; will not that limping god of theirs , that halts both on the one side , and on the other , be a notable bar , and obstacle to keep light and unseasonable jesters from scurrill mockery , and unbridled laughter ? jupiter , who together with a foul company of other devouring devils , ran so fast to that pompous , and magnificent feast of the aethiopians , without reproach ; a jolly means to remove and take away gluttony ? in like manner hercules [ kill-cowe ] ( as he is sometimes styled ) who , tormenting upon a time , a poor labourer , devoured one of the oxen of his team : and for that rare act of his , got himself a name , or title of renown ? and generally all those other gods , that make so much hast to be fed with the fumings , and incensings , and pourings out of all manner of offerings made unto them , in their sacrifices . these heathenish customes , hatefull doings , horrible abominations usually put in practice by those of your party , approach they any thing near ( think ye ) to that innocency , that excellency , that integrity of sound faith , and good life , whereunto we are exhorted , and which we [ all that unfainedly desire , not only to be thought , but also to be indeed christians ] are commanded in our religion , and doctrine ? no such matter . besides , we have other manner of light to lead us , other teachers , ( namely christ , and his apostles , and prophets , &c. ) to instruct us otherwise , and to instill into our hearts obedience , and reverence unto what enjoyned we are , or , upon whatever terms , councelled and advised by them . from whom we , upon every occasion ( whatsoever too many of us , god knowes , either through weaknesse , or , at least , willfulnesse , have not the power , or goodnesse to perform as becommeth their disciples ) are nevertheless at all times lovingly invited in the words of our saviour , [ — whatsoever ye would that men should do to you , do ye even so to them : for this is the law and the prophets . ] again , it is , with us a sin , not only to commit an evil actually either in word , or deed , but also to do the same in thought , as being liable thereby unto punishment before god ( who discerneth the secrets of the heart ) thought not so easie to be taken notice of by men , who cannot see the same , and consequently punish the offenders by that means . yea , so exactly are we bound to carry our selves in point of continency ( according to the rules of christ our master ) that even the eye is by him forbidden us , thereby onely to lust after any unlawfull thing . in point of anger not only the bloody hand , but also the bloody heart is restrained . in case of swearing , not onely that we swear not falsly , but also that not lightly in like manner , or , not at all : not at all , that is , in our common and ordinary discourse and talke , or , when as not legally called before a magistrate , thereby to attest the truth . as for our [ goods ( of fortune ] as we usually call the wealth of this world ) to possesse them , as if we possessed them not , by not valuing them in comparison of our chief good reposed in heaven . with respect whereunto , some , among us , have taken little thought for possessing any ; some , instead thereof have imbraced poverty : and , not a few , having first renounced the voluptuousnesse of the belly , and vice of gluttony ( a dangerous mistrisse , and mother of many sins ) have after that so consumed the part mortall , by means of the immortal , ( it may be said of a truth ) a man could not discern almost any flesh on them , having acquired a law of vertuous living to themselves by not being carried away so much as unto smaller sins , and whereof there is no account made that they are so . is it not an excellent thing , thus , whereas others punish onely acts outwardly committed against god , or man , we , the evil intentions of our hearts likewise ? and thereby endeavour , at least to cut away not onely the branches , but the root also , to stay not onely the streams , but to stop up also the head of that impure fountain from casting forth that noysomness which would quite poison us after , through its more violent , and dangerous defluxions ? tell me , in what place among you , and what people they are , that wish well to these that injure them ? where is it ( i beseech you ) that your men do good to those that hurt them ? as if reproaches offended nothing , but the truth ? who are they on your party , that take it patiently when persecuted ? that upon with-holding from you your cloak , will render unto them your coat also ? pray for those that curse you ? and ( in a word ) by a singular sweetnesse , overcome evil with goodnesse , endeavouring , by innocently suffering wrong , to make those that afflict you therewith better , if it be possible ? but admit we should grant you , that by your manner of endoctrinating your disciples , in time , you might cause them thereby to cut off somewhat from their former excesse , and superfluity of naughtinesse : how could you , for all that , by your never so much instructing them in your precepts , make them , or your selves attain unto that perfection , whereunto our religion aspireth ? seeing we are not content with well doing only for the present , but think ill of our selves , if not make a dayly progresse further and further in godliness so long as we live in this world , and also cause the same to appear evidently unto all that are acquainted with us . if not endeavour , with all our power , to do thereafter , we should be very sorry , and fitly enough might be thought only to resemble moles , who are said to move continually , and yet not to stir far from the same place : or otherwise to appear unto those that look upon us , like horses in a mill , who , by the force of a whip , turn all day incessantly in the same room , without advancing from where they began at the time , when they were first set about their work in the morning . for whatever mediocrity you suppose sufficient for those of your party , by the laws of your heathenish religion , to consist in : we hold it our duty to strive still , and labour more and more to add vertue to vertue , grace to grace , one good work still to another : as never thinking our selves perfect enough , or to have done all that is commanded us , while living in this world : till , at length , our race being run out here , we are brought unto the end of our journey , unto that glory which is above , and after shall be revealed unto us , for which we were created at first , and whether , through gods mercy , we doubt not but we shall attain at last , if , by the operation of the holy ghost , we fail not to set our mind , and thoughts for recovering the same , on the love of god the father , through a lively faith in his onely son , and our alone saviour jesus christ : who , by the mighty working of his power , whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself , will , without all peradventure , change these vile bodies of ours , and make them like unto his glorious body , take off from us the corruption of our flesh , and put on upon us the incorruption of his spirit , give us in exchange for this bochin , or vail of tears here , the endlesse comfort , and everlasting joyes of that heavenly jerusalem which is above : or that secure haven , after all our storms in this life , of never failing happinesse in the life to come : where we shall hunger no more , neither thirst any more , neither shall the sun light on us , nor any heat : where there shall be no more death , nor sorrow , nor crying , neither any more pain : where the lamb of god , that taketh away the sins of the world , shall feed us , and cloth us , and cherish us , and lead us continually unto flowing waters of the fountain of all felicity , and content for evermore . to whom , with the father , and holy ghost , three persons , and one ever living , and wise god , be all glory , and honour , and dominion , and might , and majesty , and thanks-giving , now at present , and world without end , amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a42036-e190 esa . 1. 2. in orations and speeches , the antients heretofore made to set forth , sometimes the goodness of famous men by way of ●postrophe , they spake unto them as if they had ●●en present , and had sense and apprehension of ●●at they spake ( whereof they were yet doubtful , ●appeareth here by our author gregory nazian●●n ) and not contented thus to commune with ●●em , they intreated them , that if they had any 〈◊〉 ( as here ) or knowledge of things in this ●●rld to do so and so . this was a kind of doubtful ●mpellation and solliciting of them , if their state 〈◊〉 such as that they could take notice of these 〈◊〉 , that then they would , &c. and no otherwise 〈◊〉 dr. fie●d of the church . lib. 3. cap. 20. ps . 50. 14. in the beginning was the word , and the word was with god , and the word was god , joh. 1. 1. 1 cor. 4. 9. ps . 66. 12. ps . 73. 3. ex. 15. 1. amos 5. 8 , 9. luk. 1. 52. ps . 37. 17. isa . 49. 13. rom. 8. 20,21,22 . isa . 54. 1. of the 10. commandements . isa . 1. 13. pro. 29. 23. psal . 119. 67. admit we grant this history to be true , and that satans flight at the sign of the cross made by iulian , was inforced , might not god , for the confusion of the apostate and for the glory of the cross , which iulian , out of spight , 〈◊〉 hate of christ despised , put that terrour into satan , 〈◊〉 the sign of the crosse , that he was affrighted there●ith ; i think the●es no orthodox christian , who will 〈◊〉 , but that god might do it for such an end : and so , 〈◊〉 suppose , g. nazianzen here , with respect to this mira●●e of the crosse , may be understood . 1 kin. 19. 18. d●n . 3. 18. num. 21. 8. janu● the persians worshiped the sun under the name of mythra , by offring up men as a sacrifice unto it . phil. 2. 7. 1 pet. 2. 24. 1 cor. 4 , 12. 1 cor. 2 , 2. mar. 5. 39. 40. 5. 44. ps . 73. 37. 2 king. 18. 17. ecles . 3. 4 , 7 , 8. mat. 7. 12. rev. 7. 16. martyrologia alphabetikē, or, an alphabetical martyrology containing the tryals and dying expressions of many martyrs of note since christ : extracted out of foxe's acts and monuments of the church : with an alphabetical list of god's judgements remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecutors : together with an appendix of things pertinent to martyrology by n.t., m.a.t.c.c. [i.e. master of arts trinity college cambridge] actes and monuments. selections foxe, john, 1516-1587. 1677 approx. 262 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 125 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a40369 wing f2042 estc r10453 12927379 ocm 12927379 95562 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a40369) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 95562) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 692:29) martyrologia alphabetikē, or, an alphabetical martyrology containing the tryals and dying expressions of many martyrs of note since christ : extracted out of foxe's acts and monuments of the church : with an alphabetical list of god's judgements remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecutors : together with an appendix of things pertinent to martyrology by n.t., m.a.t.c.c. [i.e. master of arts trinity college cambridge] actes and monuments. selections foxe, john, 1516-1587. n. t., m.a.t.c.c. [10], 239, [1] p. printed for r. butler ..., and are to be sold by samuel wooley ..., london : 1677. errata: prelim. p. [4]. advertisement: prelim. p. [4] and p. [1] at end. an alphabetical list of god's judgments remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecutors. london : printed for richard butler, and an appendix of things pertinent to the ... preceding martyrologic ... london : printed for r. butler, [n.d.] both have special t.p.'s. reproduction of original in the university of illinois (urbana-champaign campus). library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng martyrs. church history. persecution. 2002-10 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2002-11 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2002-12 rina kor sampled and proofread 2002-12 rina kor text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion μαρτυρολογια αλφαβετικε or , an alphabetical martyrology . containing the tryals and dying expressions of many martyrs of note since christ . extracted out of foxe's acts and monuments of the church . with an alphabetical list of god's judgements remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecutors . together with an appendix of things pertinent to the understanding this martyrology . by n. t. m. a. t. c. c. — these all dyed in the faith , hebr. 11.13 . — in all these things we are more than conquerors . rom. 8.37 . london , printed for r. butler in barbican , and are to be sold by samuel wooley bookseller in louth , in lincolnshire . 1677. errata , in the epistile page 3. read 2 cor. 4 , 7 , 8 , 9. in the book p. 25. l. 17. read iames bainham . p. 27. l. 18. put out then . p. 9. l. 5. read pomponius . p. 53. l. 21. put out so . p. 69. l. 13. read cruel . p. 79. l. 2. read sparer in words . p. 80. l. 16. read wind. p. 140. l. 20. read wounds . p. 150. l. 17. read trailed . p. 167. l. 22. read must . p. 169. and 170. read thiessen . p. 172. l. 24. read confuted . p. 185. l. 8. read fool. p. 224. l. 10. concerning dr. london's punishment in the former part of the book . add page 174. p. 226. l. 12. read maximinus . p. 230. l. 7. read sute . advertisement . two sermons of hypocrisie , and the vain hope of self-deceiving sinners . a vindication of oaths , and swearing in weighty cases , as lawful and useful under the gospel : and the quakers opinion and practice against oaths and oath-taking , proved to be unscriptural , and without any just reason ; as also against their own principles . both written by iohn cheney , minister of the gospel . printed for r. butler , and are to be sold with the rest of his works by iohn miller , at the rose at the west-end of st. paul's church . to the christian reader , all encrease of grace here , and all fulness of glory hereafter . so great an enmity hath satan evidenced , ever since his own apostasie , against mankind , that he must be conceded to have bin very sedulous and vigilant in all ages to destroy souls , one while alluring them to sin against god , by his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of worldly or sensual propositions , or else deterring them from adhering to god , vi & armis , by his assaults and persecutions ; the verity of which hath been continuedly evidenced in the successive ages of god's church , wherein the first member dying , dyed a martyr on the account of his religion , and the several prophets and children of god before christ have been so persecuted , sawn asunder , cast into dungeons , fiery furnaces , lyons dens , &c. that if to these we add the consideration of st. paul's martyrology in heb. 11. we may propose our saviour's enquiry ; which of the prophets have they not slain ? nor did the fury of satan and his instruments terminate there ; but when christ the son of god was incarnated and became man for our salvation , satan the arch-enemy of man , assails him as tempter ; but being put to flight so , he becomes accuser , and by his instruments persecuted our dearest saviour , not desisting till they had crucified the lord of life : which being effected , this serpentine seed continued its enmity againg christ in his members ; so that few of christ's apostles or followers have escaped tribulation ; as the writings of the sacred writ aver , and the succeeding pages will much evidence , which seem in respect of their matter to be serviceable to the church of god many wayes : 1. in demonstrating the verity of our religion , and the great and sure foundation of our faith , sealed by the blood of many thousand martyrs , who have as witnesses thereof , attested the verity of their professions by their deaths . 2. in evidencing the state of god's people here , whose life is but a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a warfare , whilst they remain members of the church militant on earth , which may disswade us from singing requiem's to our souls , and may excite our constant watch . 3. in assuring us of the triumph of christ the captain of our salvation , who in himself and members hath verified that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the seed of the woman's breaking the serpent's head , in that in the midst of all troubles the saints of god have experienced joy , which may engage our running with patience the race that is set before us . 4. in declaring god's fidelity to his people , who in the greatest misery hath shown them the greatest mercy , and often then hath most given his people assurance of their living with him , when they were going to dye for him ; which may support our spirits under pressures , in that they cannot separate us from god here or hereafter , rom. 8.38 . 2 cor. 7.8 , 9. 5. in proposing the examples of many thousands of constant martyrs , who chose rather to suffer than sin ; and found more joy in dying for christ than ever they did trouble in serving of christ. 6. in shewing the sad effects of apostasie upon many of god's people , who found all the wordly enjoyments without a christ but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , bitter sweets , and have not acquiesced , till through god's spirit they did reassume the profession of christ , and at last did dye for christ , which may incite our holy jealousie over our selves . 7. in setting before us the care of god for his people in their lives , and death , and after death , by supplying their wants , comforting their souls , mitigating their pains , and preserving their names to succeeding generations , verifying his own assertion , that the memory of the just shall be blessed . 8. in representing the efficacy of christianity and its champions constancy , so as often to have influenced the very persecutors of it and them ; not onely to pity them , but also to close with their principles , and dye for the same faith ; so that we have no need to be ashamed of the gospel of christ. 9. in demonstrating the frustration of the grand design of christ's enemies ( the extirpation of his faith and religion by persecution ) it being evidently manifested that christianity hath been more propagated , the more it hath been persecuted ; and it was long since observed that sanguis martyrum was semen ecclesiae . so that against all opposition the faith of christ and its professors have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , more than conquerors ; nor hath the gates of hell hitherto prevailed against the church of christ. 10. in manifesting god's mercy and justice . his mercy in preserving his true religion and its professors amidst all their enemies , and his iustice in his divers inflictions of punishments upon their persecutors . insomuch that some have confessedly acknowledged christ conqueror , his cause true , and themselves because persecutors of it , damned . this is the matter of the pages humbly offer'd , and unfeignedly recommended to thy perusal . and as to the manner of the epitome , an alphabetical method , both as to sufferers and persecutors , seemed most apt for thy reaping advantage . the reasons moving the epitomizing the voluminous works of the author were these : 1. because many who probably would read those greater volumes , either cannot acquire them being scarce , or cannot purchase them being dear , or perhaps have not time to peruse them being great , to occur all which this abstract may suffice . 2. the chief things in these volumes desired by the vulgar ( whose instruction is chiefly designed hereby ) is the lives and deaths , the constancy and comforts of the martyrs , which here are briefly contained as to the most remarkable martyrs ever since christ's time ; which being portable , may serve as a manual to be oft in our hands to be perused , till we get their experiences on our hearts . and although in these halcyon dayes of the church ( which god long continue ) these endeavours way seem to some supervacaneous ; yet if we consider that while we are in the world we must expect troubles , it is no small prudence to prepare for it . however , the ten premised reasons may plead for thy acceptance of what is humbly tendred , and sincerely published for god's glory , and thy soul 's good , by thine in the service of god , n. t. an alphabetical martyrology . a a andrew the apostle , and brother of peter , being conversant in a city called patris in achaia , brought many to the faith of christ. egeas the governour hearing of it resorted to him , and with threats of the cross disswaded him by his proconsul ; but andrew said he would not have preached the honour and glory of the cross , if he had feared the death of the cross. and being condemned , when he saw the cross he said , o cross , most welcome and long looked for , with a willing mind , joyfully and desirously i come to thee , being the scholar of him who did hang on thee , because i have always been thy lover , and have coveted to embrace thee . and so being crucified he gave up the ghost the last of november . see vol. 1. pag. 42 , 43. one alexander under the tenth persecution standing near the bar , at the examination of the christians , beckned to them with signs to confess christ ; which the multitude perceiving , made it known to the judge , who examining what he was , and being answered by him , i am a christian , condemned him to be devoured of wild beasts . and he having endured sad torments never sighed , but from the bottom of his heart praised and prayed to the lord. vol. 1. p. 62. apollinia an ancient virgin , under the seventh persecution , having her teeth dashed out , and being threatned to be cast into a great fire made before her , unless she would blaspheme with them , and deny christ ; she paused a while , and suddenly leaped into the fire , and was burned . vol. 1. p. 80. ammonarion , an holy virgin , told the persecuting judge , that for no punishment she would yield to his request ; and constantly she performed her words , under very severe torments , and was at last slain with a sword. vol. 1. pag. 80 , 81. alban the first english martyr , under the tenth persecution , did receive a clerk into his house , flying for religion , by whose precepts and precedents he of a pagan became a christian ; and when the emperour sent to apprehend the clerk , alban put on the clerks habits , and offered himself to the souldiers as the clerk , and so was had away ; and being commanded on pain of death , by the emperour , to sacrifice to idols , he said , i am a christian , and worship the true and living god , who created all the world ; and the sacrifices offered to devils can neither help them that offer them , nor can they accomplish the desires of their supplicants ; but they whoever they be that offer sacrifice to devils , shall receive everlasting pains of hell for their portion . whereupon he was cruelly beaten , and at last beheaded . vol. 1. pag. 115. agnes a virgin of rome , in the tenth persecution , of noble parentage , before she was marriageable she was dedicated to christ , and boldly resisted the wicked edicts of the emperour , who by fair and foul ways induced her to renounce her faith , yet she remained constant and courageous , and offered her body to suffer any torment or pain , not refusing to suffer whatsoever it should be , though death it self : but the tyrant threatned to expose her chastity to danger , by sending her to the stews , unless she would ask minerva pardon . whereupon she inveighed against minerva , and said , christ is not so forgetful of those that are his , that he will suffer violently to be taken from them their golden and pure chastity . thou shalt , saith she , bathe thy sword in my blood if thou wilt , but thou shalt not defile my body with filthy lust , for any thing thou canst do . after which the tyrant commanded her to be set naked in the open street , to the shame of himself and all present , who went from her ; and she returned god thanks for this deliverance of her chastity : and an executioner being sent to kill her , she willingly met him and prayed , o god vouchsafe to open heavens gates , once shut up against all the inhabitants of the earth ; and receive , o christ , my soul that seeketh thee . and so she was beheaded . vol. 1. p. 121 , 122. anselm , an italian , born and brought up in the abby of beck in normandy , and afterwards made archbishop of canterbury , said he had rather be in hell without sin , than in heaven with sin . vol. 1. p. 240. augustinus a barber , about hennegow in germany , being an embracer of the gospel , yet naturally so timerous that he fled twice when he was sought for , was so bold when he was apprehended that he confounded all opposers : and being desired to pity his soul and recant , he said he evidenced his pity to his soul in giving his body rather to be burned , than to do any thing contrary to his conscience . and being set at the stake , and the fire kindled , he heartily prayed unto the lord , and patiently departed , 1549. vol. 2. pag. 124. aymond de lavoy at bourdeaux in france , a preacher of the gospel , being persecuted and sent for ; his people and friends perswaded him to flye ; to whom he said , he had rather never have been born than so to do ; it was the office of a good shepherd not to flye in time of danger , but rather to abide the peril lest the flock be scattered ; or lest some scruple might by his flight be left in their minds , that he had fed them with dreams and fables , contrary to gods word ; wherefore beseeching them to move him no more therein , he told them he feared not to yield up both body and soul in the quarrel of the truth which he had taught , saying he was ready , with s. paul , acts 21. not only to be bound , but also to dye for the testimony of christ. and when the sumner came to apprehend him , being in the city of bourdeaux three days , aymond preached each day a sermon , and in his defence the people flew upon the sumner , till aymond desired them not to stop his martyrdom , since it was the will of god he should suffer for him . being apprehended , his greatest accusation was , that he denyed purgatory : he was nine months in prison , in great misery , bewailing his former life , though no man could charge him with any outward crime ; and enduring more severe torments by the officers afterwards , he being of a weak body , comforted himself thus , this body ( said he ) must once dye , but the spirit shall live ; the kingdom of god endureth for ever . and swooning , when he came to himself , he said , oh lord why hast thou forsaken me ? but his tormentors further vexing him , he said , o lord i beseech thee forgive them , they know not what they do . and when sentence was given against him , he comforted himself with s. paul's words , rom. 8. saying , who shall separate us from the love of god ? shall the sword , hunger , nakedness ? no , nothing shall pluck me from him . and being brought to the place of execution , he sang the 114. psalm , and testified he dyed for the gospel of christ , and said , o lord haste thee to help me , and tarry not : and desired all to study the gospel , and not to fear them that kill the body . he said he found his flesh to resist marvellously his spirit , but he should soon cast it off : and then begging the people to pray for him , he said often , o lord my god into thy hands i commend my soul. in the often repeating of which he dyed , being strangled and burned . vol. 2. p. 129 , 130. anne audebert , an apothecaries wife and widow at orleance in france , being judged to be burnt for religion's sake , when the rope was about her neck to strangle her , she called it her wedding girdle wherewith she should be married to christ : and as she should be burned on a saturday , she said , i was first married upon a saturday , and on a saturday i shall be married again . and martyred she was with such constancy as made the beholders to marvel . vol. 2. p. 135. somponius algerius a young man , burnt at rome 1555. being in prison at venice , ( from whence he was sent to rome ) he wrote an epistle to the persecuted and afflicted saints , wherein he declares the many ways he was tempted to recant , to which tempters he said , god forbid i should deny christ , whom i ought to confess , i will not set more by my life than by my soul , nor will i exchange the life to come for this present world . vol. 2. p. 180 , 181 , 182. mrs. anne askew being 1545. apprehended , and often examined as an heretick , subscribed two of her confessions thus , by anne askew that neither wisheth death nor feareth his might , and as merry as one that is bound towards heaven , god have the praise thereof with thanks . she always concluded her letters with pray , pray , pray . she was racked till almost dead , to discover her confederates , but she would not ; then was she by flattery tempted , but was not so won to deny her faith , but said she would rather burn than deny it . in newgate before she suffered she made a confession of her faith , clearing her self from errours , and proving her self a christian ; and then prayed for support against the malice of her enemies , that they might not overcome her ; and that god would pardon their sins , and open their eyes and hearts to do what god pleased , and to set forth his truth without errour . she was of a family that she might have lived in great wealth and prosperity , if she had loved the world more than christ , but she being constant , was at last ( being unable to go by reason of her racking ) brought in a chair to smithfield , and there chained to a stake , when wrisley then lord chancellor sent her pardon , and bad her recant ; but she refused to look once on them , and said she came not thither to deny her lord and master ; and so was burned in iune 1546. with whom suffered also iohn lacels , iohn adams , and nicholas belenian , which three men though courageous before , yet by her exhortation and example were emboldened , and received greater comfort . vol. 2. p. 580. iohn ardeley an essex man , being burnt iune 10. 1555. was examined and perswaded by bishop bonner to recant ; to whom he said , bear as good a face , my lord , as you can , you and all of your religion are of a false faith , and not of the catholick church . god foreshield i should recant , for then should i lose my soul ; and if every hair on my head was a man , i would suffer death in the faith and opinion that i now am in . and so he did . vol. 3. p. 253. will. allen a norfolk man , burnt at walsingham 1555. in september , because he would not go in procession and kneel to the cross ; he was in such favour with the justices of peace , for his tryed conversation amongst them , that he was permitted to go to his sufferings untyed , and there being fastned with a chain , stood quietly without shrinking till he dyed . vol. 3. p. 419. rose allen of much bentley in essex , being fetching drink for her sick mother , in a morning with a light candle , who was also with her self and father apprehended by edmond tyrrel esq to be all three carried to colchester goal for the gospel , who perswaded this rose allen to counsel her parents well ; who said , they had a better counsellor than she , to wit , the holy ghost , who i trust will not suffer them to erre . and being for this accused of heresie by him , she said , with that which you call heresie i worship my lord god : to whom he then said , i perceive you will also burn for company's sake : and she answered , not for company's sake , but for christ's sake ; and if he call me to it , i hope in his mercy he will enable me to bear it . so tyrrel took her candle and held it to her hand , burning it crossways the back of it , till the sinews crackt asunder ; and asked her often during that tyranny , what you whore will you not cry ? to whom she said , she had no cause to weep , if he considered it well he had more cause to weep , for she had none she thanked god , but rather had cause to rejoice ; and she said , that though at first burning it was some grief to her , yet the longer it burnt the lesser she felt , or well near no pain at all . vol. 3. p. 830. iohn alcock , a young man in suffolk , apprehended at hadley because he would not move his cap as the priest came into church with a procession , and being bid to take heed of the priest , he said , i fear not , for he shall do no more than god will give him leave ; and happy shall i be if god will call me to dye for his truths sake . and being sent up to london he dyed in prison at newgate , and was buried in a dunghil 1558. vol. 3. p. 883. richard atkins burnt at rome 1581. he was born in hartfordshire in england , and travelling to rome he came to the english colledge , knocking at whose gates several english scholars came out , and bid him go to the hospital , and there he should receive his meat and drink : but he declared he came not to any such intent , but to reprove the great misorder of their lives , which ( said he ) i grieve to hear and pity to behold : i came also to let your proud antichrist understand that he doth rob god of his honour , and poyseneth the whole world with his blasphemies : so declaming against their idolatry he was put into the inquisition by one hugh griffith a welchman , and a student in that colledge , where after a few days he was set at liberty : but one day going in the streets , and meeting a priest which carried the sacrament , which offended his conscience , he catched at it to have pulled it down , but missing of it he was let pass : a while after he seeing divers persons in s. peter's church at mass , he stept up without any reverence , and threw down the chalice of wine , and would have gotten the wafer-cake out of the priest's hands ; for which he was much beaten with persons fists , and cast into prison ; and upon examination why he would do such a crime , he said , i came for that intent , to rebuke the popes wickedness , and your idolatry . upon this he was condemned to be burned : which sentence he gladly received , he said , because the sum of his offence pertained to the glory of god. a while after he was set on the bare back of an ass , stript from the head to the waist , and so carried in the streets , who called to the people and told them they were in a wrong way , and willed them for christ's sake to have regard to the saving of their souls ; all the way as he went he had four men that did nothing else but thrust at his body with burning torches , whereat he never moved nor shrunk , but with a chearful countenance often bended his body to meet the torches , and would take them in his own hand and hold them burnig to his own body ; which posture he continued in near the space of half a mile , till he came at the place of execution , before s. peter's church ▪ then made they a device not to make the fire about him , but to burn his legs first , which he suffered marvellously chearfully ; then they offered him a cross , but he put it away , telling them they did ill to trouble him with such paltry , when he was preparing himself for god , whom he beheld in majesty and mercy ready to receive him into the eternal rest : and so he dyed . vol. 3. p. 1022. francis d' alost in flanders , beheaded may 1. 1566. said to his apprehenders , now ye think to deprive me of life , and so to do me a great hurt , but ye are deceived ; for it is all one as if ye took counters from me , to fill my hand with a great sum of gold. being at the place of execution , he said , seeing ye thirst after my blood , i willingly yield it unto your hands , and my soul into the hands of my merciful lord god almighty . and so he was beheaded , and his body given for a prey to the fowls of the air . addition to vol. 3. of massacre in france and flanders , p. 34 , 35. b b bartholomew the apostle is said to have preached to the indians , and to have converted the gospel of s. mathew into their tongue : he continued there a great space doing miracles , at last in albania , a city of greater armenia , after divers persecutions , he was beaten down with staves , and then crucified ; and after being excoreate was at length beheaded . vol. 1. p. 42. blandina a woman , under the fourth persecution , was so tormented that the tormentors for weariness gave her over , admiring at her strength and courage , who became stronger and stronger ; and as oft as she spake these words , i am a christian , neither have we done any evil , it was a marvellous comfort , and emboldened her to abide the torments . vol. 1. p. 60. she afterwards was fastned to a stake , and cast to ravening beasts , but no beast would come near her ; so the persecutors took her down , and laid her in prison till another time . at length she was put in a net , and cast to the wild bull , and after she was sufficiently gored with his horns she felt nothing of pain , but was thus slain ; of whom the very persecutors said , never woman was put to death of them that suffered so much as she did . vol. 1. p. 62 , 63. barlaam a martyr , under the tenth persecution , having endured many torments , was at last laid on the altar by the persecutors , where incense was offered to their idols , and they put incense into his hand , thinking that fire would cause his hand to scatter the incense , and so he have sacrificed , but the flame eat round about his hand , which remained as though it had been covered with hot embers , when as barlaam recited that of the psalmist , blessed be god who teacheth my hands to fight . vol. 1. p. 118 , 119. ioane boughton , mother to the lady young , was burned april 28. 1494. ( and in the ninth year of king hen. 7. king of england ) in smithfield , for holding of wickliffe's opinions , from which all the doctors in london could not turn her : and being told that she should be burnt , she defied them , saying , she was so beloved of god and his holy angels , that she passed not for the fire ; and in the midst of it she cryed to god to take her soul into his holy hands . vol. 1. p. 956. iohn brown of ashford was burned 1517. at ashford , being taken away by force from his own house , the same day his wife was churched , and he was carried to prison at canterbury , for no crime but for asking a mass-priest , where the soul was when he began mass and when he had done mass ? who answering he knew not ; iohn brown asked him then , how he could save the soul ? for which he was continued in prison from low-sunday till fryday before whitsontide , his wife not knowing where he was all this time ; till the night before he was burned being set in the stocks at ashford , she came and sat up by him , to whom he declared the whole passage , and said that the bishops , warham and fisher , heated his feet on the coals , and burned them to the bones , to make him deny his lord ; which i will never do , added he , for if i should deny him in this world , he would deny me hereafter . i pray thee , said he further , good elizabeth , continue as thou hast begun , and bring up thy children vertuously in the fear of god. and the next day being whitsonday-eve this godly martyr was burned ; standing at the stake he thus prayed , holding up his hands , o lord i yield me to thy grace , grant me mercy for my trespass , let never the fiend my soul chase : lord i will bow , and thou shalt beat , let never my soul come in hell heat . into thy hands i commend my spirit , for thou hast redeemed me , o lord of truth . and so he ended . vol. 2. p. 13. iohn bertrand , a forester in france , 1556. being condemned for the gospel's sake , he being to enter a cart , to be carried to execution , gave thanks he was not there for any evil action , but for the quarrel of our saviour ; and when tyed to the post he sang the 25. psalm ; and with eyes looking up to heaven , seeing the place of execution , he said , o the happy journey , and fair place prepared for me . he in the fire cryed , o lord give thy hand to thy servant , i recommend my soul to thee : and so meekly yielded up the ghost . vol. 2. p. 150. dominicus de basana , an italian , burned at placentia , 1553. being asked whether he was a priest , said , not of the pope , but of christ ; being asked if he would renounce his doctrine , answered , he maintained no doctrine of his own , but of christs , which also he was ready to seal with his blood , and gave hearty thanks to god which so accepted him , as worthy to glorifie his name with his martyrdom : and being cast into prison , he continued constant ; yea at his execution he did preach , and pray for his enemies , and so finished his days . vol. 2. p. 167. a bookseller of avinion was burned by the means of the bishop of aix , for selling some bibles in the french tongue ; and as a sign of the crime for which he was burnt , he had two bibles hanged about his neck , one before and another behind him . vol. 2. p. 191. maurice blane , a young man in merindol in france , being one of the waldenses , and taken by one iohn miniers lord of opede , who went as captain against merindol , was shot to death with harquebusses , and though he was not very well instructed , yet in all his torments he lifted up his eyes to heaven , and with a loud voice ceased not to call on god ; and the last words he was heard to say were , o lord god these men take from me a life full of misery , but thou wilt give me life everlasting , by thy son iesus christ , to whom be glory . vol. 2. p. 198. thomas bilney , being brought up under popish ignorance , and did in order to his obtaining pardon of sins , use fasting , watching , buying pardons , &c. and at last hearing that the new testament was translated into latine elegantly by erasmus , out of a love to the latine more than to the word of god ( which he then knew not what it meant ) bought one and did read it ; and at his first reading he happened on 1 tim. 1.15 . it is a faithful saying , &c. which sentence through gods instructions , and co-workings , exhilerated him , and was a means of his conversion to the faith of christ , learning that all travels and watchings without christ availed nothing : and having tasted of the sweetness of christ himself , he greatly endeavoured the promoting of christ's gospel , and opposed popery in its abuses of pardons , &c. vol. 2. p. 268. he was instrumental to the conversion of mr. latimer , p. 271. he was of trinity hall in cambridge , and first framed that university to the knowledge of christ , vol. 2. p. 274.276 . he once recanted , and was absolved , which created such trouble to him , that for two years he almost despaired , nor could any scripture comfort him , till at length god , by the means of mr. latimer , comforted him . and he propagated the doctrine of christ in norfolk , and was burned at norwich 1531. the night before which eating an ale-berry chearfully , some friends said they were glad to see him so merry , to whom he said , he did as husbandmen , repair the ruinous house of his body . he often tryed the heat of the fire , by putting his finger in the candle flame , saying , i feel and know fire to be naturally hot , yet i am perswaded by gods word , and by experience of some in it , that in the flames they felt no heat . and i believe howsoever that the stubble of my body shall be wasted by it , yet my soul shall be thereby purged : it is a pain for a time , on which follows joy unspeakable . vol. 2. p. 277. richard bayfield , a monk of s. bennets belonging to berry , converted by means of one dr. barnes , was november 20. 1531. degraded and condemned ; and being struck with a crosier he fell backward , broke his head , and swooned ; when he came to himself again , he thanked god that he was delivered from the malignant church of antichrist , and was come into the sincere church of christ militant here on earth : and i trust anon , said he , to be in heaven with christ , and that church triumphant for ever . and being in a slow fire was half an hour alive , and when the left arm was on fire and burned , he rolled it with his right hand , and it fell from his body ; and he continued in prayer to the end without moving . vol. 2. p. 293. iames beinham , a lawyer , in king henry the eighth's days , for knowledge of the new testament was burnt , april the last 1532. who first abjured , but soon relapsed , declaring he would not suffer the like hell he did when he was abjured for all the world ; and when he was again taken and burning , he in the fire , when his legs were half consumed , said , o ye papists , ye look for miracles , here ye may see one , for in this fire i feel no more pain than if i were in a bed of down , and it is to me as a bed of roses . vol. 2. p. 301. thomas benet , master of art in cambridge , thinking after his conversion not safe to stay there , went to exeter , and there taught a school : and at last abhorring the blasphemy of the papists , he fixt up bills against the popes supremacy , &c. for which , after much enquiry being found out , he at length suffered , all their endeavours being not able to reclaim him to popery , to whose perswaders he mildly answered ; desiring them to desist , for he was resolved , and did more desire to dye for christ , than to live longer and partake of and behold their detestable idolatry . at the fire he prayed so fervently , and his sayings were so pious , and himself so constant , that his very enemies counted him a good man , and god's servant ; yet was he burnt : and at stake being commanded by one esq barnhouse to pray to saints , he would not , it being god on whom only he must call : to whom the esquire said , he should pray to saints , or else he would make him , and therewith thrust a fir-bush on fire at his face : to whom the martyr said , alas , sir ! trouble me not ; and prayed , father forgive them . whereupon the esquire caused the fire to be kindled , and then the martyr lifted up his eyes and hands , saying , o lord receive my spirit ; and so continuing prayers , did never stir nor strive , but abode the flames until he ended . vol. 2. p. 314. dr. barnes of cambridge , in king henry the eighth's days , burned in smithfield 1541. iuly 30. he much promoted good learning in cambridge , and then religion , yet afterwards recanted twice , but at length preached christianity again ; for which , he being apprehended , was to be burnt ; who making his confession , said , he dyed for the faith of christ , by whom alone he doubted not but to be saved : he prayed for pardon : and whereas stephen gardner bishop of winchester caused his martyrdom , he there said , i pray god forgive him , as heartily , and as freely , and as charitably , and without feigning , as ever christ forgave them that put him to death . and then putting off his cloaths , made him fit for the fire , and patiently took his death , and was burnt with mr. garret and mr. hierom. vol. 2. pag. 517. see more mr. hierom. george bucker : see adam damlip . iohn bradford a lancashire man , a good scholar , servant to the lord harrington , afterwards went to cambridge , and after one years time was made master of arts and fellow of pembroke hall ; and some time after ordained by bishop ridley , and made prebend of s. paul's in london . vol. 3. p. 380. he was a zealous preacher and a good liver , yet in queen mary's days silenced and imprisoned ; although but three days before he appeased the people in london , by preaching against sedition , and perswading them to obedience , who were incensed much against one bourn ( who afterward was made bishop of bath ) who preached against king edward 6. and pleaded for popery , so that a dagger was thrown at him , till this mr. bradford appeared in the pulpit , and then the people cryed out , god save thy life , o bradford . he slept but four hours in the night , and spent most of the other hours in prayer and studying ; so that he counted that hour lost , he said , in which he had done none good with pen , study , or exhorting : he preached twice a day in prison , unless sickness hindred him . when the keepers wife with sorrow brought him news of his burning next day , he said , i thank god for it , i have looked for the same a long time ; it comes not on me suddenly , but as a thing waited for every day and hour , o lord make me worthy of it . when he went from the counter to newgate , he prayed , and gave every servant and officer in the house money , wishing them to serve god and eschew evil , and prayed to god to effect it in them : he was imprisoned two years , lacking one month and a half . he being upon examination offered mercy , if he would recant , said , mercy with god's mercy i desire ; but mercy with god's wrath god keep me from ; his good will be done , life with his displeasure is worse than death , and death with his favour is true life . vol. 3. p. 283. one creswel , an acquaintance of his , after this came to him , and proffered him his service to make suit to the queen for him : to whom he said , if the queen will give me life , i will thank her ; if she will banish me , i will thank her ; if she will burn me , i will thank her ; if she will condemn me to perpetual imprisonment , i will thank her . vol. 3. p. 292. at the stake he freely forgave all persons , and beg'd all persons to forgive him : he prayed and kissed the stake and faggot , crying , o england , england , repent thee of thy sins , repent thee of thy sins , beware of idolatry , beware of false antichrists , take heed they do not deceive you . vol. 3. p. 307. his letters were many and pious , exhorting to constancy : 1. from god's love to us : 2. god's power over our enemies , and care for us : 3. the necessity of dying once : 4. the shortness of the troubles : 5. the eternity of our joys : 6. examples of christians : 7. the conjugal relation engageth both soul and body to christ : 8. all worldly enjoyments , and life it self , but tokens of god's love to us , and must not be denyed if call'd for by god , as tokens of our love to him : 9. death is our due for sin , but when for christ , prepares a greater glory : 10. god's care over their children and families that dye for him : 11. our cross from god as a father . vol. 3. p. 307. to 337. roger bernard , a suffolk man , burned with two others at s. edmunds-bury , iune 30. 1556. he being diversly flattery allured to turn , yet though a poor labourer continued constant ; and when he was threatned with punishments , he said , friends , i am not better than my master christ , and the prophets , whom your fathers served after this sort ; and i for his names sake am content to suffer the like at your hands , if god shall so permit , trusting that he will strengthen me in the same , according to his promise , in spite of the devil and all his ministers . and so constantly he endured the flames with prayer and praises . vol. 3. p. 710. agnes bongeor , one of 10 prisoners at colchester , who with another woman , one margaret thurston , was not executed with the other 8 , because of the mistake of her name in the writ , being there written bowyer instead of bongeor ; which mistake caused much sorrow to the poor woman , who was thereupon dejected , even almost to despair , because she was left and the rest taken and burnt , as if god did not think her worthy of that honour ; in order to the receiving of which , she had disposed of a sucking child that morning to another nurse , and had habited her self fit for the fire : but at last with much endeavours she was comforted , by a friend 's proposing the instance of abraham , whose will in offering his son was by god accepted , as if isaac had been sacrificed ; and so her desire to have offered up her self , had god pleased ; and also the real offer of her child , disposed of already to another nurse , in order to her self being burnt , might be acceptable before god. and she being thus comforted in due time , september 17. 1557. was also with the said margaret thurston burnt at colchester . vol. 3. p. 849 , 850. bergerius , being imprisoned for the gospel's sake , met there with one iohn chambon a thief , imprisoned also at lions in france 1553. which chambon was almost famished for want of food , eating only such things as horses and dogs refused , and was also almost devoured of lice , insomuch that he cryed out against god , and cursed his parents that bare him , till by the prayers and endeavours of this bergerius he was converted ; and he declared to divers persons by letters , that his lice left him the next day after his conversion , so that he had not one ; and he was sufficiently provided for by the alms of persons , so that he fared very well . vol. 2. p. 140 , 141. iohn badby an english martyr 1409. martyred for opposing transubstantiation ; he , though he felt the flames , which were immediately quenched , and he invited to recant by the kings eldest son , with promises of great revenues , and with threats of being burned , if he would not recant , could not not be perswaded to recant . vol. 1. p. 681. guy de brez , prisoner at tournay in flanders 1567. writeth to his wife thus ( after the declaring what conflicts he had with his flesh , and the victory which through christ he had in order to suffering ) be comforted , our separation shall not be for ever , it will not be long e're we be gathered together under one head , iesus christ : the world is not the place of rest : heaven is our home , and the world but our place of banishment : let us aspire after our country : consider the honour god doth you , in that you have a husband who is not only called to be a minister of christ , but highly advanced to partake of the crown of martyrdom , which honour the angels in heaven are not capable of . i rejoice in my sufferings , i am filled with the abundant riches of my god. i now taste and see gods goodness , i feel by experience he never forsakes them that trust in him ; i have profited more in the school-house of my prison than in all my life time before ; i would not change my condition with them which are my persecutors , i eat and drink and rest with more hearts-ease than they . additions to vol. 3. concerning massacre in france and flanders . p. 37 , 38. francis le bossu , with his two sons , martyred at lyons in france in the massacre there 1572. he encouraged his two sons to suffer with him for the gospel , exhorting them thus , children , we know the enmity of the wicked and the world against gods people is no strange thing : let not their drawn swords affright us , they will be but as a bridge whereby we shall pass over out of a miserable life into immortal blessedness ; we have breathed and lived long enough among the wicked , let us now go and live with one god. and so all three embracing each other , were found slain . additions to vol. 3. concerning massacre in france . p. 68. c c calocerius seeing the great patience of the christians in so great torments and persecutions , cryed out , vere magnus deus christianorum , that is , truly the god of the christians is a great god. which words being heard , he was apprehended , and brought to the place of execution , and made partaker of their martyrdom . vol. 1. p. 53. cecilia the virgin brought valerian her espoused husband , and tiburtius his brother , to the faith of christ , and with her exhortations made them constant to martyrdom ; after whose sufferings she was apprehended and brought to offer sacrifice to idols , but refusing , she was had to the judge to be condemned ; in the mean time the serjeants and others began to perswade her to favour her self , and not cast her self away ; to whom she so reply'd with reasons and godly exhortations , that by the grace of god they were converted also , and divers others were with them baptized , to the number of 400 persons ; which being done she was condemned , and was inclosed in a hot bath a day and a night without hurt , and was afterwards ordered to be beheaded in the bath . vol. 1. cyprian , being also named statius , he was an african and born in carthage , an idolater and a gentile , altogether given to the study of magical arts , who was converted to the christian faith , through the grace of god , by the means of cecilius a priest , and by the occasion of hearing the history of the prophet ionah ; and was after his conversion ordained priest and bishop of carthage : soon after in which office and dignity he so shined in gifts and vertues , that he had the covernment of all the east church , and church of spain , and was called the bishop of the christian men : and was beheaded in the 259. year of christ , under the eighth persecution . he is said to observe 12 abuses in mans life . 1. a wise man without good works . 2. an old man without religion . 3. youth without obedience . 4. rich men without alms. 5. a woman shameless . 6. a guide without vertue . 7. a christian contentious . 8. a poor man proud . 9. a king unrighteous . 10. a bishop negligent . 11. people without discipline . 12. subjects without love . vol. 1. p. 89 , 90 , &c. christians to the number of 2000 being assembled in their temple at nicomedia , to celebrate the nativity of christ , and fire being caused to be set to the temple by the order of maximianus , under the tenth persecution , with a cryer , that all that would have life should come out of the temple , and do sacrifice upon the next altar of iupiter . one in the behalf of all the rest answered , they were all christians , and that they would do sacrifice only to christ , his father , and the holy ghost , and that they were all now ready to offer . whereupon they all and the temple were burned . vol. 1. p. 102. iohn clardon , a currier of london , was burned only for having english books in his house , which as his enemies said contained heretical opinions , which he owned against the popish party , 1415. year of christ. vol. 1. p. 842. iohn clerke of meldon in france , a wool-carder , for saying the pope was antichrist in a bill he set upon the church doors against the pope's pardons , was to be whipt three several times , and each time marked on the forehead with a note of infamy , whose mother being a christian woman , and seeing those things done to her son , courageously emboldened him , crying , blessed be christ , and welcome be these marks . he afterwards removing to metz in lotharing , the night before the people idolatrously , according to their custom , was to go out of town to worship some images , he brake them down ; and the next day the monks and people coming to worship , found their images broken , whereof they suspected this clerke , who being examined confessed the fact , and shewed his reason for it ; whereat the people were enraged , and cut off his right arm , and with pinsers pulled off his nose , arms , and breast , and then burnt him , an. 1514. who patiently endured it , singing , their images be of silver and gold , the work of mens hands . vol. 2. p. 107. dr. iohn castellane , a french divine , was degraded and burnt only for religion , in which he continued constant to death , and so patiently underwent it , 1525. that many ignorant people were thereby drawn to the knowledge of the truth , and many weak were greatly confirmed . vol. 2. p. 107 , 108 , 109. george carpenter burned in munchen in bavaria , feb. 8. 1527. whose crimes were , because he held a priest could not forgive sins , nor call god out of heaven , that god was not in the bread in the sacrament , nor that the element of water in baptism did confer grace ; which four articles he refused to recant : and being asked if he was let go if he would not go to his wife and children : he answered , if i was let go , whither should i go rather than to my wife and well-beloved children ? and being told if he would recant he should be set at liberty ; he said , my wife and children are so dearly beloved of me , that they cannot be bought from me for all the riches of the duke of bavaria ; but for the love of my lord god i will willingly forsake them . and being led to the place of execution , he promised a sign of his faith , that while he could open his mouth , he would not cease to call upon the name of iesus ; and being in the fire he cryed aloud , iesus , iesus , and so gave up his spirit joyfully . vol. 2. p. 114. one cowbridge burnt at oxford , he was a person distracted , and knew not what he said , and yet burned for an heretick , who in the midst of the flames , lifting up his head to heaven soberly and discreetly called upon the name of the lord jesus christ , and so departed . vol. 2. p. 437. roger clarke , a suffolk man , taken at ipswich , and judged 1546. with one kerby , by my lord wentworth ; who , after sentence given , talked with another justice on the bench a good while , to whom clarke said , my lord , speak out , and if you have done any thing contrary to your conscience , ask of god mercy , and we from our hearts do forgive you ; speak not in secret , for ye shall come before a iudge , and then make answer openly , even before him that shall judge all men. he was burn'd at berry , and at stake , kneeled down , and said , my soul doth magnifie the lord , &c. vol. 2. p. 569. dirick carver , a beer-brewer in bright-hamsted in sussex , an ancient and pious man , though not understanding a letter of the book , was apprehended for having , with some others , been at prayer in his house ; and after his apprehension he so improved his time in learning , though ancient , that before he suffered , through gods blessing , he could read any english printed book . at the stake in lewis , iuly 22. 1555. he went into the barrel , having stript himself , and there spake to the people . dear brethren and sisters , witness to you all that i am to seal with my blood christs gospel , because i know it is true ; and because i will not deny gods gospel , and be obedient to mens laws , i here am condemned to dye . dear brethren and sisters , as many as believe on the father , son , and holy ghost unto everlasting life , see ye do the works pertaining to the same ; i ask ye all , whom i have offended , forgiveness , for the lords sake , as i heartily forgive all you who have offended me in thought word and deed . lord have mercy upon me , for unto thee do i commend my soul , and my spirit doth rejoice in thee . and so the fire being kindled , he said , oh lord have mercy upon me , and sprang up in the fire calling on the name of jesus , and so ended . vol. 3. p. 386. richard colliar of ashford in kent , being examined and condemned for the gospels sake , as soon as he was condemned he sang a psalm , and was afterwards burnt with five more kentish men , at three stakes in one fire , in august 1555. vol. 3. p. 394. tho. cranmer , a gentleman of a family ancient as the conquest , born at arselacton in nottinghamshire , brought up at school , and at cambridge was fellow of iesus colledge , and afterwards one of the heads of the university , used to examine all graduates in divinity , who would not admit any to be batchellors or doctors in divinity , but those who were well read in the scriptures ; whereby he refused many fryars , some of whom by being thereby brought to consult the word of god were converted , and afterwards returned him thanks . this cranmer was afterwards by king hen. 8. made arch-bishop of canterbury , for his service to him in endeavouring to satisfie his conscience about the divorce of his queen , catherine his first wife , the widow of his late deceased brother : he was of a mild nature , soon reconciled to his enemies , and so ready to do them good that it grew proverbial , do my lord of canterbury a displeasure , and then you may be sure to have him your friend whilst he lives . vol. 3. p. 637. he was by many endeavours tempted to recant , and after much resistance did at last recant , chiefly out of a design to compleat an answer against a papish book which he had begun ; but though he subscribed , the papists were ordered to burn him , march 21. at oxford , by the queen , who had ordered doctor cole to have a funeral sermon in readiness against that day ; and accordingly at the day appointed , the doctor did preach , and cranmer was had to the church not knowing the design ; but as he was perswaded to publish his recantation publickly , and after sermon , when it was expected he should declare his recantation , he with many tears and earnest desires did entreat the people to pray for him to god for pardon of his sins , amongst which , none troubled him more than his subscribing to popery with his hand , which he hated in his heart ; but , saith he , for as much as my hand hath offended , it shall be first punished ; for may i come to the fire , it shall first be burnt ; and so he began to cry against the papists and popery , whereby the papists expectation were frustrated and they grew mad at him , stopping his mouth , and pulling him down , and led him forthwith to the town-ditch to be burnt , where in the fire he put forth his right hand into the flames as soon as they came near him , and held it there till it was burnt , his body being unburnt ; often saying , oh unworthy right hand ; and saying often , lord iesus receive my spirit , he stood immovable in the flames , and dyed march 21. 1556. vol. 3. p. 670 , 671. iohn carter , a weaver of coventry , dyed in the kings-bench a prisoner for the gospel , who expected and desired to have been burnt . in a letter to mr. philpot he writes thus , my friends report me to be more worthy to be burnt than any that was burnt yet , god's blessing on their hearts for their good report , god make me worthy of that dignity , and hasten the time , that i might set forth his glory . he wrote divers letters of encouragement to the persecuted brethren ; and in one letter to his wife he begs , and chargeth her to rejoice with him in this his state of sufferings for christ's sake . vol. 3. p. 716. &c. peter chevet : see peter . mrs. gertrude crockhay , wife to mr. robert crockhay at st. katherines by the tower in london , being for the gospel persecuted , fled 1556. to gelderland , beyond sea , to look after some estate that should fall to her children by a former husband : but there also she was betrayed , and came to trouble at antwerp ; where , at the request of her friends , she was set at liberty , and she came for england , where she was infested again by the papists ; and being very sick : they told her daughter , that unless her mother would receive the sacrament she should not be buried with christian burial : who hearing the same , said , oh how happy am i that i shall not rise with them , but against them : the earth is the lords and all the fullness thereof , and therefore i commit the matter to him . soon after she dyed , and was buried in her husbands garden . vol. 3. p. 1013 , 1014. christians to the number of 30000 slain in the massacre at paris in france , 1572. which was effected by the french king 's inviting the chief captains of them , and all other that would , to the wedding between the prince of navarre , and the kings sister ; at which being kindly received , some of them after the compleating of that marriage were slain , and all the souldiers in paris charged to be in arms at a watch-word , so that within three days 10000 of them were slain , besides many other in the days following in paris , and the persecution in other places in a months time compleated the number of 30000 aforesaid ; which news being sent to the pope , he solemnly gave thanks for it as a mercy ; and the french king also did the like ; and the messenger of the news had 1000 crowns for his news : but the poor protestants were much troubled , of whom some turned , others fled , and all had been destroyed , had not those in rochel by god's mercy been courageous , and resolved to be stedfast and fight for the faith ; which being known , the french king besiegeth it , and chargeth all his nobles and gentry , on pain of great punishment , to besiege it ; which was done with great vigour by the whole force of france , and also of the duke of anjou , duke of alanson , navarre , and condee , which forces assaulted it seven times and were resisted , so that they lost 122 captains ; and at last the duke of anjou being made king of polony , which news coming to the camp they rejoiced ; whereat the new king treated with them of rochel , and finding them not unconformable , made peace with them , and prevailed with the french king by edict to let them have peace , and the liberty of religion in that and other cities , 1573. vol. 3. p. 1028 , to 1030. d d dorotheus and gorgoneus , persons of dioclesian's privy chamber , seeing the sad torments inflicted on peter their houshold companion , said to dioclesian , why , o emperour , do you punish in peter that opinion which is in all of us ? why is this accounted in him an offence , that we all confess we are of that faith , religion , and iudgment that he is of ? wherefore he commanded them to be brought forth , and to be tormented almost with like pains to peter's , and afterwards to be hanged . vol. 1. p. 101 , 102. iohn diazius , a spaniard , was murthered 1546. by his brother alphonsus diazius , who hired a man with an hatchet to cleave his own brother's head , as he was reading some letters , under a pretence sent to him by his brother , who was by when the fact was done , and forth with fled with the murtherer : but he being the popes lawyer , and procuring his companion in rome on purpose to murther his brother being a protestant , escaped punishment . vol. 2. p. 109. dennis a french martyr 1528. burnt at melda , for saying the mass is a plain denying of the death of christ ; he was wont to have always in his mouth the words of christ , he that denyeth me before men , him also will i deny before my father , and to muse on the same earnestly . he was burnt with a slow fire , and did abide much torment . vol. 2. p. 128. adam damlip , alias george bucker , a great papist , in his travels at rome seeing the great profaneness and impiety of that place , where he expected so much goodness , loathed popery ; and at calice reforming , he preached against it , and was at length sentenced to death . when the news was told him by the jaylor of the marshalsee in london on a saturday night , that on monday he must for calice , and suffer there , he did eat his supper chearfully , insomuch that some asked him how he could do it , being to dye so soon ; to whom he said , ah masters , do you think that i have been god's prisoner so long in the marshalsee , and have not learned to dye ? yes , yes ; and i doubt not but god will strengthen me therein . he was at calice the next saturday following hanged , drawn , and quartered as a traytor , in king henry the eighth's time . and his greatest enemy , who at his death said he would not depart till he did see his heart out , ( one sir ralph ellerken ) was soon after slain amongst others by the french , and his enemies cutting off his privy members , cut his heart out of his body ; which cruelty they did to none other of the company , and may be looked on as a just judgment of god on him , who so desired to see damlip's heart . vol. 2. p. 564 , 565. iohn denley , a gentleman of maidstone in kent , burnt for the gospel's sake at uxbridge , august 8. 1555. who in the flames sang a psalm ; whereat dr. story caused one to throw a faggot at him , which hurting his face did cause him to lay both his hands on it , and to leave singing ; whereupon the doctor said to him that flung the faggot , you have spoiled a good old song ; but mr. denley being yet in the flame put abroad his hands again and sang , yielding up his spirit into the hands of god. vol. 3. p. 390. alice driver , a suffolk woman and a labourers wife , persecuted for the gospel of christ , said that quen mary , for her persecuting the saints of god , was like iezebel ; for which she had her ears cut off presently , which she suffered joyfully ; and said , she thought her self happy that she was counted worthy to suffer any thing for the name of christ. being examined by several doctors , she reasoned with them so , and silenced them all . she perceiving which , said , have ye no more to say ? god be thanked you be not able to resist the spirit of god in a poor weak woman : i was never brought up at the university , but often drave the plow before my father ; yet , in the defence of gods truth , and in the cause of my master christ , by his grace i will set foot to foot against any of you in the maintenance of the same ; and if i had a thousand lives , they should all go for the payment of it . she being at stake , and a chain put about her neck to bind her with , she said , here is a goodly neck-kerchief , blessed be god for it . she was burned november 4. 1558. vol. 3. p. 886 , 887 , 888. iohn davis , a school-boy of twelve years of age , was , because he had a bible , and had written some things against the papists , betrayed by his aunt , one mrs. iohnson , in worcester , 1546. with whom he lived ; and he was imprisoned from august 14. till 7. days before easter , with fetters and bolts ; and one perswading him from burning , advised him first to try the candle , who holding his finger , and the other holding a candle under it a good space , he cryed not , felt no pain , nor was his finger scorched . he was afterwards arraigned , and should have been punished with death , but that king henry the 8 th . dyed , and the law was thereby out of force . vol. 3. p. 919 , 920. e e eulalia , a virgin of noble parentage in eremita , a city in portugal , of twelve years of age , refusing great marriages and dowries , being a christian , joined her self with gods children under the 10 th . persecution ; and being kept close by her parents , lest she should hasten her own death , she by night stole out and ran to the judgment seat , and cryed out , i am a christian , an enemy to your devilish sacrifices ; i spurn your idols all under my feet , i confess god omnipotent with heart and mouth : isis , apollo , venus , what are they ? maximinus himself , what is he ? the one a thing of nought , because the work of mens hands ; and the other a cast-away , because he worshippeth the same work . whereat the judge incens'd , threatned torments , but first perswades her to return and offer incense ; whereat she spits in his face , spurns abroad with her feet the incense ; and then was miserably tormented , scratched and cut to the bones , she singing and praising god , saying , o lord i will not forget thee ! what a pleasure is it , o christ , for them that remember thy triumphant victory , to attain to these high dignities ? and so she was burned . vol. 1. p. 120. edmund , king of eastangles , in the saxon heptarchy in brittain , being summoned to submit to inguar , a dane , returned an answer , that he , a christian king , would not , for the love of a temporal life , subject himself to a pagan duke , unless he became a christian first ; whereupon he was taken , and fixt to a stake , and shot to death . vol. 1. p. 148. f f fructuosus , bishop of tarraconia in spain , being by emilianus under the eighth persecution , in the year of christ 262. to be burned , because he would not worship idols , said , he worshipped not any dumb god of stocks and blocks , but one god the creator of all things : and being cast into the fire with his hands tyed behind him , his bands were by the fire dissolved , his hands unhurt , and his body remained whole , and he lifted up his hands and praised god , praying also that the fire might speedily dispatch him ; which then was soon done : in the mean time a souldier in the house of emilianus , with the daughter of emilianus , said they saw the heavens open and the martyr to enter in . vol. 1. p. 96. nicholas finchman burned in dornick 1549. who being condemned , blessed god which had counted him worthy to be a witness in the cause of his dear and well beloved son ; and patiently took his death , commending his spirit unto god in the midst of the fire . vol. 2. p. 124. iames faber an old man , about the year of christ 1562. being apprehended , said , he could not answer or satisfie them in reasoning , yet he would constantly abide in the truth of the gospel ; and so was martyred . vol. 2. p. 127. ioannes filieul , or filiolus , and iulianus leville , suffered both at sanserre in france 1554. who having their tongues cut out , yet had some utterance given them of god , that at their death they said , we bid sin , the flesh , the world and the devil farewel for ever , with whom never we shall have to do hereafter . vol. 2. p. 145. fininus at ferraria , an italian , was burnt 1550. who being apprehended , by the perswasion of his friends he recanted , and then was in so great horrour that he almost despaired , till he publickly again preached the gospel ; for which he being again taken , could not by all the solicitations of his wife and children be drawn from it , but told them that his lord had commanded him not to deny him for taking care of his family , wherefore he desired them to depart : and being afterwards commanded by pope iulius the third to be executed , he returned thanks to the messengers of the news , and much rejoiced at it : and being asked what would become of his wife and children , if he so left them : he said he had left them to a good overseer , christ the lord , a faithful keeper of all committed to him . one seeing him so merry before his death , asked the reason , since christ wept and sweat drops of blood before his passion ? to whom he answered , christ sustained in his body all the sorrows and conflicts of hell and death due to us , by whose death we are delivered from sorrow and fear of them all . and at the stake , after his prayers to god , he meekly gave his neck to the cord , with which he was strangled , and was afterwards burned . vol. 2. p. 165 , 166. iohn frith burnt at one stake in smithfield 1533. with one andrew hewet , this frith willingly embraced the stake , and whenas one dr. cooke bad the people pray for them no more than for a dog , he said smiling , father forgive them ; and the fire being by the wind more blown to his partner than himself , he , though in so great torments , rejoiced ; and seeming to feel no torments , comforted his fellow-sufferer rather than was careful for himself . vol. 2. p. 309 , 310. henry filmer , a preacher of the gospel , in king hen. 8. days , about windsor , was brought to be burnt by the envy of dr. london , and the false accusations of his own brother , induced to it by promises of maintenance from the doctor : to which brother , filmer ( seeing himself like to suffer by reason of his accusations ) said , ah , brother , what cause hast thou to shew me this unkindness ? i have been always a natural brother to thee ; and is this a brotherly part , to reward me now so ? god forgive thee it my brother , and give thee grace to repent . he suffered with one testwood and anthony persons . as he came to his brothers door , as he was going to suffer ; he called his brother three or four times , but he appeared not : and then filmer said , and will he not come ? then god forgive him , and make him a good man. he being with the other two at the stake , drank to each other ; and filmer said , be merry , for i trust , that after this sharp breakfast , we shall have a good dinner in the kingdom of christ. vol. 2. p. 553 , 554. dr. robert farrar , bishop of s. davids in wales , being to be burnt , and much pitied by a knights son , who lamented the painfulness of the death he was to suffer ; to whom ferrar said , if ye see me once stir in the pains of my burning , you shall not believe my doctrine : and as he said , so it was ; for he stood so patiently that he never moved ; but as he stood holding up his stumps , so he continued till he was struck down by a staff , march 30. 1555. in the reign of queen mary . vol. 3. p. 216. william flower , alias branch , a cambridgeshire man , brought up a monk , at last was reformed ; and after removing from place to place , he came to lambeth , by london ; and on an easter-day went to westminster , and in s. margarets church he , out of zeal for gods cause , drew his hanger , and wounded the priest as he was administring the sacrament ; for which he was imprisoned , and though he much lamented the fact as done amiss , yet did he justifie his faith against them . and bishop bonner threatning him one while , and then perswading him by proffers of gifts , he thankt him and said , whereas it was in his power to kill , or not kill his body , he was contented he should do what he pleased ; but he knew over his soul he had no such power , but that being separated from the body is in the hands of no man , but only of god , either to save or spill . at length he was burnt in westminster-abby yard , april 24. 1554. where his right hand was cut off , he not shewing any sense of pain ; and at last , burning in the fire , he cryed out , o thou son of god have mercy on me , o thou son of god receive my soul ; and dyed by much torment , his lower part being burnt when his upper part was untouched , by reason of want of fuel . vol. 3. p. 243 , 244. 246. elizabeth folkes , an essex maid , being imprisoned and condemned for the gospel , kneeled down and lifting up her hands , prayed to god and praised him that ever she was born to see that most blessed day , that the lord would count her worthy to suffer for the testimony of christ ; and , lord , said she , if it be thy will , forgive them that have done this against me ; for they know not what they do : and going to the stake at colchester , august 2. 1557. and the people not permitting her to give her petticoat to her mother ( who was present and kist her at the stake , and exhorted her to be strong in the lord ) she threw away the coat , saying , farewel all the world , farewel faith , farewel hope ; and then taking hold of the stake , she said , welcome love. she was burned with five more , who all clapped their hands for joy in the flames . vol. 3. p. 832. iohn frith being in the tower as an heretick , because he held against transubstantiation . and being afterwards sent for to croydon by my lord of canterbury , cranmer , in king henry the 8 th's time , the lords men who were sent for him advised him to submit to the bishops and doctors opinion : to whom frith said , my conscience is such , that in any wise i neither may , nor can , for any worldly respect , without danger of damnation , start aside from that true knowledge , though i should presently lose twenty lives if i had so many . the servants , still endeavouring to save him , contrived how he might fly , and so escape ; which they imparted to him : to whom he said , should you leave me , i would surely follow you ; should you bring the bishops news ye had lost frith , i would bring them news i had found him , and brought him again : for , though before i was taken , i being at liberty , fled , to make use of my liberty ; yet i being taken , cannot fly , but run from god , and should then be worthy of a thousand hells . and so he went chearfully to the bishops at croydon , and there disputed the point ; and after was sent to bishop stokesteys , the bishop of london's consistory ; and soon after was burnt . vol. 3. p. 990 , 991 , 992. see more of frith p. 59. of this book . g g germanicus , a young devout man , being by the proconsul of antoninus verus in the 4 th persecution , perswaded to favour himself being in the flower of his age ; he would not be allured , but constantly , and boldly , and of his own accord provoked the beasts to come upon him to devour him , to be delivered the more speedily out of this wretched life . vol. 1. p. 57. gordius , a centurion of caesaria , in the 10 th persecution , willingly exiled himself , till a publick feast of mars was celebrated , and much people was assembled ; and then appearing in the theatre , cryed out , i am found of them that sought me not : and being examined by the sheriff , he said , i came hither to publish that i set nothing by your decrees against christian religion , but i profess christ to be my hope and safety : hereupon he was scourged , and he said , it would be an hindrance to him , if he could not suffer divers torments for christ. and having more torments tryed on him , he sang , the lord is my helper , i will not fear the thing that man can do unto me ; i will fear no evil , because thou lord art with me . after this , being with prayers and entreaties dealt with , he derided the madness of the magistrates ; who being thereby incensed , condemned him . and he being much importuned by divers acquaintance to deny christ with tongue , and to keep his conscience to himself ; he said , my tongue , which by the goodness of god i have , cannot be brought to deny the author of it . and to those who wept for him , and by tears importuned him to save himself ; he said , weep not , i pray , for me : but weep for the enemies of god , which always make war against the christians , who prepare for these a fire , and purchase to themselves hell fire ; but molest not , i pray , my setled mind ; truly i am ready to suffer for the name of christ a thousand deaths if need were . vol. 1. p. 117. iohn goose in the time of king edward the 4 th , being to be burnt , desired of the sheriff somewhat to eat , and he did eat as if he had been towards no manner of danger , saying , i eat now a good and competent dinner , for i shall pass a little sharp shower ere i go to supper : and having dined , he gave thanks , and desired that he might be shortly led to the place where he should yield up his spirit to god ; and was burned on tower-hill in august 1473. vol. 1. p. 939. lawrence ghest , in king henry the seventh's days , being to be burnt at salisbury , and having his wife and seven children shewn him , and his wife desiring him to favour himself , he desired her to be content , and not to be a block in his way , for he was in a good course , running toward the mark of his salvation ; and so he was burned . vol. 1. p. 1012. galeasius trecius , an italian , burned at aus pompeia in italy 1551. for professing the gospel . he having professed it a while , and then by the perswasion of friends denying it , felt great sorrow , and , as he declared , never greater in all his life ; but recovering by the grace of god , he longed for a time to evidence his return by confession of his faith again , affirming he never felt more joy of heart than when by papists examined , nor more sorrow than when he recanted , declaring that death was much more sweet to him , with the testimony of the truth , than life with the least denyal of the truth and loss of a good conscience : and being imprisoned , he could not be prevailed with to recant , but confirmed his first faith , and burned . vol. 2. p. 167 , 168. franciscus gamba , an italian , burn'd at comun 1554. being accused for an heretick , and importuned to recant ; he defended his doctrine by manifest scriptures , and proved his opinions to be the true doctrine of christ , and rather than he would deny them he was ready to stand to the effusion of his blood : and being long and often assailed by his friends to recant , he could not be expugned , but gave thanks to god , that he was made worthy to suffer the rebukes of the world , and civil death for the testimony of his son ; and so went chearfully to death : and when at his death the fryars held a cross before him , he said that his mind was so replenished with joy and comfort in christ , that he needed not them , nor their cross : and declaring many comfortable things to the people , he was strangled and burned . vol. 2. p. 180. garret , a great promoter of christianity in oxford , was at last iuly 30. 1541. by gardner bishop of winchester to be burnt , who professing his faith , and detesting all heresies , beg'd pardon of god for his sins , and of all persons whom he had offended : he resigned up his soul to god , whom he believed would through christ save him , and pardon his sins , and desired the persons present to pray for him ; and dyed christianly with barus and hierom. vol. 2. p. 528. william gardiner , born at bristow , and there dealing in merchandise under one mr. paget a merchant , at 26 years of age sailed to spain , but by chance the ship arrived at lisborne the chief city of portugal , where he stayed and merchandised , and learning their tongue , he acted for many english merchants , and had much knowledge in scripture and the reformed religion : and being there , and happening to be at the solemnizing of a marriage between the king of portugal's son , and the king of spain's daughter , and beholding great pomp and greater idolatry acted by the kings , and all the assembly's adoring the mass , praying , kneeling and worshipping the external sacrament , he was much troubled , and could he have got near the altar would have interrupted them ; but being hindred by the throng of the people , he was very sorrowful for his neglect of that opportunity to declare against their idolatry , which neglect he much lamented , and contrived how to redeem it ; to effect which he cast up all his accounts , and bad adieu to worldly concerns ; and giving himself to reading , meditating , fasting , weeping , and praying : he being cleanly drest the next sunday , when the like solemnity was to be done , he gat to the altar betimes , and there stood with a testament in his hand till the cardinal came to solemnize it , and till he consecrated , sacrificed , and lifted up on high the host , shewing his god to the people , who with the kings and nobles gave great reverence to it ; and at last , when the cardinal came to begin to toss it to and fro round the chalice , making several circles , this gardner stept in , and with one hand took the cake and trod it under foot , and with the other hand overthrew the chalice , in the presence of the kings , and the nobles and citizens , which abashed them all ; and one cut him with a sword , but the king commanded he should be saved ; and being examined , he confessed himself to be an english-man and a protestant , and decryed much against their idolatry ; for which after several torments to cause him to confess others , he taking all the blame on himself , they put a hard roul of linen with a string into his throat , and so often pulled that up , and then cut of his right hand , which he took in his left and kist , then in the market-place they cut off his left hand , and he kneeling down kissed it , then was he carried to execution , and being hung on high a fire was made under him , and he by degrees let down into it , so that only his legs at first felt the fire , yet would he not recant ; and being bid to pray to saints , he said , that when christ leaves off to be our mediator and advocate , then he would pray to our lady and the saints . and then he prayed , o eternal god , father of all mercies ; i beseech thee look down upon thy servant . and the more terribly he burnt , the more vehemently he prayed ; which his enemies desiring to hinder , he said the 43. psalm ; before the close of which , the rope was burnt asunder , and he fell down into the fire , and was burned to death , 1552. whose death was not unpunished , for among the king of portugal's ships ready to sail , being in a haven hard by , one was burnt by a spark of fire blown from the martyrs fire ; and within half a year the kings son dyed ; and the king himself within a year . vol. 2. p. 745 , 746 , 747 , 748. robert glover was apprehended to be burnt at coventry , being very sickly in prison , said , he found daily amendment of body , and increase of peace in conscience ; many consolations from god , and sometimes , as it were , a taste and a glimmering of the life to come : but he was much assaulted by satan , from his unworthiness , to do or suffer for christ. which objection he answered from gods mercies , and the unworthiness of like servants in all ages , who have been accepted . yet , three days before he was burnt , he had a sad dulness of spirit , and was desolate of all spiritual comfort ; against which he prayed much , and earnestly ; but yet finding no ease , nor comfort , he told it to his friend , one austin , who advised him to wait god's time for the manifestation of himself , and to continue stedfast in the faith and willing to suffer ; knowing his cause to be right , not doubting but god in his due time would replenish his heart with spiritual joy ; requesting him to shew it by some token , if he felt any such thing : and as he went to burning , as soon as he came in sight of the stake ▪ he cryed out , being suddenly full of comfort , clapping his hands together , austin , he is come , he is come ; with so great joy and alacrity , as if he had been one risen from some deadly danger , to liberty of life ; and so dyed chearfully in september , 1555. vol. 3. p. 427 , 428. bartlet green , a londoner , brought up at oxford ; converted from popery by peter martyr , reader of divinity in oxford ; and afterwards he was student in the temple , and at twenty five years of age , ianuary 28. 1556. he was burnt , with six others , for the gospel of christ. he often repeated , as he went to the stake , and at the stake , this distich . christe deus sine te spes est mihi nulla salutis , te duce vera sequor , te duce falsa nego . in english thus . o christ my god , sure hope of health , besides thee i have none ; the truth i love , and falshood hate , by thee my guide alone . vol. 3. p. 627. he wrote to one in a letter , thus : man of woman is born in travel , to live in misery ; man , through christ , doth dye in joy , and live in felicity : he is born to dye , and dyes to live ; whilst here he displeased god , when dead he fulfilled his will. vol. 3. p. 629. charles le roy de gand , once a fryar carmelite , but reformed , had a canonship promised him by the magistrate , if he would but yield a little : to which , he said , you proffer me a canonship , that i might live quietly , and be in security ; but know , sir , that rest is no true rest , which is obtained against peace of conscience ; and so he was burned at bruges , april 27. 1557. addit . to vol 3. of massacre of france , p. 5. h h john husse , a bohemian , was burned 1415. about iuly , by the council of constance ; where he often desired to be heard , to clear himself of the errours they impeached him of , and could not . then he requesting their proving by scripture any errour he held , they would not ; but , because he held wicklif's doctrine they degraded him , and left him to the secular power , to sigismund king of the romans ; by whom he was condemned , and burned , and all this cruelty against a safe conduct , sealed by the emperour , and promised by the council . when he was to be burned he prayed often , and especially for his enemies ; and after the kindling of the fire he sang aloud , iesus christ , the son of the living god , have mercy upon me . vol. 1. p. 821 , 822. richard hunn burned in smithfield , december 20. 1514. sixteen days after he was privately murdered by the papists . vol. 2. p. 19. mr. hierom was condemned in king henry the 8 th's time , 1541. by bishop gardner , bishop of winchester ; and at the stake he confessed his faith , and exhorted all persons to duties to god and man , considering what price christ paid for us ; and exciting them to bear their cross with christ , considering his example of patience under sufferings ; and at last prayed them to pray for him , that he , barns , and garret , who were all three together burnt , might have their souls , leaving these wretched bodies , constantly depart in the true faith of christ ; and so , committing his soul to christ , he dyed . these three , which at this fire were burnt together , took each other by the hand ; and kissing each other , quietly , and peaceably , offered themselves to the tormentors hands ; and took their deaths christianly , and patiently . vol. 2. p. 528 , 529. mr. iohn hooper , student in oxford , flying , in king henry the 8 th's time , beyond sea , because of persecution for the six articles ; was at zurick acquainted with mr. bullinger , and married a burgonian woman : but , in king edward the 6 th's days , he returned , and did promise his friends they should hear from him : though , saith he , the last news of me i shall not be able to write ; for there , saith he , where i shall take most pains , there shall you hear of me to be burnt to ashes : which prophesie came to effect : he preached at london often twice a day , but alwayes once a day : he was , in his sermons , earnest ; in his tongue , eloquent ; in scriptures , perfect ; in pains , indefatigable ; he was spare of dyet , sparest of words , and sparest of time . he was , by king edward the 6 th , made bishop of glocester and worcester ; in both which diocesses he preached at , and visited them : and , at worcester , his manner was every day to have a certain number of poor beggars of the town dine in his pallace with whole and wholsome meat , four at a mess ; whom he examined , or caused to be examined , in the lords prayer , creed , and ten commandments , before himself sate down to dinner . he was with one iohn rogers the two first that were condemned in queen mary's days : to which rogers bishop hooper said , brother rogers , must we two begin first to fry these faggots ? fear not but god will give us strength . he suffered amongst his people , at glocester ; where sir anthony kingston , his old friend , did desire him to accept of life , and not dye ; saying , life is sweet , and death bitter : to whom bishop hooper answered , true , but eternal death is more bitter , and eternal life most sweet ; in respect of which , i value not this life . vol. 3. p. 145 , 146 , 147. he was after that perswaded much , but he said , death to me for christ's sake is welcome . at the fire a box was set on a stool before him with the queens pardon ( as it was said ) if he would turn ; but he cryed , if ye love my sonl away with it , if ye love my soul away with it : he was prohibited to speak to the people , and permitted only to pray : he begged of the sheriffs for a speedy fire to dispatch him ; but when he was to be burnt , what through the wetness of the wood and greatness of the frude , three fires one after another were made before he was consumed ; in the first fire he prayed mildly , as one without pain , lord iesus thou son of david have mercy on me , and receive my soul. after the second fire was spent he wiped both eyes , and looking on the people , beg'd for gods sake more fire : and in the third fire he cryed out , lord iesus receive my spirit , lord iesus have mercy on me ; and so spoke no more , continuing motion of his lips , till they shrank to his gums ; and beating his breast with his hands till one arm fell off , and the other by fat , water , and blood , stuck to the iron , by which he was fastned to the stake ; and so he dyed . vol. 3. p. 156. in a letter he wrote out of prison to divers friends , he undervalues the worldly joyes and troubles , in comparison of hells misery , or heavens glory ; and exhorts them to constancy , thus : it was an easie thing to hold with god and christ , whilst the prince and world held with him ; but now the world hateth him , it is the true tryal who be his : let us not run when it is most time to fight ; none shall be crowned , but them that fight manfully : beware of beholding the worlds felicity , or misery , too much ; whose love , or fear , draweth from god : think the felicity of the world good , but yet no otherwise than stands with gods favour : it is to be kept , yet so as we lose not god ; of adversity , judge the same : imprisonment is painful , yet liberty , on evil terms , worse : i must be alone , and solitary ; yet that is better , and to have god with us , than to enjoy the company of the wicked : loss of goods is great , but loss of gods favour greater : i shall dye by the hands of cruel men ; but he is blessed that loseth a life full of misery , and findeth a life full of eternal ioyes : neither felicity , or misery , in the world , can be great , if compared with joys , or pains , in the world to come . vol. 3. p. 156 , 157. in another letter he exhorts the godly to meet often , and pray and confer together of their ignorance , before their knowledge of god ; and their state , by their knowledge of god in his word ; and to compare their popish principles with gods word , being careful to do all things for three ends ; gods glory , the churches edification , and their souls profit . p. 158 , 159. in another letter , exhorting to patience under the cross , he saith , that our enemies cruelty hath no further power than god permits , and what comes to us by the will of our heavenly father , can be no harm , but felicity to us . we , as men , suffer these evils ; but as christians we overcome them , nor can they separate betwen gods love and us ; they can but last our short life , and then must give way to our partaking of eternal joyes . vol. 3. p. 161. nothing can hurt us that is taken from us for gods cause , nor can any thing do us good that is kept against gods commandment ; let us surrender goods and life to his will , and then it matters not whether we keep or lose it . vol. 3. p. 163. william hunter , an apprence to one thomas taylor , a silk-weaver in london , fled at nineteen years old for religion's sake , to burntwood , to his fathers house ; and being at burntwood , in the church , found a bible , and did read in it , till a sumner came in and threatned him for it , telling him he was an heretick and deserved death ; and called one thomas wood vicar of southwel ( being then in the town ) to him , who said to hunter , he ought not to read , and that he was an heretick ; and threatned him much . to whom hunter said , i would you and i were now fast tyed to a stake , to prove whether you , or i , would stand strongest to our faith ; i dare set my foot to yours , even to death . yet being thus threatned , whilst the vicar went to inform , he fled into the country ; but his father was sent for , and forced to go and seek him , and to bring him into his enemies hands : who , much against his natural affection and will , rode two or three days into the country to seek him . and his son , meeting him , did conjecture the cause of his fathers journey ; and said , he would return with him and save him harmless , whatever came of it : and as soon as he came home he was laid in the stocks , and had before one justice brown ; who soon sent him to bishop bonner , who a while flattered the young man ; but at last , seeing he would not recant , threatned to make him sure enough : to whom william said , you can do no more than god will permit you , i will never recant while i live , god willing : then was he imprisoned for three quarters of a year , and allowed but a halfpenny a day , and at length condemned : to whom , after condemnation , bonner said , if he would turn he would make him freeman of the city , and give him forty pound to set up with ; or else would make him steward of his house : to wom william hunter said , i thank you for your offers , yet if you cannot perswade my conscience by scripture , i cannot find in my heart to turn from god for the love of the world ; for i count all things but dung and loss , in respect of the love of christ. when he came to burntwood to be burnt , his parents came to him , and desired of god heartily that he might continue to the end in that good way he had begun ; and his mother said , she was glad she was so happy to bear such a child that could find in his heart to lose his life for christ's sake : to whom william hunter said , for my little pain which i shall suffer , which is but short , christ hath promised me a crown of joy ; may you not be glad of that mother ? who answered , yea , i think thee as well bestowed as any child i ever did bear ; and prayed to god to strengthen him to the end . he was burnt march 26. 1555. as he went to the stake he met his father , who said to him , god be with thee my son william : and he answered , god be with you my good father ; be of good comfort , for i hope we shall meet again when we shall be merry . and , taking up a faggot , he kneeled down and prayed , and read the 51. psalm , and then went to the stake , standing upright , begging the people to pray for him and to dispatch him quickly : he still had his pardon offered , if he would recant ; but he refused . at his request for the peoples prayers , one justice brown said , he would pray no more for him , than for a dog. to whom william hunter said , you now have , sir , what you sought for ; i pray god it be not laid to your charge , howbeit i forgive you . and soon after he prayed , son of god , shine on me ; and immediately the sun in the element shone out of a dark cloud so full in his face , that he was forced to turn away his head ; whereat the people mused , because it was so dark a day a little time before . then william hunter took and embraced a faggot in his arms , and when the fire was kindled , he lift up his hands to heaven , and said , lord , lord , lord , receive my spirit , and so dyed . vol. 3. p. 191 , to 194. thomas hawks , an essex gentleman , being threatned by bishop bonner if he would not recant , said always , ye shall do no more than god will give you leave ; and at last at his condemnation being urged to recant , he said , no , had i an hundred bodies i would suffer them all to be torn in pieces , rather than recant . as he went to execution , iune 10. 1555. being desired by his friends that he would shew them some sign in the flames , if he could , whereby they might know more certainly , whether the pain of the burning was so great that a man might not therein keep his mind quiet ; which he promised to do , and that if the pain was tolerable he would lift up his hands towards heaven before he gave up the ghost : and being at stake , he mildly and patiently addressed himself to the fire , and after he had been in the fire , his fingers burnt and gone , and skin so drawn together , that all men thought he had been dead , he suddenly reached up his hands burning of a light fire over his head , to the living god , and with great rejoicing as seemed struck or clapped them three times together , and then sinking down into the fire he gave up his spirit . he wrote to his wife and children to fear and serve god , and to continue fervent in prayer , for then god would provide for them better than he was able to do ever ; yea , saith he , god will cause all men that fear him to pity you , to help you , to succour you in all your necessities ; so that if any would do you wrong , he will be avenged on him . vol. 3. p. 265. iohn hullier , fellow of kings colledge in cambridge , was burnt for the gospel ; who being degraded said chearfully , this is the joyfullest day that ever i saw , and i thank you all that ye have delivered me from all this paltry . he was burned on iesus green in cambridge ; he said he dyed in the right faith , and desired the people to take notice that he dyed in a just cause , and for the testimony of the truth : and feeling the fire , he called earnestly on god ; and many books being burnt with him , he gat one which was cast into the fire , and fell into his arms , and was a communion-book , which he did read in till the flame and smoke hindred him from seeing : and then laying the book next his heart he prayed again : and when all the people thought he had been dead , he suddenly said , lord iesus receive my spirit , dying very meekly : and after his flesh was burnt his bones stood upright , as if he had been alive . vol. 3. p. 827 , 828. thomas hudson , a glover , of ailsham in norfolk , an ignorant person till he learned the english tongue , about one or two years before the reign of queen mary ; and then he detested the mass and popish idolatry , and became a zealous protestant , reading , praying , singing psalms ; and being sought for , he prayed , if it was gods will , he might suffer persecution for the gospel of christ : and when persons came to apprehend him , he said , welcome friends , welcome ; you are they that shall lead me to life in christ : and so he went with them . and being by bishop hopton ( then bishop of norwich ) his commissary berry , asked to recant , he said , god forbid , i had rather dye many deaths , than do so . then was he sent to norwich to the bishop , and went as merrily as ever he was ; and was burned with two more , may 19. 1555. and being bound with them to the stake by a chain , he not feeling the joyes of christ , came from under the chain , being troubled in mind , and fell down and prayed earnestly to god , who hearing him , and restoring to him comfort , he arose and went to the stake again , saying , now i am strong , and pass not what men can do unto me . vol. 3. p. 869 , 870. roger holland , son to a lancashire gentleman , and apprentice to a merchant-taylor in london , a zealous man ; to whom this roger was a great trouble , being a debauched lad , and a great papist , yet did he trust him with his accounts ; but it hapned one night that roger lost thirty pound at dice , and not being able to pay it , resolved next morning to go to france , or flanders ; but acquainted his fellow-servant , a maid , whose name was elizabeth , a woman of great christian profession and practice ; to whom he gave a bill to give his master for the thirty pound , that his master might not acquaint his friends with it ; and that if ever he was worth it , he would pay it to his master : and so he going to leave the house , the maid , having money by her , brought him thirty pound , and gave him ; saying , i will take the bill my self , and conceal the thing from your friends , and my master ; and you may have this thirty pound to pay my master , on condition that you will throw away your popish books and read the bible , and attend all christian lectures ; nor more swear , curse , drink , whore , nor play : but if you do those things again , and i know of it , i will then tell my master of the business . but in half a years space roger was so reformed , and so zealous a protestant , that he was admired by his associates : and going into lancashire to his friends , he was , by his books he carried , and by his discourse , instrumental , that his father and his friends began to try the truth of god , and to hate popery . and at his return to london his father gave him fifty pound to set up with ; and then he paid the maid elizabeth her thirty pound , and soon after married her ; and they lived heavenly together , till he was apprehended for the gospels sake , and by bishop bonner persecuted ; to whom he openly told the impurity of their principles , the corrupt tendency of their confessions from his own practice , who cared not what sin he used to commit so long as he was a papist , since the popish priest would , for money , absolve him . and when he was condemned , he told bishop bonner , that his cruelty should be but short , nor after that day should he burn any more : which came so to pass . at the stake , he said , lord , i humbly thank thy majesty that thou hast called me from the state of death to the light of thy heavenly word , and now into the fellowship of saints , that i may sing and say , holy , holy , holy , lord god of hosts ; lord , into thy hands i commend my spirit : lord , bless these thy people , and save them from idolatry : and so praising god he dyed in the flames , with two more , in smithfield , iuly 27. 1558. vol. 3. p. 874. to 878. bartholomew hector , burnt at turin in piedmont , iune 19. 1556. being bound to the stake , and gunpowder and brimstone placed about him , he lifted up his eyes to heaven , and said , lord , how sweet and welcome are these to me ? addition to vol. 3. concerning massacres in france , p. 5. philibert hamelin , a minister in tournay , being perswaded to fly , said , no , i esteem it altogether unbeseeming for a man called to preach the gospel to others to run away for fear of danger , but rather to maintain its truth even in the midst of the flaming fire : and he was executed 1557. at tournay . additions to vol. 3. of massacres of france . p. 5. iohn herwin , a souldier of flanders , of very dissolute prophane life ; but coming over to england was , by means of a beer-brewer in london ( with whom he was a servant ) converted , and became a zealous protestant , and a pious liver . and afterwards , returning to flanders , he was apprehended for the gospel , and imprisoned ; which he took patiently , and chearfully : and in prison he sang psalms , and testified his inward joy by a letter to the brethren , whom he exhorted to persevere constant in the faith. after sentence of death he blessed god for that honour to dye for christ ; and being led out to execution , he said , see how the wicked world rewards the poor servants of christ. whilst i gave my self to drinking , carding , dicing , and such like vices ; i was let alone , and accounted a good-fellow ; and who but i ? and no sooner began i to look after a godly life , but the world wars on me , imprisons me , persecutes me , and will put me to death . at the stake he sang the 30. psalm ; and said to the people , i am now going to be sacrificed , follow ye me , when god of his goodness shall call you to it . he was burned at honscot , november 4. 1560. additions to the 3. vol. concerning massacre in france and flanders . p. 18. i i james , the son of zebedee , and brother of iohn , brought by a person to the tribunal seat of herod , and condemned ; the person seeing he should now suffer death , being moved therewith in heart and conscience , did confess himself , of his own accord , a christian ; and as he and iames were led together , he desired iames to forgive him what he had done : after that iames had a little paused with himself upon the matter , turning to him , peace ( saith he ) be to thee brother , and kissed him ; and both were beheaded together , anno christi 36. vol. 1. p. 42. iames , the brother of our lord , who was bishop of ierusalem ; called , for his holiness , iames the just , had knees like camels knees by praying ; being by the iews set upon the pinacle of the temple to give testimony concerning ( as they expected against ) jesus , he declared jesus to be the christ : whereupon the iews threw him down , and he not being dead , they came to stone him ; who turned on his knees and prayed , saying , o lord god , father , i beseech thee forgive them , for they know not what they do : yet they stoned him , and at last , with a fullers instrument , struck him on the head , and he dyed . vol. 1. p. 43 , 44. iohn the evangelist was banished into pathmos the 97. year of christ ; and after the death of domitian was recalled by pertinax the emperour ; and being returned to ephesus , he was desired to resort to the adjacent places to appoint bishops : where he committed a comely ingenuous young man to the bishop of the place , to be by him kept with great diligence ; in witness hereof , christ and his church : which young man the bishop received , and with diligence brought up , baptized , and at length committed to him a cure in the lords behalf . the young man now having his liberty , through the corruptness of his companions , became dissolute , a thief , and a murderer , yea , the captain of them : and s. iohn being sent for again into those parts , demanded of the bishop , the charge committed to him ; who said , he was dead to god , and become an evil man , a thief frequenting this mountain : whereat s. iohn rent his cloaths , and said , i have left a good keeper of my brother's soul : and got him a horse and presently fell into the company of the thieves , and was designedly taken , desiring to be brought to their captain who was well armed , yet beginning to know s. iohn , fled ; but when recalled by s. iohn , he threw down his arms and became truly penitent , and was received into church again . after this , s. iohn going to bathe himself , and seeing cerinthus the heretick in the bath , would not go in lest the bath should fall on them . vol. 1. p. 47 , 48. ignatius was given to be devoured of wild beasts the 111. year of christ ; when he was going to the lions , he said , oh , would to god i were come to the beasts prepared for me , which i wish with gaping mouths were ready to come upon me ; whom i will provoke , that they may without delay devour me . i esteem nothing visible or invisible , so i may get or obtain christ ; let the fire , gallows , devouring of beasts , breaking of bones , pulling asunder of members , bruising , or pressing , my whole body , and the torments of the devil , or hell it self come upon me , so that i may win christ : and when he heard the lions roaring , he said , i am the wheat , or grain , of christ ; i shall be ground with the teeth of wild beasts , that i may be found pure bread. vol. 1. p. 52. iustin martyr was a profound philosopher , and became a christian by seeing the constancy of their sufferings ; whence he gathered they could not endure carnality or vice , who could thus easily lay down their lives ; and being a christian , he wrote divers apologies in their behalf , and prevailed not a little for their good ; and was at last martyred , soon after polycarpus , in the 4 th persecution ; he dyed chearfully , and with honour . vol. 1. p. 58.63 , 64. iulitta being spoiled of her goods by the emperours officer under the 10 th persecution ; and complaining to the emperour , that so she might have her goods again , the officer pleaded her to be a christian , and therefore not to have her goods ; which being proved , and owned , she was sentenced to lose goods and life : whereupon she said , farewel life , welcome death ; farewel riches , welcome poverty : all that i have , were it a thousand times more than it is , would i lose , rather than speak blasphemy against god my creator . i yield thee thanks most hearty , o god , for this great gift of grace , that i can despise this transitory world , preferring christianity above all treasures . and whenever she was examined , she said , she was a servant of christ , and did detest their idolatry . and as she past to the fire , she exhorted the women thus , o sisters , stick not to travel after true piety , cease to accuse feminine frailty ; are not we created of the same mould with men , and made after gods image as well as they ? god used not flesh only in creating woman to declare her weakness ; but bone also , in token that she must be strong in the living god ; all false gods for saking , constant in faith , and patient in adversity : wax weary of your lives my sisters led in darkness , and love my christ , my god , my redeemer : perswade your selves there is a future state , wherein the worshippers of idols shall be perpetually tormented , and the servants of the high god crowned eternally . with which words she embraced the fire . vol. 1. p. 122 , 123. ierome of prage , a bohemian , burnt 1415. being condemned , and to be crowned with a paper mitre painted with red devils ; he willingly received it , saying , he would wear that for christs sake , who wore a crown of thorns for him . and going to execution he sung psalms , and prayed ; and after the fire was kindled , he said , o lord god father almighty , have mercy upon me , and be merciful unto mine offences ; for thou knowest how sincerely i have loved thy truth . and so the fire consumed him ; whose ashes , as also the ashes of iohn husse , were gathered up and cast into the river rheine . vol. 1. p. 837 , 838. ioris of aschen in flanders , hanged on a gibbit for the gospel , 1567. being condemned , wrote to his parents ; he said , comfortable news , namely , that in all my life i never saw one day so pleasing to me as this is , in which the lord hath counted me worthy to be one of his champions to suffer for his holy name ; for which i give him most humble thanks . — i do take my last farewel of you , till we meet in heaven ; be not grieved , i pray you , but be patient ; for the affliction which is befallen me is most acceptable to me ; for which i bless and praise god. additions to vol. 3. concerning massacre in flanders . p. 96 , 97. k k leonard keyser , of bavaria , was , for maintaining justification by faith , degraded and to be burned ; who as he went to execution spake and said : o lord jesus ! remain with me , sustain me and help me , and give me force and power . and when the wood was fit to be set on fire , he cry'd with a loud voice , o jesus ! i am thine , have mercy upon me and save me ; and so was burned august 16. 1526. vol. 2. pag. 114 , 115. kerby , a suffolk man , being apprehended at ipswich 1546. was to be condemned ; and one mr. wingfield much perswading him to accept of mercy and not burn , he said ; ah m. wingfield , be at my burning , and you will say , there stands a christian souldier in the fire ; for i know that fire , water , sword , and all things are in the hand of god , who will suffer no more to be laid upon me than he will give me strength to bear . being condemned , he said , praised be almighty god ; and at the fire he shew'd himself a christian , and died calling upon god , and holding up his hands . vol. 2. pag. 569. l l lucius hearing ptolomeus unjustly condemned by urbicius , in the 4 th persecution , reproved the judge , who said to lucius , methinks thou art a christian ? which being granted by lucius , the judge forthwith condemned him to be had away to the place of execution : whereupon lucius said , i thank you with all my heart that you release me from most wicked governours , and send me to my most good and loving father , who is the king of gods . vol. 1. p. 59. laurence a deacon of xystus bishop of rome , seeing him going to be martyred , earnestly desired to die with him , and cry'd out to him , saying ; oh dear father ! whither goest thou without the company of thy dear son ? hast thou proved me unnatural ? now try whether thou hast chosen a faithful minister or no ? grant that the body of thy scholar may be sacrificed , whose mind thou hast beautified with good letters . to whom xystus said , he should follow him after 3 dayes . and when this laurence was to be persecuted , he being as deacon , treasurer of the church , and commanded by his persecutors to produce the treasure , caused a number of poor people to come together , and said ; these were the church's riches in whom christ dwells . whereat the persecutors raged , and caused the fire to be kindled , and he was laid on a hot burning iron-bed , or grid-iron , and held down with hot forks , who said to the tyrant : this side is roasted enough , turn up o tyrant that , assay whether roasted or raw thou thinkest the better meat . this was done under the 8 th persecution , vol. 1. pag. 92 , 93. simon laloe burned at dyon in france 1553. shew'd such faith and constancy , that his executioner , iames silvester , seeing it , was so compuncted with repentance , and fell into such despair , that they had much adoe with all their promises of the gospel to recover any comfort in him ; at last through christ's mercy he was comforted and converted , and he with his family removed to geneva . vol. 2. pag. 142. iohn lambert being much examined concerning the sacrament , and released by reason of the death of archbishop warham , was at last by the malice of stephen gardiner bishop of winchester brought before king henry the viii . and many nobles , and ten bishops caused to dispute him 1538. and against reason by popish instigation the king was perswaded to condemn him ; and he was burned in smithfield , who was very chearful the day of his sufferings ; and when in the fire his legs were burned to the stumps , the tormentors withdrew the fire , so that a small fire and coals were left under him , and two persecutors ran their halberts into him ; then he lifting up that hand he had with fingers flaming cry'd out , none but christ ! none but christ ! and so being let down from their halberts fell into the fire , and died . vol. 2. pag. 427. iohn lacels servant to king henry viii . was burnt with mrs. anne askew about iune 1546. who in a letter against transubstantiation , subscribed himself thus , iohn lacels late servant to the king , and now i trust to serve the everlasting king with the testimony of my blood in smithfield . vol. 2. pag. 581. iohn lawrence burnt at colchester march 29. 1555. he was so badly used in prison that he could not go to the stake , but was carried in a chair and burnt sitting . whilst he was burning the young children came about the fire and cry'd as well as they could speak , saying : lord strengthen thy servant , and keep thy promise : lord strengthen thy servant , and keep thy promise . vol. 3. pag. 200. hugh lawrence , a kentish man , being august 2. 1555. examined by the bishop of dover , dr. thornton and dr. harpsfield , stood constantly against popery ; being required to subscribe to their articles , he took a pen and writ , ye are all of antichrist , and him ye fol. intending to write as appears , follow ; but was prevented , condemned and burned with 5 more kentish men at 3 stakes in one fire . vol. 3. p. 393. hugh latimer writing to bishop ridley , saith , pray for me , for sometimes i am so fearful that i would creep into a mouse-hole , sometimes god doth visit me again with his comfort ; so he cometh and goeth to teach me to fell and to know my infirmity . vol. 3. p. 441. he was a leicester-shire man , and went to cambridge at 14 years of age ; he was a zealous papist , till by gods will and mr. bilney's endeavours he was converted , and then he became a zealous protestant , p. 450. and openly preached against popery in cambridge , and other places , for which he was imprisoned , p. 456 , 457. yet was he by god long preserved , and by the lord cromwell in king henry the 8 th's days made bishop of worcester , p. 460. but some years after he lost his bishoprick , because he would not comply to the six articles ; and when his rotchet was pulled off , he leaped for joy of being lightned of so great a burden as his bishops office ; he was usually studying both summer and winter by two of the clock in the morning , p. 462. he was a great prophet , foretelling most plagues that came on england , and used to say his preaching the gospel would cost him his life , as it also did ; he prayed earnestly and often , so that being aged he could not get up again from his knees ; in his prayer he much and earnestly desired the restoring the gospel again to england , which god granted in a short time by queen elizabeth ; he also beg'd that as god had called him to be a minister of the gospel , he might have grace to stand for it to death , and to give his hearts blood for it ; which god answered and effected ; for at the stake in the greatest extremity he lifted up his eyes to heaven , and with an amiable countenance said , god is faithful who hath promised not to suffer us to be tempted above our strength ; and by and by fire breaking his body the blood of his heart was shed for christ , in such abundance , that the standers by did marvel , as if all the blood of his body was gathered to his heart . p. 463. the bishops according to custom presenting the king each new-years-day with a gift , he being bishop of worcester , whilst others presented gold , silver , &c. presented king henry the 8 th with a new testament with a napkin having this poesie , whoremongers and adulterers god will judge , pag. 486. he being at the stake in his shirt , to be burned in oxford with bishop ridley , the executioner brought a faggot kindled with fire and laid it at ridley's feet , to whom latimer said , be of good comfort mr. ridley , and play the man , we shall light such a candle this day by gods grace in england , as i trust shall never be put out ; and in the flame he cryed , oh father of heaven receive my soul ; receiving the flames , as it were embracing them , he soon dyed feeling little or no pain . vol. 3. p. 503. hugh laverock , a lame man of 68 years of age , going on crutches , and one apprice a blind man were burned , 1556. by bishop bonners command ; and at the stake this laverock the cripple threw away his crutches , and turning to apprice did comfort him saying , be of good comfort , my brother , for my lord of london is our good physician , he will heal us both shortly , thee of thy blindness , and me of my lameness . and so they both suffered . vol. 3. p. 701. mrs. ioice lewis , a gentlewoman of manceter , was burnt for the gospel in queen maries days ; who was at first in her days a great papist , till the burning of one laurence saunders by the papists for the mass , which put her upon an enquiry into it ; and she consulting some persons about it , declined it , nor would frequent mass ; for which she was punished , and at last condemned : and when in the morning before she suffered , the sheriff told her of it , after one years imprisonment , giving her but one hours time to prepare for it ; she said , your message is welcome to me ; and i thank god that he will make me worthy to adventure my life in his quarrel . going to the stake she prayed against popist idolatry , and drank to all them that truly believed the gospel : in the fire she neither struggled nor stirred , but only held up her hands to heaven , and so dyed soon . vol. 3. p. 839. mrs. elizabeth lawson , an ancient gentlewoman of 60 years of age of bedfield in suffolk , was sent to berry goal 1556. because she would not go to mass , and at last she was condemned to be burnt : she continued in prison two years and three quarters , in which time her son and many more were burnt , and she hearing of it , said often , good lord what is the cause that i may not yet come to thee with thy children ? well good lord , thy blessed will be done , and not mine . but by the death of queen mary she was delivered . vol. 3. p. 916. m m martyrs to the number of 300 at carthage under the 8 th persecution , being offered near lime-kills , either to offer incense to iupiter , or to go into the furnace of lime , did all together rush into the kill , and were there , with the dusty smoak of the lime , smothered . vol. 1. p. 94. a mother exhorted her child of seven years of age , suffering under the 7 th persecution , to suffer joyfully ; and while it was tormenting and slaying , she sang to god thus , all laud and praise with heart and voice , o lord we yield to thee ; to whom the death of all thy saints we know most dear to be . vol. 1. p. 116. mary . see ursula . michael michfote , a taylor in france , burned 1547. being apprehended for the gospel's sake , and put to his choice whether he would turn and be beheaded , or not turn and be burnt ; he said , god who had given him grace not to deny the truth , would also give him patience to abide the fire ; and so he was burned . vol. 2. p. 134. lodovicus marsac , being with two others , at lyons in france , apprehended and condemned 1553. they all sang psalms ; and the other two having a rope put about their necks , and he having not one , did desire that he might have one of those precious chains about his neck , in honour of his lord ; which request was granted , and they all three were cast into the fire . vol. 2. p. 141. 88 martyrs murthered at calabria in italy , 1560. whom the executioner , bringing out one by one with a muster , on a stage before the people , took a knife and slew , by cutting the throat , of one , and leaving him half dead , bleeding , went for another ; and so served every one till the 88 were murthered ; which sight amazed the people , and shamed even some of the romanists . vol. 2. p. 184.188 . walter mille , a scotch man , 1558. was condemned to be burnt ; whom the popish party could neither affright with threats , nor allure with proposals ; but he said to them , i am accused of my life , i know i must dye once , and therefore ye shall know i will not recant the truth : i am corn , not chaff ; i will not be blown away with the wind , nor burst with the flail , but will abide both : and at the stake , the bishops being constrained by the people to give him liberty to speak , he made his humble supplication to god on his knees ; and then said to the people , dear friends , i suffer this day not for any crime laid to my charge ( albeit i be a miserable sinner before god ) but only for the defence of the faith of christ iesus ; for which i praise god that he hath this day called me , of his mercy , amongst the rest of his servants , the martyrs , to seal up his truth with my life ; which as i received on him , so i willingly offer it to his glory ; and so he dyed : and was the last martyr that dyed in scotland for religion . vol. 2. p. 626. george marsh , of deane in lancashire , married , and was a farmer ; but after his wife's death he went to cambridge to study , and was a minister of gods word , and zealous against popery , for which he was imprisoned : his mother , and divers other friends , advised him to fly : to whose counsel , saith he , my flesh would gladly have consented , but my spirit did not fully agree . whereupon he prayed earnestly to god for direction , and unexpectedly in the morning he had a letter from a friend , whose bearer said to him , before he looked on the letter , that his friends advice was , not to flee , but to abide boldly and confess the name of christ ; which he did . he was many wayes , and much sollicited to turn upon the account of his children : whom , he said , he would gladly keep , could it be with a pure conscience ; and he would have accepted of queen mary's mercy , should he not thereby , by denying christ , win everlasting misery . he was burned april 24. 1555. with a firkin of pitch over his head ; which melting and dropping on him , added much to his torments ; yet after much misery when they thought him to be dead , he spread his hands , saying , father of heaven have mercy upon me , and so he dyed . vol. 3. p. 228. menas , an egyptian , under the 10 th persecution , lived a retired life a great while ; at length returning to the city cotis , in the open theatre , at a time of pastimes , he loudly proclaimed himself a christian ; and being brought to pyrrhus the president , and demanded of his faith , he said , it is convenient i should confess god , citing rom. 10.10 . and being most painfully pinched and tormented , he said in the midst of his torments , there is nothing in my mind that can be compared to the price of one soul ; and said , i have learned of my lord and king , not to fear them who kill the body , and have no power to kill the soul. and being sentenced to be beheaded , he said , i give thee thanks my lord god , which hast so accepted me to be found a partaker of thy precious death ; and hast not given me to be devoured of my fierce enemies , but hast made me to remain constant in thy pure faith to my life's end . vol. 1. p. 117 , 118. n n saintinus nivet , being a cripple , burnt at paris 1546. when apprehended and asked if he would stand to what he said , he asked his judges if they dare be so bold to deny what was so plain in express words of scripture , and did so little regard his own life , that he desired his judges for gods sake , that they would rather take care of their own souls and lives , and consider how much innocent blood they spilled daily , in fighting against christ and his gospel . he suffered at paris . vol. 1. p. 133. noblemen 100 , and others , of alsatia , were burned and martyred the 1212. year of christ , under pope henricus 3. for holding every day was free for eating flesh , so it be done soberly ; and that they did wickedly who restrained priests from their lawful wives . vol. 1. pag. 336. iohn noyes , a shoe-maker of laxfield in suffolk , burned 1557. in september , when he came to the place of execution he kneeled down and sang the 50 th psalm ; and being bound at the stake , he said , fear not them that kill the body , but fear him that can kill both body and soul , and cast it into everlasting fire : and seeing his sister weeping , he desired her not to weep for him , but for her sins . having a faggot thrown at him , he kissed it , and said , blessed be the time that ever i was born to come to this . and in the fire he said , lord have mercy upon me , christ have mercy upon me , son of david have mercy upon me . he wrote a letter to his wife containing nothing but consolation from texts of scripture , and bidding her farewell , he desired his wife and children to leave worldly care , and see that they were diligent to pray . vol. 3. p. 850 , 851 , 852. nichaise of tombe , born in tournay , martyred for the gospel , being condemned , he said , praised be god. at the stake he said , lord they have hated me without a cause ; and prayed thus , eternal father ! have pity and compassion on me , according as thou hast promised to all that ask the same of thee in thy sons name . and so he continued praying until his last gasp . additions to vol. 3. of the massacre in france and flanders . p. 33. o o origen at 17 years old wrote to his father leonides , to encourage him to suffer martyrdom under the fifth persecution , began the 205. year of christ. he wrote about 7000 volumes , as much as 7 notaries and as many women could pen. vol. 2. p. 70. cicely ormes , wife of edward ormes a worsted-weaver in norwich , was burnt september 23. 1557. at norwich . she was an ignorant simple woman , yet zealous in the lord's cause ; and being threatned by the chancellor of norwich , she said , he should not be so desirous of her sinful flesh , as she would by god's grace be content to give it in so good a quarrel . being condemned , at the stake she pray'd and repeated her faith , and then said to the people : i would not have you think that i believe to be saved in that i offer my self here unto death for christ 's cause ; but i believe to be saved by the death of christ 's passion , and this my death is and shall be a witness of my faith unto you all : good people , as many as believe of you , i pray you pray for me . and then she coming to the stake , she kissed it , and said : welcome sweet cross of christ ; and so was bound to it : and in the fire she said ; my soul doth magnifie the lord , and my spirit hath rejoyced in god my saviour ; and so she yielded up her life . vol. 3. p. 833. robert oguier , of the city lile in flanders , his wife and two sons bardicon and martin were apprehended 1556. and first the father and bardicon suffer'd , who upon examination confessed their faith ; and bardicon being apprehended , as he went , said : o lord assist us with thy grace , not onely to be prisoners for thy sake , but so as to seal with our bloods thy truth : and told the emperor's commissioners the tenour of their prayers ( in their meetings ) for god's glory , and the empires and emperors felicity . and then he and his father submitted themselves to the judges ( while martin his brother chose to accompany his mother , who was still detained in prison . ) and these two were by their judges condemned to be burnt , which sentence being past , they returned to prison , rejoycing that the lord had honoured them to enroll them amongst the number of martyrs . the day of execution being told them , they blessed god who delivering their bodies out of prison , would receive their souls into his kingdom . the father being advised to pity his soul , said : you see what pity i have of it , when for the name of christ i willingly abandon my body to the fire , hoping to day to be with him in paradise . at the stake he and his son sang the 16. psalm ; and being chained , the son said to his father ; be of good comfort , the worst will be past by and by : and often repeated these words ; o god , father everlasting , accept the sacrifice of our bodys for thy wel-beloved son jesus christ 's sake : and lifting his eyes to heaven , he spoke to his father , saying ; o father ! behold i see the heavens open , and millions of angels ready to receive us , rejoycing to see us thus witnessing our truth in the view of the world. father , let us be glad and rejoyce , for the joyes of heaven are set before us . fire being kindled , he oft repeated to his father thus , yet a little while , and we shall enter into the heavenly mansions ; and their last words were , jesus christ thou son of god into thy hands we commend our spirits . and within 8 dayes the mother iane oguier and martin her son , were brought forth ; but in prison iane by the papists , was perswaded to recant , and to endeavour her son's return to popery ; who hearing of it , said to her ; oh mother , what have you done ? have you denyed him that redeemed you ? what evil hath he done you , that you should requite him with so great an injury ? ah , good god! that i should live to see this day , which pierceth my heart . and his mother hearing his words , and seeing his tears , began to renew her strength in the lord , and with tears cry'd , father of mercies be merciful to me , miserable sinner , and cover my transgressions under the righteousness of thy blessed son. lord enable me to stand to my first confession , and to abide stedfast in it to my last breath : and when the papists came to her again , she said ; avoid satan , get thee behind me ; for hence forth thou hast neither part nor portion in me , i will by the help of my god stand to my confession , and if i may not sign it with ink , i will seal it with my blood. and so she and her son were condemned to be burnt , and their ashes to be cast into air ; who rejoyced at the sentence , and accounted it a day of triumph over their enemies ; and martin being profer'd an hundred pound if he would recant , said , he would not lose an eternal kingdom for it . addition to vol. 3. of massacres of france pag. 1. to 5. p p philip the apostle , after he had much laboured amongst the barbarous nations , in preaching the word of salvation to them , at length he suffer'd in hierapolis a city of phrygia , being there crucified and stoned to death ; where also he was buried , and his daughters with him . vol. 1. pag. 42 , 43. peter the apostle , being to be crucified under domitius nero , would be crucified with his head downwards , and his feet upwards ; because he said he was unworthy to be crucified after the same manner and form as the lord was . vol. 1. pag. 45. as he was a crucifying , he , seeing his wife going to her martyrdom , was greatly joyous and glad thereof , and spake to her with a loud voice , called her by her name , and bidding her remember the lord iesus . vol. 1. p. 45. polycarpus , three dayes before he was apprehended saw in a vision his bed on fire , and consumed ; and when he awaked he told them with him , how that he should die in the fire for christ : and when he was pursued , having removed once or twice , and might still have fled , he would not , but said ; the will of god be done : and came down to his pursuers as soon as he heard they were come , and spake to them with a chearful voice and a pleasant countenance , and caused the table to be spread , and they to dine with him ; and begg'd of them an hours time for prayer : which he made so , as the hearers thereof were astonished and sorry they had pursued him : and going to the place of execution , in an uproar of the people , when he could not be heard , there came a voice to him from heaven , saying : be of good chear , polycarp , and play the man. many heard the voice , but none was seen to speak . and after this , polycarp being advised by the proconsul to defie christ , he said ; 86 years have i been his servant , and in all this time he hath not so much as hurt me ; how then can i speak evil of my king and soveraign lord who hath thus preserved me . being to be fixed to the stake , he would not ; but said , god who had given him strength to suffer , would give him power to abide , and not stir in the midst of the fire . so he stood , and thank'd god that he should now become a martyr ; and though the fire was kindled , yet could it not burn his body , but the wind kept it off ; and when the persecutors saw that , they order'd his body to be thrust thorow with a sword ; and so much blood issued out as quenched the fire . he suffered the 167. year of christ , about ianuary 24. and was martyred in his own church at smyrna . vol. 1. p. 55 , 56 , 57. ptolomeus being demanded , whether he was a christian , declared that he had taught and professed the verity of the christian doctrine ; for whoso denyeth to be what he is , either condemneth in denying the thing that he is , or maketh himself unworthy of that , the confession whereof he flyeth ; which thing is never found in a true and sincere christian. he was condemned to suffer . vol. 1. p. 59. ioannes pistorius , one of holland , preaching and speaking against the masses and other popish abuses , was committed to prison with ten other malefactors , whom he comforted ; and to one of them , being half naked , he gave his own gown : he was condemned and degraded , and had a fools coat put on him ; his fellows at his death sang te deum : and he coming to the stake gave his neck willingly to the band , saying , o death , where is thy victory ? 1524. vol. 2. p. 116. stephen peloquine , burnt at ville france in france , 1553. being half burnt , ceased not to hold up his hands , and call on the lord , to the admiration of people . vol. 2. p. 141. mrs. philips , a gentlewoman of paris , 1558. being apprehended and condemned for the gospel's sake , received it couragiously ; and being to be distongued , she said , shall i , who do not stick to give my body , stick to give my tongue ? and being distongued , though she was in mourning for her husband , a lord of that country , then late deceased ; she laid aside her mourning , and on the day of execution she decked her self in her best aray , as if she was going to another marriage ; nor did she alter her colour or countenance , during her suffering . vol. 2. p. 156. anthony persons , a great preacher of the gospel in king henry the 8 th's days , 1544. and was , by dr. london , condemned ; who answering to his indictment , said , so long as i preached up the pope and his superstition , so long ye favoured me ; but since i took on me to preach christ , ye have alwayes sought my life ; but it makes no matter , for when ye have taken your pleasure on my body , i trust it shall not be in your power to hurt my soul. he , with one testwood , and filmer , were condemned to suffer : and the night before they suffered they spent almost wholly in prayers for strength under the cross , and comforting one another that their master christ who had led the way before them , and had so far made them worthy to suffer for his sake , would give them stedfast faith and power to overcome these fiery torments ; and of his free mercy , for his promise sake , receive their souls . praying that god would forgive their enemies and turn their hearts , which out of blindness and ignorance had done they knew not what . this persons afterwards coming to the stake , did embrace it , saying , now welcome mine own sweet wife ; for this day shall thou and i be married together in the love and peace of god. vol. 2. p. 152 , 153 , 154. iohn philpot , a knights son of hampshire , brought up at oxford ; a great scholar , and a zealous preacher , who in king edward the 6 th's days was arch-deacon of winchester ; and in queen mary's days , with a few others , opposed popery , and stood in the vindication of the gospel in the convocation-house at london , against all the other prelates called by the queen to determine of religion . vol. 3. p. 538. being apprehended and examined by bishop bonner , and told that the next day he should be judged , he said , i am glad hereof , i look for no other but death at your hands , and i am as ready to yield my life in christ's cause as you are to require it . p. 547. and being in discourse with dr. story , he said , i am sure i have the iudge on my side , who shall justifie me in another world ; and however you now unrighteously do judge me , yet sure i am , in another world , to judge you : and after , when dr. story hastned his death , and said to philpot , he came to hasten it ; which he came to tell him , he said , that he might thank no body else for it : to whom philpot answered , i thank you with all my heart , and i pray god forgive you . and going again to prison , meeting with bishop bonner , who proffered him any pleasure he could shew him , he only requested this pleasure , that his lordship would hasten his judgment , and dispatch him out of this miserable world to his eternal rest , p. 151. at last he being condemned , and having word of it the night before , to be ready next morning to be burnt , he said , i am ready , god grant me strength and a joyful resurrection : and so retiring to his chamber , he prayed and praised god , that he had made him worthy to suffer for his truth . in the morning , coming to smithfield where he was burnt , he kneeled down at the entrance into it , and said , i will pay my vows in thee , o smithfield ! and then coming to the stake he kist it , saying ▪ shall i disdain to suffer at the stake , seeing my redeemer did not refuse to suffer on his cross for me : and then he said the 106 , 107 , 108. psalms ; and was burnt december 18. 1555. his letters were many and pious , comforting the penitent sinners : from , 1. examples of penitents . 2. god can pardon more than we can sin , and will pardon him who with hope of mercy is sorry for his sin . 3. god permits his people to see the evil of their sins , and to sorrow for it , to let them experience his superabounding grace : he brings to hell , that with greater joy he might lift up to heaven . 4. satan's conflict in you tempting , and your strife against sin , is an evidence you are the child of god , whom he may unawares cause to fall by sin , but he shall never overcome ; for god doth it but to try your faith , and he beholds your resistance , is pleased with it , and will never forsake you : the just falls 7 times a day , but yet he riseth again . 5. rejoyce therein , in that your temptation and sorrow shall add to your glory . pag. 598. in divers letters he much exhorts to martyrdom ; and in one to the lady vane , he thus writes : the world wonders we can be merry in such extreme misery , but our god is omnipotent who turns misery into felicity . believe me , dear sister , there is no such joy in the world , as the people of god have under the cross : i speak by experience , therefore believe me , and fear nothing that the world can do ; for when they imprison our bodies , they set at liberty our souls ; when they kill us , they bring us to everlasting life : and what greater glory can there be than to be at conformity with christ , which afflictions do work in us . pag. 603. in another he writes to her , he saith ; i that am under the cross have felt more true joy and consolation in it than ever i did by any benefit that god hath given me in all my life before ; for the more the world hates , the nigher god is unto us , and there is no joy but in god. pag. 604. in another to that lady , he writes thus : we have cause to be glad of the times of persecution as to our selves ; for if we be imprisoned , we are blessed ; if we lose all we have , we are blessed a hundred times ; if we die , we are blessed eternally : so that in suffering persecution all is full of blessings . vol. 3. pag. 605. agnes potten , an ipswich woman , burnt with ioan trunchfield in q. mary's dayes . they being undressed for the fire , with comfortable words of scripture exhorted people to constancy against popery ; and so continuing in the torment of the fire , they held up their hands and called on god constantly , so long as life endured . vol. 3. p. 678. iulius palmer , born at coventry , and student and fellow of magdalen colledge in oxford , who in king edward the sixth's dayes was a great papist , for which he was expelled the colledge , till queen mary's time , when he was received again to his fellowship ; and about 24 years of age by scriptures , and peter martyr's books , and calvin's institutions , god so wrought that he became a zealous protestant , nor would be revoked from it , declaring the pope to be antichrist ; whereupon for his safety he left the colledge , and went to reding to teach a school , where in a short time by false pretended friends he was betray'd and forced to fly . and he thinking to receive some legacy due to him by his father's will , went to his mother in this his need , and begging her blessing on his knees , she saluted him thus ; you shall have christ 's curse and my curse where ever you go : to which words of his mother , he said , being amazed at the salutation : your curse , o mother , you may give me , which ( god knows ) i have not deserved ; but god's curse you cannot give me , for he hath already blessed me . then she said , you went out of god's blessing into the warm sun , when you went from your religion ; for i am sure you believe not as i and your father , and our fore-fathers believed , but art an heretique : and know your father bequeathed nothing for heretiques : as for money and goods , i have none for you ; faggots i have to burn you ; more you get not at my hands . to whom he answer'd , i am no heretick , but do embrace a religion as old as christ and his apostles ; and though you curse me , yet i pray god bless you : and so softly spoke to her , that she threw after him an old angel to keep him honest . so he went away from his mother , going privately to reding again , to gather up some money due to him , where he was basely betray'd , and brought to examination , and was condemned ; and about one hour before his execution , he comforts himself and two others who suffer'd with him , with christ's words , mat. 5.10 , 11 , 12. and by these sayings ; be of good chear in the lord ; faint not we shall not end our lives in the fire , but make a change for a better life ; yea , for coals we shall receive pearls . and in the fire they three lifted up their hands , and quietly and chearfully as if feeling no pain , they cry'd , lord jesus strengthen us , lord jesus assist us , lord jesus receive our souls : and so called on iesus till they dyed , being burnt at newbury iuly 16. 1556. vol. 3. pag. 733 to 741. one prest's wife of exeter , being a protestant , but seeming to be a simple ignorant woman , left her husband and children , because they were papists , and went up and down to work for her living ; and being taken and examined , she said , in the cause of christ and his truth , she must either forsake christ or her husband ; i am content to stick only to christ my heavenly spouse ; and renounce the other ; whom i left not for whoredom , theft , or the like , but because they by their superstition and idolatry persecuted me , rebuked and troubled me , when i would have had them leave their idolatry . the doctors further talking with her , she said : you do but trouble my conscience ; you will have me follow your doings , but i will first lose my life ; i pray depart . she openly reproved and argued against their idolatry , and that they went about to damn souls by their doctrine , and perswading them to idolatry . she seemed to be a very simple woman , yet could she rehearse many places in scripture . and when ( she being condemned ) was desired to ask pardon , because she was an unlearned woman , not able to answer in such high matters ; she said , i am not indeed able to answer in such high matters , yet with my death am i content to be a witness of christ 's death . and being again proffer'd a pardon if she would recant , she said ; nay , that i will not ; god forbid i should lose life eternal for this carnal and short life ; i will never turn from my heavenly husband to my earthly ; from the fellowship of angels to my mortal children : and if my husband and children be faithful , i am theirs . god is my father , god is my mother , god is my brother , god is my sister , my kinsman , my friend most faithful . and at the stake she continued crying , lord , be merciful to me a sinner . vol. 3. p. 890 , 891. peter chevet , burnt at maubert near paris march 11. 1559. being threatned to suffer , he said ; truly i do not think to escape your hands ; and though ye scorch and roast me alive , yet will i never renounce my christ. being asked by the official , if he would not be absolved , he said , it is a question , oh poor man ! whether thou canst save thy self ; and wilt thou take upon thee to save others ? who being thereat angry , threatned him with longer imprisonment ; to whom the martyr said ; alas ! alas ! though i should rot in prison , yet shall you find me still the same man. and at the stake , having his cloaths pull'd off , he said : how happy , how happy , oh how happy am i ? with eyes lift up to heaven ; and so he died . additions to vol. 3. concerning massacre in france , pag. 9. r r romanus , a great encourager of the christians in antioch , when they were persecuted in the 10 th persecution , was himself by galerius , then emperour , called out , apprehended , and sentenced to all the torments the christians should have undergone , who said , o emperour , i joyfully accept of thy sentence , i refuse not to be sacrificed for my brethren ; and that by as cruel a means as thou may'st invent : then he was scourged , and under the lashes he sang psalms , and laughed to scorn the heathens gods ; affirming the christian's god to be the only true god , before whose judicial seat all nations should appear : then was his side launched till the bones appeared ; yet he still preached christ , and exhorted them to adore the living god ; then were his teeth knockt out , his eye-lids torn , his face cut ; and he said , i thank thee that thou hast opened to me many mouths whereby i may preach my lord and saviour iesus christ ; look how many mouths i have , so many mouths i have lauding and praising god. after that he was brought to new wounds and stripes , and distongued ; who still spake and said , he that speaketh christ shall never want a tongue . at length he was had to prison , and there strangled . when some pleaded he was of noble parentage , and it was not lawful to put such a one to an un-noble death ; he said , he required them not to spare him for nobility-sake ; for , said he , not the blood of my progenitors , but chrstian profession maketh me noble . vol. 1. p. 116 , 117. iohn rogers , a cambridge scholar , and chaplain to the merchants of brabant beyond sea , where he was acquainted with mr. tindal , and helped him and mr. coverdale in the translation of the bible ; he threw off the yoak of popery , and becoming a protestant , he married and went to live at wittenberg in saxony , vol. 3. p. 119. and there learning the dutch tongue , he had a congregation committed to his charge , where he staid till king edward the 6 th's time ; and then being orderly called , came into england and preached there , and was by bishop ridley made prebend of paul's ; but in queen mary's days he suffered much , and was burned feb. 4. 1555. he was the first that suffered in queen mary's days ; he prophesied of rome's downfall , and that e're long in england true gospel ordinances should be again restored , and the poor people of england should be brought to as good , or a better state : his wife , and ten children that could go , and one at her breast , met him going to burn ; but he was not moved , but continued constant , and suffered . vol. 3. p. 130 , 131. bishop ridley , born in northumberlandshire , had his education in newcastle , was master of pembroke-hall in cambridge , vol. 1. p. 432. then chaplain to king henry the 8 th , who made him bishop of rochester ; and in king edward the 6 th's days he was made bishop of london . he preached every sunday , and holyday , in some place or other , if not hindred by great affairs : he was kind and affable , one that presently forgave injuries ; and was wont to tell his relations , that if they acted evil , he should esteem them as strangers to him ; and they who did honestly , should be to him as brothers and sisters . as soon as he was ready each morning , he alwayes prayed for half an hour , and then spent most part of the day and night in study , he not going to bed usually till eleven of the clock , and then praying . he did read every day a lecture in his family , gave every one of his family a new testament , and hired them to learn several chapters , especially the 13. of the acts. he being advised , by one that was his chaplain formerly , to consult others , and to turn papist , he said , i would have you know that i esteem nothing available for me , which also will not further the glory of god. vol. 3. p. 447. he being condemned at oxford , was kept close prisoner in mr. irish , the major's house ; where he being at supper the night before he was to suffer , he was very merry , and invited the guests at the table to his wedding next day ; for to morrow , saith he , i shall be married ; which the major's wife hearing , wept ; to whom he said , you love me not now i see , for i perceive you will not be at my wedding , nor are contented with my marriage ; but quiet your self , though my breakfast be sharp and painful , yet i am sure my supper shall be more pleasant and sweet . vol. 3. p. 502. and at the stake , he suffering with mr. latimer , he chearfully ran to him , embraced him , kissed him , and said , be of good chear brother , for god will either asswage the fury of the flames , or else strengthen us to abide it : and then he went to the stake and kissed it , and prayed effectually . being stript into his shirt , he held up his hands , and said , o heavenly father , i give thee most hearty thanks that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee , even to death . and fire being kindled , he often said , into thy hands o lord , i commend my spirit ; lord , lord , receive my spirit : but through the badness of the fire he burned on one side , and below on the legs , a great while , and yet his upper parts were not burned , so that he leaped under the faggots ; and calling to the lord for mercy , did call on the persons by to let the fire come to him , for he could not burn , he said ; and shewed them one side clean shirt , and all untouched , whole , and the other burnt . p. 504 , 505. he writing to his friends , and taking leave of them , desires them not to be astonished at the manner of his sufferings ; and said , i assure you i esteem it the greatest honour that ever i was called to in my life ; and i thank my lord heartily for it , that he hath called me to the high favour to suffer death willingly for his sake , which is an inestimable gift of god ; therefore , o ye that love me , rejoice , and rejoice again , with me ; and render , with me , thanks to god that hath called me to this dignity . vol. 3. p. 505. could queen mary have been entreated for bishop ridley , or could his life have been purchased , the lord dacres in the north , his kinsman , would have given her 1000 marks , or 1000 pounds , rather than he should have been burned . vol. 3. p. 996. iohn rabec , burned at aniers in france , april 24. 1556. had his tongue cut out , because he would not pronounce iesus maria , joining them both in one prayer ; and being urged thereto with great threats , he said , if his tongue should but offer to do so , he would himself bite it asunder . additions to vol. 3. concerning french massacre , p. 5. anthony ricetto , a martyr at venice , 1566. being , by his son of twelve years of age , perswaded to recant , that he might not be fatherless ; said to his child , a good christian is bound to forego goods , children , yea life it self , for the maintenance of god's honour and glory : and so he was drowned , having an iron hoop about him , and to a chain fastned to that hoop a great weight fastned ; and so carryed in a wherry into the sea : where being laid on a board , and that board laid cross on two wherries , the wherries removing he fell into the sea ; which was the manner of the venetians punishing their martyrs . additions to vol. 3. p. 44. s s sanctus , being under the fourth persecution grievously tormented ; and by the tormentors asked , what he was , answered nothing , but said he was a christian : and notwithstanding his being scorched by hot plates in the tenderest parts of the body , so that his body lost the shape of a man ; yet he never shrank : and declared , that nothing was terrible or ought to be feared where the love of god is , and nothing grievous wherein the glory of christ is manifested . and when he was again punished , though his body was so misfigured before his second punishment , yet now was it reduced to its first shape of a man , and suppled in all its contracted parts . soon after he was again tormented , and set in an hot iron-chair ; nor yet would he confess any thing but that he was a christian : and after this , being made a sad spectacle to the people , he was beheaded . vol. 1. p. 60.61 , 62. souldiers , being put to their choice by the marshal of the camp by diocletian's order under the tenth persecution , whether they would sacrifice to idols at the emperours command , or lay aside their offices and weapons : they unanimously answered , they were ready not only to lay down their weapons , but their lives also if by the emperour's tyranny required , rather than they would obey the wicked decrees of him . vol. 1. p. 101. simeon archbishop of seleucia , being by sapores king of persia , under the tenth persecution , called and examined , confessed himself to be a christan : and being demanded , why he kneeled not before the king as he used to do , he said , that before he observed what the custom of the realm did require of him ; but now it is not lawful , for i come to stand in defence of our religion and doctrine . he was beheaded . vol. 1. pag. 125 , 126. see usthazares in the latter part of this book . henry sutphen monk , an associate of luthers 1524. converted breme , and being sent for after two years time to deithmar to preach amongst those great idolaters , he at last went , designing only to lay the foundation of a reformation , and so to return to breme , to satisfie the importunity of his friends . he being at breme , the monks and friars conspire against him , and consult his destruction ; accordingly they sent minatory letters to the inhabitants at deithmar , and also to their parish priest , who had received him : but sutphen's ananswer was , that being called by them to preach the gospel , he would do it ; and if it pleased god he should lose his life at deithmar ; there was as near a way to heaven as in any other place : for he doubted not at all that once he must suffer for the gospels sake . upon this courage he preached divers times , and popish priests were sent to supplant him , and to trap him in his sermons ; many of whom were converted by them , and did declare them to be agreeable to the word of god. after this many ways were used to destroy him ; and at last the franciscan friars conspired with some presidents of the country to kill him , before the inhabitants of the town of deithmar should know of it , or before his cause were try'd , not permitting him to speak to them for himself , lest ( as they said ) he should perswade them to be hereticks : whereupon the presidents assembled 500 husbandmen , to whom ( when met together ) they imparted the business ; who detesting it would not do it , but would have returned home ; but were forced to obedience by the threats of their governour ; who to fit them for the work , gave them three barrels of hamborough beer , and then about midnight they came to deithmar to the priest's , and first wofully abused him , and then trained sutphen out of bed naked , and tying his hands behind him , forced him on so fast that his feet were much wounded by the ice ; whereof he complaining and desiring a horse , they said he should go on foot whether he would or no : and in the morning after much misery by him suffered , without any examination they condemned him to be burnt ; and accordingly they bound him hands , neck and feet , and brought him to the fire , which was not oftner kindled than it went out , nor could they make the wood burn . as he passed by to the fire , a woman , seeing the sad usage of him , wept bitterly : to whom he did reply , weep not , i pray , for me . and at the fire , being condemned , he said ; i have done no such thing as they accuse me of : and holding up his hands , he said ; o lord , forgive them , for they offend ignorantly , not knowing what they do . in the mean time , a certain woman offer'd to suffer 1000 stripes , and to give them much money , so they would but keep him in prison till he had pleaded his cause ; but they were the more enraged , and threw down and trod upon the woman . and seeing the fire would not burn sutphen , they smote him with their hands , and prick'd and struck him with divers weapons , and then bound him to a ladder by the neck to strangle him , so strait and hard that the blood gushed out of his nose and mouth ; the doer of it treading upon his breast the while , not permitting him to prate or pray ; and being tyed to a ladder , one iohn holmes ran to him , and struck him with a mace till he was dead . vol. 1. pag. 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106. mr. peter spengler of schalt , in the countrey of brisgois 1525. a vigilant preacher and a peaceable good man , often reconciling differences with great prudence , and much lamenting the corruptness of principles and practises of the popish monks , and especially their vow of single life and its consequents , which moved him to marry ; for which crime chiefly he was afterwards apprehended , and condemned to die : and being led to execution , he answer'd all persons gently , but desir'd the monks to let him alone , who troubled him with their babling about confession , when he was striving in his spirit against the horror of death , and making his prayer to god , to whom he said also that he had confessed his sins to god , not doubting but he had received absolution and forgiveness of them . and i , said he , shall be an acceptable sacrifice to my saviour jesus christ ; for i have done no such things whereof i am condemned , which might displease my god , who in this behalf hath given me a good and quiet conscience : saying also , he being very lean , it is all one , for i must shortly have forsaken my skin , which scarce cleaves to my bones : i know i am a mortal and corruptible worm ; i have oft desired my last day , and have made my request that i might be delivered out of this mortal body to be joyned with my saviour jesus christ. i have deserved through my sins my cross , and my saviour hath born the cross ; and for my part i will not glory in any other thing but in the cross of christ. presently he was cast into the river ; he strugling a while in it , the water was red with blood , which the people looked to be a miraculous sign to shew that innocent blood was that day shed . this was done at enshesheim 1525. vol. 2. p. 111 , 112. wolfgangus schuch , a german , at st. hyppolite 1525. a town in lotharing ; a reverend and godly pastor , there preached he justification through christ by faith. he was apprehended willingly , offering himself to tryal by scripture , rather than to see the town of st. hyppolite be exposed to the danger threatn'd to it by anthony duke of lorrain for his sake ; and being apprehended , he was imprisoned in sad misery a year , where disputing with divers friars he confounded them all by scripture . at last he was condemned to be burnt ; at which sentence he sang , and being at the place of execution , he sang the 51. psalm till smoke and fire choak'd him . vol. 2. pag. 112. george scherler , a german preacher near saltzburg , was taken and imprisoned and condemned to be burnt alive ; but at last it was granted he should be first beheaded . he going to his death , said , that ye may know that i die a true christian , i will give you a manifest sign : which he did by god's power ; for after his head was off his body , falling on his belly , and so lying a good while , it easily turn'd it self on the back , and crossed the right foot over the left , and the right hand over the left ; at which sight the spectators marvelled , and the magigistrates burned not but buried the body amongst the christians ; and many were hereby brought to believe the gospel . vol. 2. p. 117. peter serre , was burned 1553. in france ; who having his tongue cut out stood so quiet looking up to heaven at the time of his burning , as though he had felt no pain , bringing such admiration to the people , that one of the parliament of france that condemned him , said , that way was not best to bring lutherans to the fire , for that would do more hurt than good . vol. 2. p. 143. mrs. smith near coventry , condemned and burnt for having the lord's prayer in english , april 4. 1519. vol. 2. p. 225. hellen stirk , a scottish woman , seeing her husband go to the stake 1543. for christ's cause , and being her self condemned , did desire to suffer with her husband ; but when it was not permitted , she went to him and exhorted him to perseverance , and with a kiss parted , saying ; husband , rejoyce , for we have lived many a joyful day together ; but this day in which we must die together ought to be most joyful unto us both , because we must have joy for ever ; therefore i will not bid you good night , for we shall suddenly meet with joy in the kingdom of heaven . and after that , she parting with her sucking child from her breast , recommended her self to god and the child to nurse , and so was drowned . vol. 2. pag. 615 , 616. laurence saunders , brought up at eaton , and then at king's colledge in cambridge three years ; then by his mother , having a great estate , was bound apprentice in london to a merchant , sir william chester ; but he not liking his apprentiship , his master gave him his indentures , perceiving his inclinations to study ; and being himself a good man , he wrote letters to his mother and friends ( who were great persons ) about it : whereby he went again to king's colledge , and after several years was a minister in leicestershire , and then in london till queen mary's dayes , when he had two livings , not being permitted to lay down either of them by reason of the troubles ; and as well as he could he preached at both , though at length at london he going to preach was disswaded for fear of danger , but he would not cease : and preaching , he did ( as he often had ) speak against popish tenets , for which he was examined by bishop bonner , and gardiner ; and at last imprisoned , he prayed much ; and in all spiritual assaults , he prayed and found present relief ; and he said , while bishop gardiner examined him , he found a great consolation in spirit , and also in body he received a certain taste of the communion of saints , whilst a pleasant refreshing issued from all parts of his body to his heart , and thence did ebb and flow to and fro . he in a letter to bishop gardiner , proved popery a whoreish and ravening religion , robbing god of his honour and worship in truth ; and also our consciences of peace and true comfort . he disswaded his wife and friends from sueing for his liberty : he , in his letters , spoke much of his own experience through god's grace , of christ's sweetness ; and how loath his flesh was to go forward in god's path , and also his hopes with the godly to be shortly singing halelujah in heaven ; and as he saluted those to whom he wrote with grace and mercy and peace , and assured them of his prayers for them , so also he generally begg'd their prayers , ending his letters with pray , pray , pray ; and after 15 months imprisonment he was condemned , who said , my dear lord iesus christ hath begun to me a more bitter cup than mine can be , and shall not i pledge my most sweet saviour ? yes i hope . as he went to stake he oft fell down and prayed ; and at the stake he took it in his arms and kissed it , saying , welcome the cross of christ , welcome everlasting life ; and so being fastned , was burned with green wood to make his torments greater ; yet he stood quietly , and slept sweetly in the fire . vol. 3. p. 132. to 136. robert smith burnt , 1555. at uxbridge , august ; who being at the stake , comforted the people , willing them to think well of his cause , and not doubt but that his body dying in that quarrel should rise again to life : and i doubt not , said he , but god will shew some token thereof : at length , being near half burnt , and cluster'd together on a lump like a black coal ; all men thinking him to be dead , he suddenly rose upright , lifting up his stumps of his arms , claping them together as a token of rejoicing ; and then bending down again he dyed . in a letter to his wife , he writes thus , if ye will meet with me again , forsake not christ for any pain . vol. 3. p. 410 , 411. he wrote this exhortation to his children . give ear my children to my words , whom god hath dearly bought ; lay up my law within your heart , and print it in your thought : for i , your father , have foreseen the frail and filthy way , which flesh and blood would follow fain , even to their own decay ; for all and every living beast their crib do know full well ; but adam's heirs above the rest are ready to rebell : and all the creatures on the earth full well can keep their way , but man , above all other beasts , is apt to go astray ; for earth and ashes is his strength , his glory , and his reign ; and unto ashes , at the length , he shall return again : for flesh doth flourish like the flower , and grow up like a grass ; and is consumed in an hour , as it is brought to pass , in me the image of your years , your treasure , and your trust ; whom ye do see , before your face , dissolved into dust : for as you see your father's flesh converted into clay , even so shall ye , my children dear , consume and wear away . the sun and moon , and eke the stars , that serve the day and night ; the earth , and every earthly thing , shall be consumed quite ; and all the worship that is wrought , that have been heard or seen , shall clean consume and come to nought , as it had never been : therefore that ye may follow me , your father and your friend ; and enter into that same life which never shall have end . i leave you here a little book for you to look upon , that ye may see your father's face when i am dead and gone ; who for the hope of heavenly things , while he did here remain , gave over all his golden years in prison and in pain ; where i , among mine iron bonds enclosed in the dark , not many dayes before my death , did dedicate this work to you , mine heirs of earthly things which i have left behind , that ye may read and understand , and keep it in your mind ; that as you have been heirs of that which once shall wear away , even so ye may possess the part which never shall decay ; in following of your father's foot , in truth , and eke in love ; that ye may also be his heirs for evermore above : and in example to your youth , to whom i wish all good ; i preach you here a perfect faith , and seal it with my blood : have god alwayes before your eyes in all your whole intents , commit not sin in any wise , keep his commandements ; abhor that arrant whore of rome , and all her blasphemies ; and drink not of her decretals , nor yet of her decrees : give honour to your mother dear , remember well her pain ; and recompense her in her age in like with love again : be alwayes aiding at her hand , and let her not decay ; remember well your father's fall , that should have been her stay . give of your portion to the poor , as riches do arise ; and from the needy naked soul turn not away your eyes : for he that will not hear the cry of such as stand in need , shall cry himself , and not be heard , when he would hope to speed . if god hath given great increase , and blessed well your store ; remember ye are put in trust to minister the more . beware of foul and filthy lust , let whoredom have no place ; keep clean your vessels in the lord , that he may you embrace : ye are the temples of the lord , for ye are dearly bought ; and they who do defile the same shall surely come to nought . possess not pride in any case , build not your nests too high ; but have alwayes before your face that you were born to dye . defraud not him that hired is your labour to sustain , but give him alwayes , out of hand , his penny for his pain : and as ye would that other men against you should proceed , do ye the same again to them when they do stand in need : and part your portion with the poor , in money , and in meat ; and feed the fainted feeble soul with that which ye should eat ; that when your members shall lack meat , and cloathing to your back , ye may the better think on them that now do live and lack : ask counsel also at the wise , give ear unto the end ; refuse not ye the sweet rebuke of him that is your friend . be thankful alwayes to the lord with prayer and with praise ; desire you him in all your deeds , ever to direct your wayes , and sin not like the swinish sort , whose bellies being fed , consume their years upon the earth from belly unto bed . seek first , i say , the living god , set him alwayes before , and then be sure he will bless your basket and your store : and thus if you direct your dayes according to this book , then shall they say that see your wayes how like me you do look : and when you have so perfectly upon your fingers ends , possessed all within this book , then give it to your friends ; and i beseech the living god replenish you with grace , that i may have you in the heavens , and see you face to face : and though the sword hath cut me off , contrary to my kind , that i could not enjoy your love according to my mind ; yet i do hope that when the heavens shall vanish like a scrowl , i shall receive your perfect shape in body and in soul. and that i may enjoy your love , and ye enjoy the land ; i do beseech the living god to hold you in his hand . farewel , my children , from the world where ye must yet remain . the lord of hosts be your defence till we do meet again . farewel my love and loving wife , my children , and my friends , i hope to god to have you all when all things have their ends : and if you do abide in god as ye have now begun , your course , i warrant , shall be short ye have not far to run . god grant you so to end your years as he shall think it best , that ye may enter into heaven where i do hope to rest . vol. 3. p. 405 , 406. robert samuel , a suffolk minister , was imprisoned by dr. hopton bishop of norwich , and kept sadly , being chained bolt upright , so that he stood on tip-toes day and night , and was kept without meat and drink , save only three mouthfuls of bread and three spoonfuls of water a day : and at last being to be burned he said to his friends , that when he was imprisoned and almost pin'd away 2 or 3 dayes together , he fell into a slumber , and one clad in white seem'd to stand by him , and comforting him , said ; samuel , samuel , be of good chear , and take a good heart to thee , for after this day thou shalt never hunger nor thirst more . which thing was effected , for from that time to his sufferings , he felt neither hunger nor thirst ; and it is said that his body when it was in the fire , shone as bright and white as new try'd silver . vol. 3. p. 414 , 415. iohn spicer , burnt at salisbury , march 24. 1556. with 2 others : at the stake said , this is the joyfullest day that ever i saw . vol. 3. p. 680. agnes stanley , burned at smithfield with four more april 12. 1557. she being by bishop bonner threatned with death if she would not recant , said ; i had rather every hair of my head were burned , if it were never so much worth , than that i should forsake my faith and opinion , which is the true faith. vol. 3. p. 788. thomas spurdance , one of queen mary's servants , being apprehended for the gospel , and examined at norwich by the bishop , who bad him submit to the queen's laws , he said ; you must know , my lord , that i have a soul as well as a body ; my soul is none of the queen's , but my body and goods are the queen's : and i must give god my soul , and all that belongs to it . that is , i must do the laws and commandments of god , and may not do commandments contrary to them for losing of my soul , but muct rather obey god than man ; if i save my life i shall lose it , and if for christ 's sake i lose it , i shall find it in everlasting life : and was burned at bury in november 1557. vol. 3. pag. 855. william sparrow of london , burnt in november 18. 1557. who being examined said , that that which the papists called heresie was true and godly , and if every hair of his head was a man ( he said ) he would burn them , rather than go from the truth . vol. 3. p. 857. cuthbert simpson , a minister in london , was wrakt often in one day to discover his confederates , but he would not ; and at last was burnt . he writing to his wife , perswades her to constancy , pleading god's promises to help us ; and that nothing shall befal us but what is profitable to us , either a correction of our sins , tryal of our faith , to set forth his glory , or for all together . vol. 3. p. 866 , 867. archambant scraphom , martyred 1557. in flanders , for speaking that the pope was the antichrist st. paul described : and being willed to subscribe his saying , reply'd , yea , yea , i am ready to sign it with my blood , rather than with ink. when he looked on his hands , he used to say , o flesh ! you must suffer and be burned to ashes , till the last day . additions to vol. 3. concerning the massacre of france , p. 6. t t theban souldiers a legion , having mauritius their captain , being sent for by maximinus the emperour , under the tenth persecution , to go against and persecute the christians , would not ; for which every tenth man was kill'd : and being still urged , they made a notable oration to the emperour , declaring , though they were his souldiers , yet were they god's servants ; and would not persecute the christians , nor sacrifice to the emperour 's devillish idols : whereupon again every tenth man was slain ; and afterwards their whole army totally destroy'd , who made no resistance , but laid down their armour and gave their naked bodies to their enemies fury . vol. 3. p. 104 , 105. nicholas and francis thressen , being brought up in christianity by their father andreas thressen , who flying into england ( out of germany from their mother and two other children ) died there : and then these two sons returned into germany to their mother and the two children with her , and instructed them in christianity : with whom the papists laboured to make them recant ; and the two youngest being not well grounded , did so : the mother would not , and was condemned to perpetual prison . these two sons inveighed against popery , and despising torments were condemned to the fire ; and desiring to speak , had gaggs put into their mouths and balls of wood to hinder it ; but they with vehemency of speaking drave them out : and desiring for the lord's sake that they might have liberty to speak , they sang the creed with a loud voice , and went and were fastened to the stake , praying for their persecutors and exhorting each other , they did abide the fire patiently . the one feeling the flame to burn his beard , said ; ah! what a small pain is this to be compared to the glory to come : and so committing their spirits to the hands of god , they died . vol. 2. p. 121. giles tilleman , a cutler , born at brussels , burned 1544. he received the gospel at 30 years of age , and was very charitable to the poor , and so zealous in prayer that he seem'd to forget himself , and neither to hear nor see those that stood by him , till he was lift up by the arms . so patient was he of private injuries , that he would not speak again to revilers , insomuch that they said he had a dumb devil , though in the cause of religion he had words and scripture enough . when tidings came to him of the sentence against him , he gave hearty thanks to god that the hour was come that he might glorifie the lord ; and at the place of burning , when the hangman would have strangled him first , he would not let him , saying , there was no need that his pain should be mitigated , for , said he , i fear not the fire . and lifting up his eyes in the middle of the flames , he died . vol. 2. pag. 119. william tracy of todington in glocestershire esq 1532. in his will and testament ordained his executors not to make any funeral pomp at his burial , neither passed he for any mass , saying , he trusted only in god , and hoped by him to be saved , and not by any saint . he said there was but one mediator between god and man , christ iesus ; and therefore he gave nothing that any should say or do any thing to help his soul after his death ; for which will he was near two years after his death taken up and burnt as an heretick , by the archbishop of canterbury's order to dr. parker chancellor in worcester diocese , whom king henry viii . made it cost 300 pound . vol. 2. p. 317 , 318. william tyndal of magdalen colledge in oxford removed thence to cambridge , and thence to glocestershire , where in the house of one welch a knight he resided sometime , disputing with the clergy , priests and abbots , and refuted them by scripture evidences , so that they hated him , and brought him to trouble : at last he intending to translate the bible into english for the good of his native people , and to deliver them from the blind idolatry and superstition of popery ; and finding england would not bear it , nor afford a place to do it in , he fled to saxony , and there translated the new testament 1527. and after he translating 5 books of moses , intending to print at antwerp , to which place he sailing did suffer shipwrack , and lost all his labour ; but he lodged at antwerp , and with the help of one coverdale performed the five books , and printed them ; and residing there he was basely betray'd by one henry philips an english-man , whom he had received lately as an intimate acquaintance : and being so persecuted that though many letters were for his delivering , he was executed ; who in prison converted the keeper , his daughter , and others . by the testimony of his condemner , he was a learned pious good man , who died with this earnest prayer , lord , open the king of england's eyes . he was martyred at filford castle in flanders 1536. vol. 2. p. 361 , to 367. robert testwood about windsor , in king henry eight's reign 1544. for opposing idolatry and image-worship , was apprehended and persecuted by the bishop of london ; vol. 2. p. 543 , 544. at last being condemned , he suffered with one filmire and persons , who kissed each other at parting from the prison , and at the stake drank to each other ; and then this testwood lifting up his eyes and hands , desired the lord to receive his spirit . see persons and filmire . their persecutors , symons and dr. london , soon after convicted of conspiracy against some nobles , and being perjured , did ride with papers on their heads , and their faces towards the horse tails , round about windsor market-place . vol. 2. p. 555 , 556. rowland taylor , dr. of both canon and civil laws , and a perfect divine ; parson of hadley in suffolk , where he resided , calling his people together and preaching to them every sunday and holiday , when he might . he was humble and meek , and his life an example of piety . he was ready to do good to all , forgiving all enemies readily ; and never sought to do evil to any one . to the poor , blind , lame , and sick , he was a very father , a careful patron , and diligent provider . when mass was contrived to be set up in his church , he opposed it , and said it was against god's word , the queen's honour ; and tended to the utter subversion of the realm of england . whereupon he was sent for up to london , by the bishop of winchester , stephen gardiner : and his friends perswaded him not to go , saying he could not be heard for himself , but must expect imprisonment , and death ; and that christ advised to fly from one city to another : and the people of god would in time want such godly preachers . to whom he said , dear friends , i thank you for your care ; yet i know my cause so good , and the truth so strong on my side , that i will , by god's grace , go and appear before them ; and to their beards will resist their false doings . god will not forsake his church , but will raise up more fruitful teachers than i , who shall never have again so glorious a call as i now have ; wherefore i be seech you to pray for me , and i doubt not but god will give me strength and his spirit , that all my adversaries shall have shame of their doings . and so taking care of his people , he and his man , iohn hull , went towards london ; but his man advised him to fly , proffering his faithful service to him in all affairs : to whom the doctor replyed , oh john , shall i give place to this thy counsel , and leave my flock in this danger ? remember christ , the good shepherd , who not only fed his flock , but dyed for them also . him must i follow , and by god's grace will ; therefore , john , pray for me ; and if thou seest me at any time weak , comfort me ; and discourage me not in this godly enterprize , and purpose . when he came to bishop gardiner , who reviled him much , and asked him how he durst look him in the face , and if he knew who he was ? dr. taylor said , yes , i know who you are , dr. stephen gardiner , bishop of winchester , lord chancellor ; and yet but a mortal man i trow : but if i should be afraid of your lordly looks , why fear you not god the lord of us all ? how dare ye look any christian man in the face , seeing you have forsaken the truth , denyed christ , and done contrary to your oath and writing ? with what face will ye appear before christ's iudgment seat , and answer to your oath against popery in king henry the 8th 's time , and in king edward the 6th 's dayes , when you both spoke , and wrote against it . vol. 3. p. 167 , 168 , 169. when he was condemned with mr. bradford , and others ; they joyfully gave thanks , and stoutly said to the bishops , that god would require their blood at their hands , and that one day they should repent this their tyranny against the flock of christ. p. 174. when bonner , bishop of london , came to degrade him ; and brought with him the vestments , according to their popish manner ; he bad him put them on , but dr. taylor would not , so bonner caused another to put them on ; and then dr. taylor set his hands by his side , and walked up and down , saying , how do you like me now ? how say you my lord , am not i a goodly fool ? how say you my masters , if i were in cheapside now , should not i have boys enough to laugh at me , and at these apish toys , and toying trumpery ? so the bishop performed his ceremonies of degradation , and cursed him : to whom dr. taylor said , though you curse , god will bless : you have done me wrong , and violence ; yet i pray god , if it be his will , forgive you . the next day his wife and son and man , supped with him ; and he exhorted his son to obey god and his mother ; and exhorted her to be stedfast in the faith , and to shun popery ; and then wrote his last farewel to his people of hadley , perswading their stedfastness in the doctrine he had preached amongst them against popery . vol. 3. p. 175. the next day after he was carried out towards hadley to suffer , and his wife and children suspecting as much , lay all night in botolph's church-yard ; and as he went early in the morning , she cryed to him , rowland , rowland , and came to him ; who took his daughter mary in his arms , and then all of them kneeled and said the lords prayer ; then kissed he his wife , saying , farewel my dear wife , be of good comfort ; for i am quiet in my conscience , and god shall stir up a father for my children ; and kissing his two daughters , mary , and elizabeth , he said , god bless you : and so praying them all to keep close to god's word , and to flye idolatry , he went on : to whom his wife said , god be with thee my dear rowland , i will meet thee at hadley : and after this speech to his wife , he did see his son thomas , and his man iohn hull , whom he commanded to lift up his son , whom he blessed and prayed for ; and then gave him again to his servant . at burntwood as they went , they made a hood for the dr. with holes only to see and breathe through , that none might know him , nor he speak to any . the dr. was very pleasant all the way , as if he was going to a banquet . and when he came to chelmsford , the sheriff of suffolk met him ; and as they were at supper , the sheriff of essex perswaded him to turn to popery ; pleading his strength of body might live long , and he would be in great esteem , because all loved him for his sweetness and learning , and a pardon might still be had , and so drank to him , and so did all the yeomen of the guard , his attendants . and when the cup came to the dr. he considered a while before he spake , and at last thanked them for their counsel ; and said , to be plain with you , i perceive i have been deceived my self , and am like to deceive a great many of hadley of their expectation : at which words they rejoyced , saying , gods blessing on your heart , hold you there still , why should you cast away your life ? but he said , my meaning is this ; i am deceived , and , as i think , i shall deceive a great many : i am , ye see , a man of a great carcass , which i thought should have been buried in hadly church-yard , but herein i see i am deceived : and there are a great many worms in hadly church-yard which would have had a jolly feeding upon this carrion , but now i know they will be deceived , for this carcass must be burned to ashes : which sayings astonished the sheriff , that he should but jest at death now at hand . within 2 miles of hadly , he desired to alight to make water , and fetched a frisk or two as men do in dancing , saying he was very well , never better ; for now i know i am almost at my father's home . and after that he did understand he should go through hadly , he blessed god that he should once more see his people before he died , whom he prayed god to bless and keep stedfast in word and truth ▪ and at hadly a poor man and 5 children meeting him , begg'd an alms , and pray'd to god to comfort him , as he had done often him and his children . and the people of hadly stood in the streets weeping and praying for him , saying ; there goes our good shepherd ; oh god! what will become of us poor lambs : to whom the dr. all along said , i have preached among you god's truth , and am now come to seal it with my blood . and at the almes-house he gave them all the money he had : his care was once a fortnight to visit with the gentry the poor inhabitants , and whom he found to blame he reboked , whom he found to want he supply'd . at last coming to aldam common , ( the place of his suffering ) he would have spoke , but was not permitted ; onely he said to the people , he had preached and was now to seal the truth of the gospel with his blood , for which saying he was struck . and being ty'd fast to the stake in a pitch-barrel , he held up his hands , saying , merciful father of heaven , for jesus christ 's sake my saviour , receive my soul into thy hands : and so he stood with his hands joyned until one with a halberd knocked his brains out , and the dead corps fell down into the fire . vol , 3. p. 176 , 177 , 178. thomas tomkins , burnt march 16. 1555. a london waver , to whom bishop bonner used cruelty ; and at his own palace hall at fulham , to terrifie the poor man , burnt his hand with a taper till the veins and sinews broke , and the water spirted in the faces of the standers by , who being moved with pity , requested the bishop to stay , saying he had try'd him enough : but the bishop stay'd not till he had effected his burning in smithfield . this tomkins never shrank at the burning his hand , but said he was wrapt in spirit , so that he felt no pain . vol. 3. p. 187 , 188 , 190. iohn taylor , otherwise called iohn cardmaker , prebendary of wells and a franciscan fryar , burnt with one warn may 30. 1555. in smithfield , where the sheriff talking much with taylor , and the papists having noised abroad his recantation , the people began to suspect it ; but at last taylor suddenly went and pray'd , then stript himself to his shirt , went to the stake and kissed it , and shaking his fellow-sufferer iohn warn by the hand , comforted him ; and then heartily gave himself to be burned : whereat all the people cry'd out for joy , god be praised , the lord strengthen thee , cardmaker , the lord jesus receive thy spirit ; till such time as by fire he was consum'd . vol. 3. p. 246 , 248. george tankerfield , a zealous papist in king edward vi. dayes , a cook in london ; but in queen mary's dayes seeing their popish persecution and cruelty , hated their doctrine , prayed to god for direction , and studied the word of god , and became a zealous protestant , who for the gospel was condemned and was burnt at st. albans , august 26. 1555. in the inn before he suffered , he called for some malmsey and a loaf to eat and drink , in remembrance of christ's death and passion , which he said he did not in contempt of the ministry , or to detract from the ordinance , but because he could not have it administred to him according to god's word . and after he had with prayer and thanksgiving received , he caused a good fire to be made in his chamber , and he sitting by it , pull'd off his hose and shoes , and stretched out his feet towards it , and when the flame had touched his foot he quickly drew back his leg , shewing how the flesh did perswade him one way , and the spirit another . the flesh said , oh! thou foot , wilt thou burn and need not ? the spirit , be not afraid , for this is nothing in respect of fire eternal . the flesh said , do not leave the company of thy friends which love thee : the spirit said , the company of iesus christ and his glorious presence doth exceed all fleshly friends . the flesh saith , do not shorten thy time , for thou mayest live if thou wilt much longer : but the spirit said , this life is nothing to the life in heaven which lasteth for ever . and after he coming to the stake , pray'd , and with a joyful faith said , that although he had a sharp dinner , yet he hoped to have a joyful supper : and in the fire he calling on the name of the lord , was quickly out of pain . v. 3. p. 397. william tyms minister , burnt with several others april 14. 1556. wrote to his sister thus , i take my leave of you till we meet in heaven , you shall find me merrily singing , holy , holy , holy , lord god of sabboth at my journey's end . and at the end of his letter , he wrote his name in blood , in token that he would seal the doctrine of christ with the rest , and also he wrote in blood these words , continue in prayer , ask in faith , and obtain your desire . in another letter to his parishioners at hockley in essex , exhorts them to constancy to his doctrine which he now was about sealing with his blood , praising god that ever he lived to see that day , and blessing god that ever he gave him a body to glorifie his name by . vol. 3. p. 685. iohn tuscaen , a young man of 22 years of age , of audenard in flanders , hearing of the popish idolatry in worshiping the host , determined to demonstrate to them that the worshiping of that breaden-god was abominable and execrable sacriledge : to effect which , on may , 30. 1566. called corpus christi day he went to a church in pamelle , which stood near to audenard , and seeing the priest at elevating the host , and the people ready to prostrate themselves before a breaden-cake , he stept to the priest , and snatched the cake out of his hands , broke it in pieces , and cast it unto the ground , saying unto the people , see here , my masters , your goodly breaden-god , who you see is not able to help himself , but is here broken all to pieces : how long , how long , o ye senseless priests , will ye thus defile the holy supper of the lord ? shall we never see an end of your filthy idolatries ? if the authority of the holy scriptures can nothing move you , yet at length be admonished by the present example , that there is not one jot of divinity within that bread , seeing it is subject to be thus handled ; will ye worship a dead idol , your selves being living men ? for which actions , and expressions he was imprisoned , and had first his hand cut off , which he took patiently , saying , o lord god , it is for the glory of thy name that i endure these things , enable me now with strength from above that i may finish this sacrifice . then was he burnt , and his ashes cast into the river escaut . additions to vol. 3. of the massacre of france and flanders , p. 356. du tour , deacon of the church at bourdeaux 1572. in the massacre there . he had been a priest of the romish church , but now was a protestant , aged and sick in bed ; who was haled into open street , and asked if he would go to mass and save his life : but he said , no , especially now drawing so near its end , both in regard of my sickness and years : i hope i shall not so far forget the eternal salvation of my soul , as for fear of death to prolong this life for a few dayes , for so should i buy a short term of life at too dear a rate . and so they massacred him . additions to vol. 3. concerning massacre in france . p. 72. v v victor , a theban souldier , under the 10 th persecution ; being dismissed for his age , and coming suddenly to the emperours souldiers , who had even then destroyed a legion of theban christian souldiers , and were very merry , inviting him also to sit down as a guest ; but he inquiring into the cause of their mirth , and feasting , detested it and them , and would not eat : and being demanded whether he was a christian , he said he was , and ever would be a christian ; whereupon they rushed on him and killed him . vol. 1. p. 105. usthazares , under the 10 th persecution , having been tutor to sapores king of persia , and a professor of christianity , which afterwards he denyed again , yet was again reduced to it by occasion of simeon the arch-bishop of seleucia ; who being led to prison for christ , and saluted by usthazares as he passed by him ; the arch-bishop cryed out against him in great anger for his cowardice in revolting from christ ; whereupon usthazares wept bitterly , saying , with what face shall i look for my god who have denyed him ; when as this simeon , my old acquaintance , so much disdaineth me for it . and he went and acquainted the king he was a christian , nor would again be so foolish as to deny christ ; and being sentenced to be beheaded , he requested it might be proclaimed that he dyed not for treason , but for the name of christ ; that so those who had fallen away by his example , might also by him learn constancy . vol. 1. p. 125 , 126. henry voes , and iohn esch , two augustin fryars , being converted to lutheranisme , adhereing to the word of god , and obeying and believing decrees of councils , or fathers , no farther than they agreed with scripture , were condemned by the papists to be burned . then they began to bless god which had delivered them from that false and abominable priesthood , and made them priests of his own holy order ; receiving them unto him as a sacrifice of sweet odour . their greatest errour , as by their bill of accusation appeared , was , that they said men ought to trust in god alone , forasmuch as men are lyars , and deceitful in their words and deeds . as they were led to execution , iuly 1. 1553. at bruxels , they went joyfully and merrily , making continual protestation that they dyed for the glory of god , and the doctrine of the gospel , as true christians believing and following the holy church of the lamb of god , saying , this was the day they had long desired : and at the place of execution they joyfully embraced the stake , patiently and joyfully enduring whatsoever was done to them , and singing , te deum laudamus , that is , we praise thee , o god ; and rehearsing the creed in testimony of their faith. and a doctor bidding henry voes take heed he gloried not so foolishly in himself : he answered , god forbid that i should glory , save in the cross of christ. one of them seeing the fire kindled at his feet , said , methinks they strew roses under my feet : finally , the smoke and flame choaked them . vol. 2. p. 102. ursula and mary , two sisters of a noble family in delden in lower germany , were burnt 1545. who being instructed in the book of god , defended the benefit of our salvation to come only by faith in christ , and all the other merchandise of the pope was needless . and mary being first ( though the younger ) put to the fire , she prayed ardently for her enemies , commending her self to god ; at whose constancy the judges greatly marvelled , and exhorted ursula the other sister to turn , or to desire she might be beheaded ; to whom she said she was guilty of and defended no errour , but defended what was consonant to scripture , in which she trusted to persevere to the end ; and as for the kind of death or punishment , she said she feared not the fire , but rather would follow the example of her dear sister . the bodies of these two could not be consumed by fire , but they were left by the executioners whole , lying on the ground white : but certain good christians privily in the night took them up and buried . vol. 2. p. 120. two virgins in the diocess of bamberg , 1551. being led to slaughter , did sustain it with chearful countenances and patient hearts ; they had garlands of straw set on their heads , whereupon one said to the other , going to their martyrdom , seeing christ bare a crown of thorns for us , why should we stick to wear a crown of straw for him ? no doubt but the lord will render to us again better than crowns of gold. vol. 2. p. 125. w w wendelmuta , a widow in holland , was martyred 1527. of christ , who being extremely beloved , had many importuning her to recant , but she would not ; and amongst the rest , a certain noble matron communing with her , perswaded her to keep silence , and to think silently in her heart what she believed , that she might prolong her days : to whom she said , ah you know not what you say ; it is written rom. 10. with the heart we believe to righteousness , and with the tongue we confess to salvation . and thus she remained stedfast and firm in her confession , and was november 20. condemned to be burnt to ashes ; which sentence she took mildly and quietly : and being at the place of execution , a monk brought her a blind cross , willing her to kiss it , and worship her god ; to whom she said , i worship no wooden god , but only that god which is in heaven : and so with a merry and joyful countenance , she embraced the stake , and by an ardent prayer commended her self to the hands of god. vol. 2. p. 115. waldenses began 1200 years after christ , and were so called from waldo who first instructed them ; and they delivered their doctrine from father to son successively . they had indeed divers names according to the places where they lived : in the northern parts they were called lollards ; about lyons in france they were called pauperes de lugduno ; in flanders , terraelupins , of a desart where wolves did haunt ; in dolphine , chugnards , by way of despite , because they lived harbourless . they taught at first in caves of the earth , and in the night for fear of persecution , and were a people fearing god , living uprightly and justly , yet they suffered much persecution , especially in merindol and calabria , whither they came from piedmont vallies , and though those places were desarts , yet were they by them so cultivated that they proved very fruitful . vol. 2. p. 185 , 186. they were charitable to the poor , hospitable to strangers , and were known by these marks , they would not swear , nor name the devil ; were true to their promise , and would not take an oath , unless in judgment , or in making some solemn covenant ; nor would they in any company talk of dishonest matters , but whenever they heard wanton or swearing talk , they presently departed out of that company ; and also they always prayed before they went to any business , and opposed generally images , crossing , and other popish fooleries , as was testified by their very enemies , and their neighbouring inhabitants , to the french king. vol. 2. p. 193. they were also called albigenses , from the place where they frequented in tolouse ; and merindolians , from merindol a place of provence in france , which with cabriles were laid waste , burned and rased , their inhabitants cut asunder , and their women and maids ravished , those with child cut open , by one iohn minerius lord of opede , at the command of francis the french king , april 12. 1545. vol. 2. p. 196 , to page 200. their principles were these : 1. one god the creator of all things . 2. the son the onely mediator and advocate of all mankind . 3. the holy ghost the comforter and instructer of all truth . 4. they acknowledged the church to be the fellowship of the elect of god whereof iesus christ is the head. 5. they allow'd the ministers of the church , wishing such as did not their duty were removed . 6. magistrates they granted to be ordained of god to defend the good , and to punish the transgressors , and that they ought to the magistrate love and tribute , and that none herein was exempted . they acknowledged baptism to be an outward and visible sign representing to us the renewing of the spirit , and mortifying of the members . 8. they confessed the lord's supper to be a thanksgiving , and a memorial of the benefits received through christ. 9. matrimony they esteemed holy , instituted of god , and inhibited to no man. 10. good works they observed , and thought them to be practised of all men , as scripture teaches . 11. false doctrine leading from the true worship of god ought to be eschew'd . 12. the order and rule of their faith was the old and new testament , protesting they believed all contained in the apostolique creed . vol. 2. p. 200. they at they burying of their dead used to accompany the dead to the grave reverently , with a sufficient company , and made exhortation out of the word of god to the living , and to comfort the parents and friends of the party deceased , and to admonish all men diligently to prepare for death . vol. 2. p. 203. they were much persecuted by henry the ninth french king , and often delivered miraculously in angrogne , lusern and other places , valleys of piedmont ; till 1559. when a peace being made between france and spain , those valleys were ( as due ) given to the duke of savoy , who entreated these waldenses gently , till by the pope and his legates he was instigated to persecute them , which was very severely and cruelly done , vol. 2. p. 204 , 205. they were persecuted in all their places ; and one called the lord of trinity , and one trunchet were their great enemies . the waldenses used to go and pray before battel , and after battel gave thanks ; and though they were but few in number and without armour , only by slings and stones , and a few harquebusses , they so amazed and put to flight their enemies often , that they flying said , god fought for them . and at last ( though after much misery and cruelty ) they had a peace brought them by the lord of raconis from the duke of savoy , which was obtained by the mediation of his dutchess . vol. 2. p. 218 , 219 , 220 , 222. so much of the waldenses rise and actions , vol. 1. p. 299. george wisehart , a scotchman , burnt march 1. 1546. being condemned by david beton archbishop of st. andrews , although he answered all the articles he was accused of . who going to the stake sat down on his knees , and rose again , saying three times , o thou saviour of the world , have mercy on me , father of heaven i commend my spirit into thy holy hands : and then turning to the people , he said : i desire you not to be offended with the word of god , for which i suffer ; and exhorted them to embrace it , and to continue stedfast . for which , saith he , i suffer this day , not sorrowfully , but with a glad heart and mind : consider and behold my visage , ye shall not see me change my colour ; this grim fire i fear not , and so i pray you to do if any persecution befal you ; i know that my soul shall sup with christ , for whom i suffer this , within these six hours in heaven : then pray'd he for his enemies , saying , father , i beseech thee to forgive them that have ignorantly or of evil mind forged any lies upon me ; i freely forgive them with all my heart , and i beseech christ to forgive them , who this day condemned me to death . and being to be hang'd on a gibbet , and so burn'd , the executioner begg'd his pardon ; whom he kissed , saying , there is a token that i forgive thee , do thine office : and so he was burnt . vol. 2. p. 618 , 620 , 621. adam wallace , a scotchman , burnt 1549. as an heretick . he passed over the night of his condemnation in singing and lauding god , having learned david's psalter by heart to his great consolation ; and being tempted by several to recant , he ( though a poor mean learnned man ) said , he would adhere to whatsoever could be proved by scripture , but he would consent to nothing that had not scripture evidence , though an angel from heaven came to perswade him . and on the day of his sufferings he asked , whether the fire was fit , saying , as it pleaseth god i am ready soon or late ; and so desired the faithful to remember him to all the brethren , being sure to meet together with them in heaven . as he went to the fire , the people said , god have mercy on you ; and on you too , said he . at the fire he lifting up his eyes two or three times , said to the people , let it not offend you that i suffer for the truth's sake ; for the disciple is not greater than his master . but he was not permitted to speak , and so was burned . vol. 2. p. 623. rawlins white , a welchman , a fisherman of cardiff , was very superstitious in time of popery , till afterwards through god's grace , he , upon the reformation , began to give ear to good men , and searched out the truth ; but being a very poor ignorant person , he knew not how to be informed ; and so resolved to put his child to learn to read , whom he caused , when he could read , to read every night summer and winter after supper , a piece of scripture or some good book , which profited him so much through god's grace , and the blessing of a good memory , that he soon became very perfect in scriptures , did see his former errours , and was enabled to admonish others ; by which means he was instrumental for the conversion of many others , whom he instructed ; for which he expected to be apprehended ; and his friends desired him to fly , but he said , no : he had learned , that if he should presume to deny his master christ , christ in the last day would deny and condemn him . i will therefore by his favourable grace bear witness of him before men , that i may find him in everlasting life . and at last was taken and imprisoned for a year ; where as oft as his friends visited him , he would spend the time in prayer and exhortation : and after many means of threats and flatteries used by bishop of landaffe to bring him to a conformity , but in vain : he resolved to condemn him , yet exhorted he his fellow-assistants to pray to god for grace for rawlins to convert him : whereat rawlins rejoyced , and commending them , said , go and pray , and i also will pray . after prayer , the bishop asked him , if he would recant , and he said , no. rawlins ye left me , and rawlins ye find me , and by god's grace rawlins i will continue . certainly if your petitions were just and lawful , god would have heard you ; but ye honour a false god , and pray not as ye ought to pray , and therefore hath not god granted your desire ; but god hath heard my complaint , and i trust will strengthen me in his own cause . then the bishop would have a mass , at which rawlins went , and begg'd the brethren or but one brother to bear witness that he did not worship that idol the host over the priest's head : and so , soon after he was condemned : who then sent to his wife for a shirt to be burnt in , which he called a wedding-garment . and going to the stake , seeing his wife and children there , who made great lamentation , his heart was pierced and he wept , but soon after , being angry with himself for that infirmity , he struck his breast , saying , ah flesh ! wouldest thou fain prevail ? well , i let thee do what thou canst , thou shalt not through god's grace have the victory . and being in the fire , he cry'd whilst he could open his mouth , o lord , receive my soul ; o lord receive my spirit . vol. 3. p. 219 , 220 , 221. thomas watts , an essex man , a linen-draper , expecting every day to be sent for and imprisoned for the gospel , did dispose of his things ; and sold , and gave to the poor , his cloath , and at length was imprisoned ; and not recanting by the flatteries and threats of bishop bonner , he was condemned ; and going to take leave of his wife and six children , he said to them thus : i must now depart from you , therefore henceforth i know you no more ; but as the lord hath given you to me , i give you again to him , whom i charge ye see to obey , and beware ye turn not to popery ; against which , by god's grace , i shall anon give my blood : let not the murdering of god's saints cause you to relent , but take occasion thereby to be strong in the lord's quarrel ; and i doubt not but he will be a merciful father to you : and so he went to the stake , kissed it , and was burned , iune 9. 1555. vol. 3. p. 268. christopher ward burned at dartford , 1555. who coming to the stake , being in a pitch barrel fastned to it , he held up his hands and eyes to heaven , saying , with a chearful and loud voice , the last verse of the 86. psalm , shew some good token upon me for good , that they which hate me may see it and be ashamed ; because thou lord hast helped me and comforted me : and the fire being kindled , he cryed with a loud voice , but without any impatience , lord iesus receive my soul ; and when his voice could not be heard , his hands were held up , and continued clasped together and held up towards heaven , even when he was dead and altogether roasted , as though they had been stayed up by some prop ; which token god granted as it were an answer to his prayer . vol. 3. p. 382. thomas whittle , a priest , burnt with six others , ian. 28. 1556. was , by the perswasions of the papists , brought to recant ; but after that , he felt such an horrour of conscience , that he did earnestly beg to see again the bill he had subscribed ; and seeing it , he rent out his name , and then was right glad : and in a letter , after his condemnation , he said , now i am condemned to dye , my conscience and mind is , i praise god , quiet in christ , and i am willing and content to give this body to death for a testimony of his truth against antichrist ▪ in another letter he thus writes ; the world i do forsake , to christ i me take ; and for his gospel's sake , patiently i death take ; my body to the dust , now to return it must ; my soul i know full well , with my god shall dwell . vol. 3. p. 615.621 . ioan waste of derby , born blind , yet by hearing the word of god did become knowing ; and purchased a new testament , which she gat sometimes one prisoner to read , and sometimes another , by giving them often some money to read a chapter or two in it to her : by which means she grew understanding in the scriptures , could say much of them by heart ; and at last was burned for the gospel , august 1. 1556. who told the great doctors that opposed her , that if they would take it upon their consciences to answer for her at the day of judgment , that their doctrines were true , she would embrace it ; but they would not ; and burnt her because she would not recant : who in the flames , while life lasted , did continue praying the prayers she had learned by heart , and calling on christ for mercy . vol. 3. p. 756 , 757 , 758. richard woodman of warbleton in sussex , imprisoned for reproving their priest who preached in queen mary's days contrary to his doctrine in king edward the vi. time , which he then averred to be true , and charged his people to believe no other . woodman was imprisoned one year and a half , and then dismissed , and afterwards sent for again , whom the commissioners found in his fields at plough , and its news made him tremble and fear ; but he said he would not go with them , they not having their commission about them : and he much reproved himself for his carnal fear , thus , they can lay no evil thing to my charge , and if they kill me for well-doing , i may think my self happy . and assoon as i was perswaded in my mind to dye , i was as merry and as joyful as ever i was . but having now escaped them , he fled home , and for six or seven weeks in a wood near his house , he lived under a tree , where he had his bible pen and ink and his provision brought dayly by his wife to him ; and then the country being sought for him , he went into flanders , and soon returned again , and was betray'd into his enemies hands by his father and brother . being taken , he was bound , which much rejoyced him , he said , that he should be bound for christ's sake : and he took leave of his wife and children , thinking never to see them again ; because it was said , he should not live six dayes ; yet he said , he knew it was not as they would , but as god pleased . i know , said he , what god can do , but what he will do i know not ; but i am sure he will work all things for the best for them that love and fear him . and so they went away with him . vol. 3. p. 800 , 801 , 802 , 803. x x xystus bishop of rome , was martyred under the eighth persecution with his six deacons : and one deacon of them named lawrence , following him , desired to dye with him ; to whom xystus said , i am a weak old man , and therefore run the race of a lighter and easier death ; but you are young and lusty , and after three days you shall follow me . and so he did . vol. 1. p. 92. see lawrence , pag. 104 of this book . y y forty young men souldiers under the tenth persecution , being charged by the emperour's officers to disown christ. they freely and boldly all with one accord confessed themselves to be christians , and told him their names ; and being endeavour'd with to win them by fair words as well as by threats of torments , they said , they desired not life , liberty , honours or dignities , or mony , but the celestial kingdom of christ : for the love of whom and faith in god they were ready to endure the cross , wheel , fire ; and were sentenced to be all that night in a pond of water in cold weather , and next day to be burnt ; who when they were putting off their cloaths , said , we give thanks , o lord , that with these our cloaths we may also by thy grace put off the sinful man ; for by means of the serpent we once put him on , and by the means of jesus christ we put him off . vol. 1. p. 118. elizabeth young , apprehended for selling some good books , and was examined many times and punished severely , and should have been burnt , had not queen mary lain irrecoverably sick . she being committed to prison , and charge being by dr. martin that she should have one day bread , and another day water onely for her provision , she said chearfully , if ye take away my meat , i trust god will take away my hunger . vol. 3. pag. 911. an alphabetical list of god's ivgments remarkably shown on many noted and cruel persecvtors . 2 thes. 1.6 . it is a righteous thing with god to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you . london , printed for richard butler , next door to the lamb and three bowls in barbican . 1677. an alphabetical list of gods iudgements . a a antiochus , a persecutor of agapetus a martyr , suddenly fell down from his judicial seat , and cry'd that all his inward bowels burned ; and so he gave up his breath . vol. 1. p. 76. alexander , the keeper of newgate-prison , a cruel enemy to god's people , who often hastened their death , dyed himself so miserably swell'd and so stinking , that none could endure the stench of him . and his son within 3 years spent all his estate ; and it being wondred how he could have wasted it so soon , he said , evil gotten , evil spent : and in newgate-market he fell down suddenly , and dyed miserably . and his son-in-law iohn peterson after dyed rotting above ground . vol. 3. p. 257. arundel archbishop , giving sentence against the lord cobham , dyed before him , and his tongue was so smitten that he could neither swallow nor speak . vol. 3. p. 960. b b berry , commissary to the bishop of norwich , a great persecutor , as he came from church on a sunday after even-song , fell down on the ground , and never breathed more . vol. 3. p. 870. blanchenden , who would have had a poor man's legs cut off , who fled from him and others , following him to apprehend him for the gospel's sake , was soon after slain by his own servants . vol. 3. p. 931 , 932. burton , the bailiff of crowland in lincolnshire , a pretended gospeller in king edward vi. time ; but in queen mary's dayes a zealous papist : a prophane swearer , and one that threatned the curate there to sheath his sword in him if he would not say mass : but soon after , he riding with a neighour on the fenne-bank , a crow flew over him , and shit on his nose , so that the excrements ran from the top of his nose to his beard ; which poyson'd scent so annoy'd his stomach , that he never ceased vomiting till he came at home , and there for extreme sickness went to bed , not being able for the stench in his stomach and his painful vomiting , to eat any meat , and cry'd out of the stink , cursing the crow ; and soon after dyed desperately . vol. 3. p. 956. robert baldwin , a persecutor , at the taking of one seaman , was struck with lightning , and so pined away . vol. 3. pag. 957. beaton , archbishop in scotland , a great persecutor of george wisehart , was soon after slain in his bed , and lay seven months unburied ; and at last was buried like a carrion on a dunghil . vol. 2. pag. 621. bishop bonner , bishop of london , and the greatest persecutor in queen mary's dayes ; being imprisoned by queen elizabeth , died in his bed unrepentant , and was deny'd christian burial , being at midnight tumbled into a hole amongst thieves and murderers . vol. 3. p. 974. c c caiaphas , who wickedly set upon christ , was deposed from the high-priest's room by caligula . vol. 1. p. 40. clarke , a great persecutor , hanged himself . vol. 3 p. 957. coxe , a great promoter in king edw. vi. and in queen mary's dayes , going well to bed at night , was found dead next morning . vol. 3. p. 957. d d dr . dunnings , chancellor in norwich , a great persecutor in the midst of queen mary's reign and his rage , died suddenly in a chair in lincolnshire . vol. 3. p. 954. dale , a great papistical promoter , was eaten into his body with lice , and so died , vol. 3. p. 967. e e emperours , who were authors of persecution against christians , all of them came to sad ends : either staying themselves , or being slain by others , or dying by unheard of deaths . vol. 1. p. 41. sir ralph ellerken , a knight at calice , who at the martyrdom of adam damlip said , he would not stir till he see his heart out , had his own heart soon after cut out of his body by the french. see damlip pag. 51 of this book , and see vol. 2. p. 564 , 565. robert edgar , executing the office of a parish clerk against his conscience , was bereft of his wits , and kept in chains many years . vol. 3. p. 960. f f dr . foxford chancellor to bishop stoksely in king henry the 8 th's dayes and a great persecutor , dyed suddenly . vol. 3. p. 957. bishop fisher , bishop of rochester , who with bishop warham caused one iohn brown to have his feet heated and burnt to the bones by coals to make him recant his religion , was soon after beheaded for opposing kings supremacy . vol. 3. p. 957. with sir thomas pure another great papist . see iohn brown , pag. 19. of this book . the wife of iohn petty of clerkenwel parish in london , being the occasion of her own husband 's taking , was immediately struck mad . vol. 3. p. 960. a dominick fryar , inveighing in the pulpit against the gospel , was suddenly struck with lightning , and so ended his life . vol. 3. p. 964. g g grimwood , a false witness against one iohn cooper , a suffolkman ( whereby the poor man was proved guilty of treason falsly , and was hang'd , drawn , and quartered , and his wife and nine children turned out of their estate , ) was afterwards sadly , and suddenly , afflicted ; for in harvest time , as he was stacking corn , and was very well , fearing no evil , his bowels suddenly fell out of his body , and he dyed most miserably . vol. 3. p. 955. bishop gardiner , a cruel persecutor , dyed despairing ; and having a bishop with him , who put him in mind of peter's denying his master , he said , i have denyed with peter , but never repented with peter . vol. 3. p. 957. he rejoycing at the news of bishop ridley's , and latimer's burning , at a dinner that day , was that instant struck sick , denyed the use of nature , either by urine , or otherwise , for fifteen days ; and then dyed with a sad inflamed body . vol. 3. p. 527. h h herod , the murtherer of iohn baptist , and condemner of christ ; was , by caligula caesar , condemned to perpetual banishment ; where he dyed miserably . vol. 1. p. 40. hoeimester , an arch-papist , going to ratisbon to dispute against the defenders of the gospel , dyed suddenly , and miserably in his journey , with roaring and crying . vol. 3. p. 963. i i jews , who refused christ , and also were persecutors of him , were forty years after christ's passion destroyed by titus , and vespasian his father , to the number of 1100000 , besides them which vespasian slew in subduing galilee , and them which were sold and sent into egypt , and other provinces to vile slavery , to the number of 17000 , and 2000 were brought with titus in tryumph ; of which , part were devoured by wild beasts , and part of them were otherwise cruelly slain . vol. 1. p. 40 , 41.17 . l l thomas leland , a justice of peace in lancashire , sitting in his chair , talking with his friends , fell down dead suddenly , not moving a joint : he was so great an enemy to christians , that he was called persecuting tho. leland . vol. 3. p. 925. leyson , sheriff , at the burning of bishop farrar , fetched the bishop's cattel into his own ground ; but many of them would not eat , but continued bellowing till they dyed . vol. 3. p. 954. iacobus latomus having , at brussels , made an oration against luther ; and being in his publick lecture at lovane , he fell into an open fury , uttering words of blasphemy and despair , that the divines there did carry him away and shut him up ; who , to his last breath , said nothing , but that he was damned and rejected of god , and that there was no hopes of salvation for him ; because he wittingly , and willingly , withstood the manifest truth of god's word . vol. 3. p. 964. dr. leyson , a civilian , a justice of peace , who would not let bishop farrar speak a word at the stake , about half a year after died ; and in his sickness , when he would have spoken his mind , could not . vol. 3. p. 1002. dr. london , persecutor , punished . see the former part of this book . queen mary , while she promised her protection of the gospel she prospered , and by the help of the gospellers she gat the crown ; but after , she breaking her promise and bringing in of popery , and burning of god's people for the gospel's sake , she and her nation was much punished . she was , especially , punisht these several wayes ; 1. her best ship , yea , the best ship in all europe , called the great harry , was burned . 2. she was opposed in her endeavours to restore the abby-lands . 3. her subjects suffered almost a famine , so that the poor , for famine , were forced to eat acorns instead of bread. 4. she lost calice in france , which had been the english king 's right through the reign of eleven kings . 5. she was deprived of children which she greatly desired , and the whole nation were cheated in the rumors of her bringing forth a son. 6. she having married philip , king of spain , and so subjugated her subjects to a stranger , with whom she promised her self much felicity , was very unhappy by his withdrawing from her . vol. 3. p. 953. m m malicia accusing eugenia , ( who for fear of the 8 th persecution had put on mans apparel to preserve her life and chastity , and called her self eugenius , ) to philippus , the judge , and father of the unknown eugenius , that he would have deflowered her , the said malicia ; the falsity was made apparent by eugenia's discovering her self to be a woman in mans habit ; and malicia , the accuser , was doubly ashamed , and was smitten with lightning . vol. 1. p. 95. iohn martin of briqueray , boasting he would cut off the nose of a minister of angrogn , one of the waldenses , 1555. had his own nose bitten off by a woolf , so that he dyed thereof mad . vol. 2. p. 202. maximus , the great persecutor of the christians in the 10 th persecution , was smitten with a dreadful ulcer in his privities and entrails , so that the physicians durst not come near him , nor could they cure him ; for which he caused them to be slain : and being put in mind of god's judgment herein for persecuting the christians , he ordered their peace ; yet after he again commanded their torments , ascribing plenty and peace to iupiter , and war and pestilence and famine , as caused by the christians ; but it did happen contrary : for , famine , war , and pestilence , destroyed most of his heathenish subjects ; while the christians , amongst them , relieved one another , and them also ; and were preserved to the enjoyment of peace : for maximus was afterwards forced to acknowledge the true god ; and being oppressed by his disease , he repented and glorified the christians god ; and made an absolute law for the christian's safety and welfare . vol. 1. p. 106. to 113. bishop morgan , bishop of s. david's , who usurped bishop farrar's place , after he had condemned him , was so afflicted that his meat would not go down , but rise up and come out of mouth and nose ; and so he continued to death . vol. 3. p. 954. morgan , the justice , that condemned the lady iane grey , fell mad not long after , and so dyed ; having ever in his mouth , lady iane , lady iane. vol. 3. p. 954. domitius nero began to reign the 56. year of christ : reigned 14 years with great tyranny ; he slew most part of the senators ; set rome on fire , and laid it to the christians ; and caused them to be persecuted : at last he was , by the senate , declared a publick enemy to mankind ; and commanded to be drawn from the city and whipt to death : for fear whereof he fled into the country to a mannor of his servants , and slew himself vol. 1. p. 40. p p a person being hired , by pope hildebrand , to murther henricus , the 4 th emperour of germany , as he was at prayers ; by throwing a great stone upon him from a place directly over him . as the person moved the stone to do this horrid act , he broke the plank he stood on , and fell down , the stone falling on him ; and so was killed by that stone he designed to slay the emperour by , the emperour being safe . vol. 1. p. 229. pilate , under whom christ suffered , was apprehended under tiberius nero , and accused at rome ; deposed , and banished to lyons ; and at length slew himself . vol. 1. p. 40. a persecutor seeking three dayes for dionisius , that he might be persecuted , was struck with blindness . vol. 1. p. 81. portugal king , and his son , who persecuted william gardiner , dyed soon after . see p. 73. of this book . a persecutor of one iames abbyes , a martyr , in berry , told the people that abbyes was a mad-man not to be believed . after that abbyes was burnt , this reviling persecutor , being one of the sheriff's men , pulled off his cloaths , and was struck with a frenzy , running about and crying , abbyes was a good man , and is saved ; but i am damned : and though the sheriff did endeavour what he could to bring him to his right senses , yet could it not be done ; but he alwayes cryed out to his dying day , abbyes was a good man , and saved ; but i am damned . vol. 3. p. 956. iohn peters , ( son-in-law to one alexander , the keeper of newgate prison , who dyed miserably , ) did also dye sadly ; for his use in all his affirmations was to say , if it be not , true , i wish i rot e're i dye : and so he did rot away , and dyed miserably . vol. 3. p. 957. ponchet , an arch-bishop of towres , made sure to erect a chamber to be called chamber ardent , therein to condemn the protestants to the fire : and he was soon after stricken with such a disease , called the fire of god , which began at his feet and burned upwards , that he caused one member after another to be cut off ; and so he dyed miserably without any remedy . vol. 3. p. 967. s s scribes , and pharisees , who refused christ , and chose rather to be subject to caesar ; were at length destroy'd by their own caesar , when as christ's subjects were preserved . vol. 1. pag. 39. smith , a great papist and persecutor , fell down suddenly in the street , and dyed . vol. 3. p. 957. william swallow , a cruel tormentor of one george egles , shortly was so plagued that all his hair came off , his nails of fingers and toes came off , his eyes were near closed that he could not see , and his wife was stricken with the falling-sickness , which she never had before , vol. 3. p. 960. symons , a persecutor of robert testwood , soon after was convicted of conspiracy , and rode round about windsor market-place with his face towards the horses tail . see 174 page of this book . t t tartarians army of 5000000 waring against polonia 1241. and having killed old and young of both sexes , were discomfited by thunder and lightning , at the instance , and prayers , of god's people . vol. 1. p. 442. twiford , in london , an executioner of several martyrs , and a suborner of false witnesses against one merial , at last died rotting above ground , so that none could abide him . vol. 2. p. 603. bishop thornton suffragan of dover , a cruel persecutor , coming to canterbury on a saturday ; on sunday , seeing his men playing at bowls , was taken with a palsey , and had to bed ; and being bid to remember the lord , he said , yes so i do , and my lord cardinal too ; and so soon died . vol. 3. p. 954. v v valerian , the butcher of the christians in the eighth persecution , was taken in wars against persia ; and sapores , king of persia , made him his foot-stool for him to mount on horseback by , to his life's end . vol. 1. p. 96. w w woodriffe , a sheriff in london , a cruel persecutor , was not above a week out of his office before he was smitten with a lameness all on one side , that he lay bed-rid 7 or 8 years untill his dying day . vol. 3. p. 955. an appendix of things pertinent to the understanding the preceding martyrology . containing the times , and authors , of the ten persecutions ; and other remarkable occurrences necessarily to be explained . london , printed for r. butler , next door to the lamb and three bowls in barbican . an appendix , &c. the first persecution was raised by nero domitius , the 6 th emperour of rome ; who thought , by raising a persecution in all his provinces , to abolish the name of christians . it was done in the year of christ , 67. vol. 1. p. 44. the second persecution began in the 69. year of christ by domitian , who began mildly , yet did after so rage in pride , that he commanded himself to be worship'd as god : he slew most of the nobles , and all of the seed of david : he intending to destroy all of the seed of david , lest christ should come and cast him out of his empire : and sending for two nephews of iude , the brother of christ , who were then alive ; and demanding of them concerning christ's kingdom , upon their information that it was not an earthly kingdom , but an heavenly kingdom , to be manifested in the consummation of the world , when he should come again to judge the quick and dead . domitian stayed the persecution , and dismissed them . vol. 1. p. 48. the third persecution began by trajan , 100 years after the other . he was a very just man in matters of the commom-wealth , but in religious things he was very cruel . vol. 1. p. 57. the fourth persecution began by marcus antoninus verus , who began to reign in the 162. year of christ , and was very sharp and severe against christians : which christians , when the armies of this emperour were warring against the vandals , and had like to have perished for want of water five dayes , did , to the number of a legion , withdraw themselves suddenly from the camp , and prostrated themselves before god ; and by ardent prayer obtained of god , by and by , a double relief ; rain for themselves , and lightning , discomfiting their enemies , who were many of them put to flight : which miracle so pleased the emperour , that he abated his fury against the christians ; grew milder , and ordered his rulers to give thanks to the christians , no less for his victory , than for the preservation of himself ; and also ordered that their accusers should be burned alive . vol. 1. p. 54. to 66. the fifth persecution was raised by severus , the emperour ; who , in the year of christ , 215. proclaimed , and commanded , no christian should be suffered . vol. 1. p. 70. the sixth persecution began by maximinus , about 237 years of christ , against the teachers of the christians ; thinking thereby to destroy the rest the sooner . vol. 1. p. 76. the seventh persecution was raised by decius , in the 250. year of christ. vol. 1. p. 77. the eighth persecution was raised by emilianus , president of egypt , 259 years after christ. vol. 1. p. 88. the ninth persecution was raised by aurelian , in the 276. year of christ. vol. 1. p. 98. the tenth persecution was raised by dioclesian , in the 308. year of christ , and lasted 10 years . this dioclesian and maximinian , deposed the emperial office willingly , 309. and lived retiredly . vol. 1. p. 100.105 . king henry 8. king of england , by the instigation of stephen gardiner , and other popish prelates , was forced to make , and decree , these 6 articles , to be observed by his subjects , 1540. which were cause of great persecution . 1. that in the sacrament of the altar upon the efficacy of the words of christ exprest by the priest , christ's natural body is really present , water , bread , and wine ; and that after consecration there remains no bread , nor wine , nor any other substance ; but the substance of christ , god and man. 2. that the communion in both kinds is not necessary absolutely , by the law of god , to all persons ; and that in the flesh , under the form of bread is the very blood ; and with the blood , under the form of wine , is the very flesh ; as well apart , as they were both together . 3. that the priests , after the order of priesthood , may not marry by the law of god. 4. vows of chastity and widowhood , advisedly made by the law of god , ought to be kept ; and exempteth from other liberties of christian people , which else they might enjoy . 5. that it is meet and necessary , that private masses be continued in the english church and congregation . 6. that auricular confession is necessary , and expedient to be retained , used , and frequented in the church of god. the opposers of those articles were to be esteemed fellons , and to lose both life and goods ; which occasioned great and cruel persecutions . vol. 2. p. 441. these articles , and all other popish articles , were repealed by king edward the 6 th . vol. 2. p. 654. finis . books printed for , and sold by , r. butler , next door to the lamb and three bowls in barbican . 1. a skirmish made upon quakerism , being a brief confutation of a most gross principle , or point of doctrine , published and maintained by one william penne , a quaker , in two sheets . 2. the shibboleth of quakerism , or that which they call the pure language , proved as used amongst us , to be only a matter of indifferency , and not of absolute necessity , as you-ing and thou-ing , and the naming the days and the months , &c. in two sheets . 3. one sheet against the quakers , detecting their error and mis-practice , in refusing to reverence men outwardly by word and behaviour after the manner in use among us , which is proved to be good and lawful . 4. quakerism proved to be gross blasphemy , and antichristian heresie , in four sheets ; all stitch'd together , price , nine-pence . brachy-martyrologia, or, a breviary of all the greatest persecutions which have befallen the saints and people of god from the creation to our present times paraphras'd by nicholas billingsly ... billingsley, nicholas, 1633-1709. 1657 approx. 380 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 115 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a28159 wing b2910 estc r18441 12258119 ocm 12258119 57611 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a28159) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 57611) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 167:18) brachy-martyrologia, or, a breviary of all the greatest persecutions which have befallen the saints and people of god from the creation to our present times paraphras'd by nicholas billingsly ... billingsley, nicholas, 1633-1709. [14], 140 [i.e. 124], [8], 149-213 p. printed by j. cottrel for tho. johnson ..., london : 1657. the second part (p. [141]-213) has a separate t.p.: a martyrologie containing a collection of all the persecutions which have befallen the church of england, since the first plantation of the gospel, to the end of queen maries reigne. printed by j. cottrel, 1657. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england -history. martyrologies. persecution -history. 2006-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-04 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-04 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2007-04 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion brachy-martyrologia : or , a breviary of all the greatest persecutions which have befallen the saints and people of god from the creation to our present times : paraphras'd , by nicholas billingsly , of mert. col. oxon. psal . 44. 22. for thy sake are we killed all the day long ; we are counted as sheep for the slaughters . nil crus sentit in nervo , cum animus est in coelo . tertul. naz. contra ar. p. 113. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . london , printed by j. cottrel , for tho : johnson , at the key in paul's church-yard . 1657. to the right worshipful , jeremy martin doctor of physick in bristol , all internal external eternal happiness . honoured sir , i am not ignorant that we now live in as censorious an age as even the sun shin'd on ; wherein there are not a few that will snap and snarle at the politest lines , and refined'st inventions whatsoever ; ( when perhaps the matter is too deep , for the short line of their judgements to sound the bottom of : ) what hard measure then i am like to have , for suffering this my naked and incult muse to venture abroad on the open stage , i am not a little sensible of . but yet , because private benefits , do often call for publick acknowledgements , i will not be ashamed to let the world know , i am exceedingly engaged to you ; nor could i be contented till i had made some part of amends for your received favours ; presuming that your heroick minde , sweet nature , and generous disposition , will respect more ( artaxerxes-like ) the inward affection , then the outward action . be pleas'd therefore , noble sir , to persist still in your wonted goodness , and favourably accept of that in the birth , which your encouragements furthered in the conception . the subject i confess is divine ( as treating of a bush all in a flame , yet not consumed ; enough to dazle our eyes with its astonishing glory ) and therefore deferves to be better handled , by a more graphical paraphrast then my self : and if my jangling toll in better ringers , i shall be glad of it ; in the mean , i will let my green fruits ripen under the sun-shine of your judicious eye : and though my lines ( like old pewter ) seem dull for want of scowring ; yet may they receive a gloss from your resplendent name . pythagoras was of opinion , that two things ( and they from above ) made a man truly glorious ; the one was , to conceive aright of things ; the other was , to know how to be beneficial to others . sweet sir , i will not flatter you ( for i am confident you do not desire it , chusing rather to be too modestly spoken of , then to be mounted on the wings of popular applause ) but i dare say , you are endowed with both : you have affected to be acquainted with the natures of most ( may i say all ? ) diseases ; and have effected ( god making your undertakings succesful ) as rare cures as ever any , i will except none . i cannot stand to specifie them ; this one shall serve for all : your eminent skill in recovering epileptical maladies , is sufficiently known to many . what shall i say of my self in particular ? am not i bound to bless god , since first i had the happiness to be acquainted with you ? have not i great cause to admire ( and , if i may so say , adore you for ) your profound judgment , your excellent ability , and singular care , so oportunely exercised towards me your patient , in the raising up of my infirm body , even then , when i had passed the sentence of death upon my self , and was thought , in the eyes of all , irrecoverable ? i were unworthy to live , if i did not . theodoricus , an archbishop of colen , being demanded by sigismund the emperor , of the directest course to happiness ; perform ( said he ) when thou art well , what thou promisedst when thou wast sick . this puts me in minde of a double engagement which i made in the time of my calamity ; first , to god almighty , that i would endeavour , if he but pleased to spare me my life , to devote my self wholly to his fear , and walk more obediently before him , then i had formerly done : next to you , as the onely instrument in the hand of god , for the repairing of the ruinous walls of my fleshly tenement , i promised to agnize it , so long as i liv'd . i beseech god , that these promises may be the prodromes of seconding performances ▪ i pray sir , give me leave to tell you , you are the onely man living , whom i superlatively honour , not onely for your learning and knowledge ( though that were enough to convince me ) but for your inestimable vertues ; as temperance , humility , &c. which are as so many sparkling ornaments , and orient pearls , to enrich and illustrate the very place you come in . to speak nothing of your piety , that onely will commend you in the eyes of god. i might say , and say truly , that you are such a common good to your country , that good men love you , and all men admire you : but i will not gild gold ; neither may i think that bright phaebus beams can be the more increased by the presenting of a silly taper : nay , i am somewhat conscious to my self of eclipsing the great luminary of your serene worth , with the obumbration of a timanthaean veil . if i have herein offended , it is against my will ; i am sorry for it ; and i hope your ingenuity will pardon me , laying the fault on the defects of my youth , as being not over-burthened with ciceronian eloquence . but what though i cannot cloathe my minde in such fine airy garments , nor adorn my paper with such rhetorical jewels as others can ? yet may i as deeply engrave you on the marble tablet of my fidelious brest , as any , while i am , sir , the eleventh day of march mdclv . your honours very humble , thankful , and much obliged servant , nich : billingsly . to the reader . courteous reader , they that cannot have leisure to take a full survey of countries themselves , may yet see somewhat to their content , in the geographical maps and descriptions of others . thou hast here presented to thy view , the book of martyrs in a little room ; which is already extant , though in a larger extent . now if the tyrannie of thine affairs are so imperious , or the weakness of thy purse so injurious , as to impede thy perusal of the history of the church ( which is absolutely the best ( save one ) in the christian world , ) either in the voluminous works of the laborious ( now with god ) mr. fox ; or in the conciser collections of that reverend divine and famous martyrologist ( still with us ) mr. clark ( out of whose garden i have gathered this posie of flowers : ) thou may'st ( if it please thee ) accept of this breviary , which will not cost much mony in the buying , and but a little time in the reading . herein thou may'st see ( though briefly , yet not obscurely ) the goodness of god , in maintaining and preserving to himself throughout all ages , a peculiar people , zealous of good works , notwithstanding all their confronting enemies whatsoever : and though boystrous gusts of temptation , have ever tossed the saints up and down , on the raging billowes of persecution ; yet have they alwayes held up their heads above water : the more these grapes have been pressed , the more wine have they yielded ; juniper burnt smells savouriest , so do they ; chamomile trod , growes fastest , so do they ; pounded spices smell sweetest , so do they . affliction is gods furnace ; the saints are gold put into it , not to be consumed , but to return more glorious . that saying , veritas premi potest , opprimi nunqam , truth may be blam'd , but never sham'd , herein is verifi'd . though antiochus commanded the book of gods law to be burnt in the fire , and cut in pieces , making it death for any man to keep it by him : though dioclesian caused them to be burned in the streets , and made the churches and houses of god even with the ground ( as euseb . lib. 8. cap. 4. hath it ) the more it hath been suppressed , the more it hath spread and encreased , to the spiritual edification of the house of god , whereof jesus christ is the corner-stone . hierom in his epistle to cormatius , reports , that in an whole years space , there passed not one day ( the calends of january excepted ) wherein five thousand christians were not made away with . and — but i will not detain thee ( gentle reader ) in my porch like a stranger , lest i be thought churlish . well then , in a few words ( for i will not now stand to strain complements with thee ) i have made no great preparation for thee : and if thou wilt be pleased to accept of such poor entertainment as my muse is able to afford thee , she gives thee an invitation , come in , fall to , eat freely with a good will , and thou art heartily welcome : but if thy dainty palate be so nice , as to make thee hanker after the most exquisit dishes and costli'st viands that can be got for love or mony ; i tell thee truly ( friend ) i han't it for thee , thou had'st best go where such is to be had ; and that is all the harm i wish thee ; and so i bid thee farewel . in amici sui charissimi nich o lai billingsly brachy-hagio-martyrologiam distichon panegyricum . hîc magnum in parvo ; veterū monument a virorū , et mortem & mores ( candide lector ) habes . it skills no less large tomest ' epitomize , then at the first the same for to devise . 't was homers praise his iliads to indite , anothers in a nut-shell them to write . like worth belongs to thee , & to thy book ; wherein ( as in an optick ) if we look , we may at once more briefly far behold , what fox , and others , have at large us told , touching such martyrs as did live and die i' th' faith of christ ; whose sacred memory thou do'st receive , that they on earth again may live with us , we'n heaven with them may raign . god grant us this ; and so to make an end , thou them , i thee , cannot too much commend . aug. 11. 1656. t. c. de ospringe cleri● deo opt. max. great god , who grasp'st in thine eternal fists the world , & boundest with appointed lists the swag'ring billowes ; thou who hast enroll'd thy marble gallery with studs of gold , whose throne the face-veild seraphims on high advance above the porph'ry-arched skie ; who all things did'st , and do ' st , and wilt fulfill , according to the counsel of thy will : o shew thy power in thy servant weak , rouze my dull muse , enable her to speak divinely of thy saints , that in this story the world ( as in a glass ) may see thy glory . finish this work , this work in thee begun , and make it live , when i am dead and gon . those looser poets who begin betimes to please vain fancies with lascivious rhimes , thinking there by to eternize their name , what do they leave but monuments of shame ? their works shall rot ; while such as have a sure foundation , shall eternally endure . let no man deck with apollinean bayes my browes ; thine be the glory , thine the praise . the persecutions mentioned in the old testament . sect . i. the persecution of the church in the first ages of the world , and so forward till christ's incarnation . adam being left unto his own free-will , satan the primo-genitor of ill , maligning his so prosperous estate , did exercise his diabolick hate , under the hood of friendship , to o'rethrow both root , and branch at one pestiferous blow . vvith large-pretending promises , his suit he varnish'd thus ; if the forbidden fruit but kiss their lips , they should more clearly see , and full as wise as their creator be . thus satan's engines play'd , till in conclusion he took the fort , by his so smooth delusion . poor man made shipwrack of his innocence , thwarting his god-requir'd obedience : thus adam fell , and by his hapless fall , hath lost his happiness , his god and all , for ever ; ah! he cannot any more enjoy those blessings he enjoy'd before in his first state ; and all that he can win , is death , death is the vvages due to sin . but what of that ? yet hath it pleas'd the high'st to give eternal life through jesus christ our blessed lord : whoever do believe in him alone , are certain to receive a glorious crown : o see what god hath done , to save poor sinners , he hath sent his son , his onely son , who willingly came down , to bear the cross , that we might wear the crown . strange condescention ! the great god above is pleas'd t' embrace us in the armes of love . o groundless depths ! o love beyond degree ! the guiltless dies , to set the guilty free ! nor ceas'd the malice of the black-brow'd prince of the low-countries , hell ; for ever since mans forfeiture of his heav'n-granted lease , he hath been active to molest the peace of christ-confiding saints , and like a lyon hath seiz'd on those who bear good will to siont amongst the wheat , he sows seditious tares ; and setteth men together by the ears . nay more unnatural then that , one brother he instigates to persecute another : vvitness nefandous cain , whose brothers bloud to heaven for vengeance cry'd , and cry'd aloud : did not curs'd ham his naked father mock , ( a graceless branch , sprung from a righteous stock . ) did not the sodomites deride just lot ? and spurious ishm'el i saac , did he not ? jacob rough esau hates ; young joseph's sold to lshma ' itish merchants ; and behold oppressed isr'el , how their shoulder grones beneath their massy loads , hard hearted ones ! and must the new-born males be stifled by the mid-wives ? o unheard-of cruelty ! and if these fail , may they not live a while ? no ; drown'd they must be in sepemfluous nile . breast-hardned phar'oh , what did moses do vvorthy thy wrath ? and may not isr'el go from thy enslaving hands , but bear the print thy scourges leave ? o heart wall'd round with flint ! years not a few the isra'lites were drudges unto th' i dolatrous and self-law'd judges ; compel'd to leave their homes , and hide themselves in dens and caves , from persecuting elves : and when gods bounty fertiliz'd their land , all was destroyed by the midian band : the philistins thirty four thousand slay of them , and carryed gods ark away ; a smith in israel could not be found to fit their instruments to till the ground , the land was so enslav'd ; they rather chose , then starve , to be behoiding to their foes . vvith his keen javelin , spirit-haunted saul assay'd to stick up david ' gainst the wall . prophetick david , with a patient ear , did shimei's railing accusations bear . egyptian shishak prov'd jerus'lems rod , and took the treasures from the house of god. and ( which is strange ) good asa's spirit risen against gods prophet , casts him into prison . ahab hates micah . in jehosaphat his reign , the church of god was stormed at . elijah , was despis'd by jezabel , by whom so many holy prophets fell . elisha suffers ; in jehor ams reign judak's oppress'd . good zechariah's slain by joash , for 's reproof . israel's , king thousands of judah slew , did thousands bring into captivity . poor judah pines by th' edomites , assyrians , philistines . the prophet esay by manasses law , was sawn in sunder with a wooden saw . and jeremiah after slandrous mocks , vvas beaten sore , and put into the stocks . then was he ( liberty deny'd him ) flung into the myry dungeon , where he clung ; at last drag'd thence , into th' egyptian land he needs must go , the captains him command : and his thren-odes those pious elegies , lament the falling churches miseries . nebuchanezzar in a rage doth throw shadrach , and meshech , and abednego into the furnace hot : by wicked men daniel is cast into the lyons den. proud haman persecutes poor mordecay , and a decree procures , that in one day gods people should be killed murth ' rously . the jews returning from captivity , judah's disturb'd and opposition's found when they would raise gods temple from the ground : build it they do : though men and devils conjoyne they 'r powers , they cannot frustrate gods designe . sect . ii. the persecution of the church from nehemiah to antiochus his time ; and also under antiochus epiphanes , before the nativity of christ , about 168 years . eliashib the high-priest being dead , judas his son succeeded in his stead ; and john the next , who in the temple slew jesus which sought to wrong him of his due , no sooner had bagoses heard the news , but with a potent force , he kept the jews , ( the jews inclos'd within jerus ' lems walls ) till sev'n years ended , under slavish thralls ; compelling them to lay down fifty drachmes for ev'ry lamb that fed their dayly flames . jaddus ( john dead ) succeeded , who b'ing told , of alexander's acts , and how he would come shortly , he in 's priestly robes aray'd , for gods direction and protection pray'd . the king fell down , the jews did in a ring encircle him , and said , god save the king. he check'd , reply'd , i do not ( that were odd ) adore the high-priest , but the high-priests god. then leave to live after their ancient orders he grants the hebrews , and deserts their borders . antiochus epiphanes did go unto jerusalem : nor friend nor foe escap'd his fury ; he the temple spoil'd of all her ornaments , and it defil'd : yea , he inhibited the godly jews those daily sacrifices they did use ; and having made their goodly structures void , he led some captive , many he destroy'd , forc'd others to forsake god , and adore those idols he himself fell down before : but they that minded not his menacings , vvere whip'd and maim'd , had cruel torturings ; some crucifi'd ; they hang'd the female sex , and hung young children at their parents necks . vvhat books of sacred vvrit they found , the same vvere cast into the all-devouring flame . upon a sabbath day these merc'less slaves did stifle thousands hid in unclos'd caves . and now mathias pious and devout , led forth the christians ' gainst this impious rout , destroy'd their altars ; providence did bless all his endeavours with desir'd success . his sons , mathias , judas , and the rest did scowre their country , and their foes supprest . sect . iii. the martyrdom of the maccabees , under the same antiochus . onias acts with a religious care his high-priests office , and may therefore fear degrading ; nay , antiochus is bent to turn him out : the moving argument drawn from the justness of onias cause , subjects onias to th' imperious laws of wilfull tyranny , by whose compunction , this good man leaves his sacerdotal function , for one that least deserved it : no other might take it up , but his false-hearted brother : vvho now but jason ! jason is the man must drive on the design ; jason began to force the people to renounce the true and old religion , to embrace a new ; t' abjure their temples , to extruct them baths : to quit their beaten and accustom'd pathes , for prosecution of more choice delights , and abrogate their ceremonial rites ; to drink in greekish customes , and betimes train up their striplings to unlawful cimes . but mark th' event , a sin-provoked god doth flame in fury , making them a rod ( whose laws were studiously observ'd , ) to scourge those mimick emulators , who would urge so good a god ; their friends become their foes , t' inflict on them innumerable woes . for an edict is forthwith by the king set forth , and sealed with his royal ring ; the sence is this , whoever of the jews , or hierosolymitanes , refuse to offer up a sacrifice unto the gods , he without any more ado ( besides those beatings he was like to feel ) should have his members racked on a wheel . antiochus perceiving this edict vvas little prevalent , although so strict , so rigorous , but that a many chose rather to die , then their religion lose ; he took th' advantage of an em'nent place , and summoning the jews , his graceless grace caus'd sacrific'd swines flesh be given about to ev'ry man. amongst the mixed rout stood eleazar honor'd for his age , reverend , pious , vertuous and sage , in whom the graces all in one combin'd ; indeed he had an heaven-enamel'd mind : to whom antiochus doth break the chains of silence thus : old man , avoid those pains vvait on the obstinate , for once b'advis'd by me , and eat what here is sacrific'd : cherish thy rev'rend age , and do not scorne the benefit of life : what though th' art born a jew ? yet eat : no wise man will refuse that meat which nature hath ordain'd for use : vvhy should this beast be more abominable then other beasts ? canst tell ? sure th' art not able : vvhy was it made , if not to be injoy'd ? and gifts unus'd , what are those gifts but voy'd ? admit your laws are just , yet may coaction excuse thee ; 't is no voluntary action . to whom this nestor ( whose undaunted brest vvas flam'd with zeal ) an answer thus exprest : we , o antiochus , love not vain shows but true religion ; nor racks , nor blows , ( chains , nor brest all gor'd with darts , hands worn with nor ease exchanged for a thousand pains ; famine nor sword , nor all , should make us smother our lov'd religion , to embrace another : know then proud king , i nothing weigh thy threats , as to profane my lips with profane meats : i le joy to suffer for a righteous cause , rather then violate those heav'n-made laws : 't is but a death at most , if i fulfil not thy will ; and disobey my god i will not : urge me no more , for do it i will never ; this i resolve , and will herein persever . expose me to the ravenous lyons paw , yet i 'le not make a rupture in the law ; rip up my entrails , do ; and when that 's done , fling , fling m'into an hate-light dungeon : pluck out these eyes with pinsers ; let the flame burn me to cinders , i 'll be still the same . think not that i 'll recant because i 'm old and feeble no ; torments shall make me bold : i am content to suffer for my god , and patiently sustain his chastning rod : the zeal i bear is not a zeal that founds it's happiness on such unstable grounds , as once to move me or to make me totter ; no , tyrant , were thy fury ten times hotter . i 'le laugh death in the face , when i lay down this life , to take up an immortal crown . blest i shall be , although by thee accurst ; tyrant i challenge thee , do , do thy worst . with that the soldiers hale him to the place of torment , strip him , whip him , and do lace his back with stripes , till bloody streams out-gush , and in the face of the tormentor blush : while he was under the afflicter's hand , one stood , and cry'd , obey the kings command : but patiently this worthy man endur'd a world of wounds , too dang'rous to be cur'd : and darting up his venerable eyes , he knew for whom he was a sacrifice ; in whom he did believe : then casts a look on his afflicted self , and sees a brook , a bubbling brook , with uncontrouled tides , crimson their passage from his mangled sides : and when his sufferance over-flow'd the banks of torment , he admir'd , gave god the thanks . they loathsome liquor in t ' his nostrils pouring , did then commit him to the flames devouring : yet when his nat'ral life began to fail and his approaching death would take no bail ; having his wasting eyes on heaven laid , his dying breath breath'd forth these words , & said , thou o my god art he who bringest down to th' grave , giv'st life , and with that life a crown ; behold ( dear lord ) i 'm swallow'd by deaths jaws , for the strict keeping of thine own-made laws . sweet father hear me ; o be pleas'd to keep thy bosome nation , suffer not thy sheep , to be devour'd by wolves , that are too bold to worry them , or scare them from their fold : o let my death conclude all miserie , and grant in dying i may live to thee . now i am found in thee , can i be lost ? he ceas'd , and ceasing yeilded up the ghost . the kings displeasure waxing now more strong , sent for sev'n hebrew children , who being young , he thought them weak , unable pains to bear , he therefore either by entreats , or fear , presum'd he should induce them to abjure their law , and eat what by their law 's impure . the crafty tyrant ambushing his guile , beholdeth them with a dissembling smile , and thus reveal'd himself : admir'd young men , i wish your good , o do not madly then shun my behests ; prevent the torments due unto the refractory , not to you ; as for my part , i desire nothing more then to advance you , and increase your store : contemn your superstitious vanities , and come along our tracts , if you be wise : t is no such crime if you your law fulfil not . if you neglect ours ( as i hope you will not ) with ling'ring deaths i 'll study to torment you ; you may it may be then too late repent you . am i a king ? and shall contempt accrue to me a king , from such low worms as you ? ( racks , bring forth those wheels rods , cauldrons , hooks & grid-irons , cages ; here 's not all , here lacks ; let 's see the engines to torment the hands , gauntlets , auls , bellowes , brass-pots , frying-pans . obey , young men ; if i enforce a fact not good , 't is not your voluntary act , you do not sin ; be prudent then , i say , not actively but passively obey . the zeal-inflam'd young men do vilify his threats , intreats , retorting this reply , speak tyrant say , say , why art thou so bent to persecute us that are innocent ? we will observe , for all afflictions rod , what moses taught us from the mouth of god ; know , we detest your sense-deluding shows , nor will we be seduc'd by words or blows : no tyrant , no , do thou the best you can to do thy worst , we will fear god , not man : our cause is god's , and death is our desire ; heaven is our portion , yours eternal fire . th' enraged tyrant after one another lop'd off these hopeful sprouts : the eldest brother , named macchabons , first was stretched out upon a rack , and beaten round about his naked ribs , with a bulle-pizle , till his wearyed tormentors had their fill of long continued strokes , and did desire rather to leave , then he did them require : nor was this all ; fresh tort'rers have extended him on a wheel , weights at his heels appended : while yet his sinews and his entrails brake , he call'd on god , then to the tyrant spake : blood-guilty wretch , who labor'st to disthrone gods majesty it self ; know , i am one am for the cause of god a sufferer , and no witch , nor inhuman murtherer . when the afflicter with compassion sway'd , bid him submit unto the king , he said , accursed ministers of tyranny , your wheels as yet , are not so sharp , that i should thereby be enforced to abjure heaven , wherein is my foundation sure . see , tyrant , see how resolute i am ; winde off my flesh with pinsers , do , and cram young vultures with the bits before mine eyes : put , put me to the worst of cruelties : rost ( if you please ) by a soft fire my flesh , and if that will not serve , invent a fresh : inflict , inflict , till there cannot be fonnd a place , whereon t' inflict another wound . so said , thus rack'd , into a fire he 's thrown , and now his wasting bowels stared on the tyrants face ; yet with an unmov'd brest he to his brethren thus himself exprest : beloved brethren , learn by my example to scorn the worlds alluring baits , and trample all torments under foot ; obey god rather then this proud tyrant : god 's a gracious father ; and when him pleases , with a smile or frown , can raise the humble , strike the lofty down . this torment 's not enough to end his pain , for he is snatch'd out of the fire and flame alive ; his tongue was plucked out and then his life he ended in a frying pan : and now his soul enjoy'd what he desir'd , his friends rejoyced , and his foes admir'd . then was the second brother , aber call'd , who with the tort'ring engines unappal'd , refus'd to eat , chains did his hands restrain : his skin ( the garment of his flesh ) was flain from head to knees ; the tort'rer did devest his intrails peeping from his unglaz'd brest , too grievous to behold ; and him at last unto a famine-pined leopard cast : the beast ( though truculent ) did onely smell , and went her way , forgetting to be fell , nor was sh ' injurious to him in the least . the kings displeasure but the more increas'd , and aber grown more constant by his pain , thus , thus his dying voice did loudly strain : how sweet ! how pleasant is this death to me ! yea 't is most welcome , for i 'm sure to be rewarded by my god ; the cross i bear on earth , in heav'n a glorious crown to wear ; i thank my god , that i am more content to suffer , tyrant , then thou to torment . and yet is not this misery of mine in suff'ring , so exorbitant as thine is by inflicting ; keeping of the laws thus aggravates my pains , and thou the cause shalt by the justice of the holy one be banished from thy usurped throne , and be reserved for those horrid chains of utter darkness , and eternal pains . he said no more ; his soul forsook his brest , to take possession of aye-lasting rest . machir the third son 's brought , who was not quell'd , but angrily their counsel thus repeli'd : one father us begat ; one mother bore us ; one * master taught us , who is gone before us : protract no time , for i am not so weak to yield ; i come to suffer , not to speak : what care i though i drink the brim-fild boul of thy displeasure ? t will not hurt my soul . a globe was brought , his woes must b'aggravated , and bound thereon ; his bones were dislocated ; they flaid his face , and while a crimson river flow'd from him , thus he did himself deliver : o tyrant , we , what we endure , endure for the pure love of god : thou shalt be sure to rove in sulph'ry flames , and be tormented eternally , unpity'd , unlamented . his tongue b'ing taken out , this good young man departed in a red-hot frying-pan . judas is next , whom neither menacing nor flattries , could induce t' obey the king : your fire ( said he ) shall me attract more near gods holy law , and to my brethren dear : i tell thee tyrant , thou shalt be acurs'd , and true believers blest : thou that art nurs'd by cruelty it self : i bid thee try me , and see if god will not also stand by me . hereat the tyrant in a hot displeasure hastily left his chair t' afflict by leasure ; he charg'd his tongue to be cut out , in brief ; t'whom judas thus ; our god is not so deaf as you imagine ; his attentive ear hears the dumb language of his servants pray'r : he hears the heart , not voice ; our thoughts he sees a distance off ; distongue me if you please : divide me limb from limb , do tyrant , do , but know , thou shalt not long scape scot-free so . he 's tongueless , and with ropes ends beaten sore , which he with much admired patience bore : at last upon the rack his life was spent , and to his brethren ( gone before ) he went. then achas the fifth brother unaffraid to hug grim death , disclos'd his lips , and said , tyrant , behold , i come for to prevent thy sending for ; and know that i am bent to die couragiously , my mind is steady ; thou art to hellish flames condem'd already , by my dear bretherens effused gore , and i the fifth shall make thy grief the more . what is 't that we have done ? what other cause canst thou alleage , but this , we keep gods laws ? and therefore in the midst of torturing we joy o'tis an honourable thing ! ( wrongs , though each part suffer , heaven will right our and fill your mouths with howlings , ours with songs . then was he in a brazen morter pounded , nay th'less he said , those favours are unbounded with which thou crown'st us ( though against thy wil ) we please our god , rage thou , and rage thy fill : if thou shouldst pity me , i should be sorry ; death's but the prologue to immortal glory . so said , he made a stop and stopping dy'd . now the sixth brother areth must be try'd , honour and dolour's put unto his choice ; but grieving at it , with a constant voice he shot forth this reply : i weigh not either ; as we like brethren liv'd , wee 'll die together in gods fear ; and the time which in exhorting thou hast a mind to spend , spend in extorquing , his down-ward head unto a pillar ty'd , antiochus rosts him by a soft fires side ; and that the heat might enter to the quick , and multiply his paines , sharp auls must prick his tender flesh ; about his face and head much blood like froth appear'd ; yet thus he said , o noble fight ! o honourable warre ! glad grief ! o pious ! and o impious jarre ! my bretheren are gone , and i ally'd to them in blood , would not that death divide our love united souls : invent , invent more horrid pains indeavour to torment this flesh with greater torments ; study , study new wayes t' afflict me , more severe , more bloody : i thank my god , these are o'recome already ; let thousands worser come , i will be steady . we young men have bin conqu'rours of thy power ; thy fire is cold , nor can thy rage devour our faith-fenc'd souls ; we have a greater joying in suffering , then thou hast in destroying : as god is just , so will he right our wrongs . these words scarce out , a pair of heated tongs eradicate his tongue ; then being cast into the frying-pan , he breath'd his last . and now the youngest brother's onely left , jacob ; who coming forth , compassion cleft the tyrants heart , who took aside the child by th'●and and spake , and as he spake , he smil'd : thy bretheren may teach thee to expect the worst of ills , if thou my will neglect : thou shalt , if thou wilt of thy self be free , a ruler , gen'ral , and my counc'ller be . this not prevail'd , he thus the mother dons ; o worthy woman , where are now thy sons ? yet thou hast one , turn him , lest thou be rest of him likewise , and so be childless left . the mother bowing to the king , bespake her child in hebrew ; pity , for christ's sake , and chear thy woful mother : o despise these pains , and be a willing sacrifice , as were thy bretheren ; that in the day of grace , in heaven receive you all i may . unbound , he forthwith to the torments ran , and with a serene countenance began ; blood-wasting wretch , what dost thou but adde fuel , thee to make hell botter , by persisting cruel ? worm that thou art , who crown'd thee ? who gave those purple robes thou wearest ? was 't not he whom thou in us dost persecute ? but die thou must at last , for all thou perk'st so high : i crave no favour at thy hands , but will follow my breathren , and be constant still . torments ensue : through mouth and nose he bled ; his mothers kinde hand held his fainting head : his arms cut off , lord take my soul , he cry'd ; distongu'd , he ran into the fire , and dy'd . now salomona ( all her children dead ) enflam'd with zeal , came to be martyred ; herein excell'd them all , in that sh'endur'd sev'n painful deaths , before her own 's procur'd , she tearless could abide to see them spurn'd , and rack'd , and torn , and beat , and flaid , and burn'd : and knowing well , death cutteth off our dayes by fluxes , agues , and a thousand wayes ; that pains were momentary , she exhorted them thus in hebrew , ere they were extorted : most choyce fruits of my womb , let 's hasten hence , and fear not , heaven will be our recompence : shall 's bear what eleazar undergon ? you know good abram sacrific'd his son : remember daniel , in the lyons den ; and cast your eyes on the three childeren . the restless tyrant caus'd her to be stripped , then hang'd up by the hands , and soundly whipp'd , her paps pull'd off : she while her body sryes , lifts up her hands and eyes , and prayes , and dyes . sect . iv. the persecution of the church from christs time to our present age ; and first of those mentioned in the new-testament . herod the great having intellegence that there was born unto the jews a prince at bethleem ; a band of men he sent , to do full execution as they went , on smiling babes , throughout judea's land : ( supposing jesus might not scape his hand ; ) snatch'd from the breast , the pretty little ones were tost on pikes , and dash'd against the stones . the tyrant , after this , distracted grew , and 's wife , his children , and familiars slew . with sickness struck , he knew not where to turn , what course to take ; for a slow fire did burn his inward parts : his * canine appetite was unsuffic'd ; his lungs corrupted quite ; his bowels rot ; his secrets putrify'd ; consum'd with wormes , he miserably dy'd . herod the less incestuously wedded ; john baptist for his plain reproof beheaded . peter and john restor'd a man born lame , preach'd christ , and were imprison'd for the same . the high-priests and the sadduces up-risen against th' apostles , cast them into prison : but in the night , an angel of the lord op'ning the doors , their liberties restor'd : they on the morrow , for divulging christ , re-apprehended were , beaten , dismist . false witnesses suborned , holy steven did through a stony-volley go to heaven . a gen'ral persecution breaking out at solyma , the saints disperse about the judean and the samarian borders : a persecting saul the church disorders . the jewish fury , new-converted saul scapes by a basket let down o'r the wall . james is beheaded : while agrippa storms against the church , he was devour'd by worms . peter enlarged by an angel was : sosthenes , silas paul , and barnabas were beaten , whipp'd , and forced several times to leave their country , and seek other climes . paul's ston'd at lystra , and for dead he lay ; but god reviv'd him ; he took derbe-way : much he endur'd abroad , and much at home , and in the end was martyred at rome . james , jesus brother , from a pin'cle cast , recov'ring on his knees , thus spake his last : father ( thee on my bended knees i woo ) forgive them : for , they know not what they do . a cameles knees were said to be more soft then his , by reason that he kneel'd so oft . ) vespasian did to him the jews subject ; titus jerus'lem and the temple sack'd . andrew and philip's crucifi'd : rough blows kill barthol'mew ; thoumas as a dart o' rethrows . mathew's thrust through : simon zelotes dead upon the cross . mathi as loft his head : and judas ( brother unto james ) not mist a murth'rous stroke : mark the evangelist went up to heaven in a fi'ry car : one of the deacons named nicanor , did with two thousand christians lay down this life , to take up an immortal crown . the persecution of the church under the heathen roman emperours . sect . v. the first primitive persecution , which began anno christi , 67. domitius nero , while in sheets of fire the roman city caper'd , sang t' his lire the incendiums of troy , and from a tow'r feasted his eyes , to see the flames devour those goodly structures , and high tow'rs of state , which startled the beholders eyes of late : the circus fell , the pondrous beams and stones , crushing to pieces many thousand ones ; the fire burns others , and the flame and smoak nine dayes continu'd , a great number choak . thus nero on himself an odium brought ; and to excuse himself , transfer'd the fault upon the harmless christians : it was they had done it out of malice ; no delay detards his hasty feet from shedding bloud : vvhere e're he comes , he makes a crimson floud flow down the streets : in wild-beasts skins he wraps christians , and throws them to dogs worr'ing chaps . in paper stiffened with molten wax , he packs up some ; and puts on others backs a searcloth-coat , and bolt upright them bound to axle-trees , first pitched in the ground , then at the botom fir'd : these constant flames afforded light to nero's nightly games kept in his garden : other some he takes , and goar 's in length upon erected stakes . this persecution through th' whole empire spred ; so that the cities were replenished with slaught'red carkases ; the old , the young , and naked women , altogether flung . such was his rage , a christians loathed name he strove t'extirpate wheresoe're he came . at four years end , this direful blast expires in paul and peter , two bright-shining fires . peter ( as he desir'd ) was crucifi'd with his head downward ; so a martyr dy'd . and paul , his faith's confession having spoke , yielded his neck unto the fatal stroke . sect . vi. the second primitive persecution , which began anno 96. domitian his brother titus slaies , and doth the second persecution raise : ( for whilst vespasian and his son remain'd , the church with golden links of peace was chain'd ) he flew the roman nobles ; and decreed the extirpation of david's seed , john , the belov'd disciple , boyl'd in oyl , unhurt , was banish'd into patmos lfle . one simcon bishop of jerus'lem , dy'd upon the cross : a number more beside of christians he impoverish'd , and sent them out , to lead their lives in banishment . the roman senate passed this decree , that christians should not have their libertie vvhen brought before the judgment-seat , unless they deviate from their religiousness . the heathenish idolaters devise against the saints abomniabile lies , and envious slanders ; that they were seditious , incestuous , rebellious , and pernicious unto the empire ; none could them importune , by any means , to swear by casars fortune . if famine , plague , or war amongst them came , the christians were the authors of the same . and look what accusations they related , domitian was the more exasperated ; and us'd what e're mans wicked wit invents ; stripes , rackings , scourgings , and imprisonments , deep dungtons , stoning , strangling , the gridiron , cibbet , and gallows , red-hot plates t'environ the tendrest parts ; the teeth of salvage bears ; the horns of buls , and sticking up on spears , &c. thus kill'd , a lawful burial was deny'd them : pil'd up and tear-throat dogs were left beside them . though christians sufferings were very sore , yet still the church encreased more and more , in the apostles doctrine deeply grounded , and with the blood of martyr'd saints surrounded . good timothy , religious from his youth , was stoned , as a witness to the truth , by those that worshipped diana bright : one dionysius th' arcopagite vvas slain at paris by a treach'rous villan . protasius and gervasius fell at millain . sect . vii . the third primitive persecution , which began anno christi 108. domitian being by his servants slain , nerva succeeded ; in whose gracious reign ( vvhich was but thirteen months ) the saints enjoy'd a peaceful season , and were not destroy'd . trajan , next him , the roman crown put on ; he 't was rais'd the third persecution , vvorse then the former were ; which did incite an * heathenish philosopher to write i' th' christians behalf , to trajan shewing , that whereas many thousands in his viewing vvere killed ; yet , contraite the roman laws none did , which might such persecution cause ; saving that every morn by break of day , they to a god call'd christ did sing and pray : in other things they were to be commended . trajan returns this answer : he intended to search them out no more ; but if they were brought and convicted , them he would not spare . sentence confus'd ! he them as harmless tenders , and yet would have them punish'd as offenders . the rage was by this act a little curb'd : yet ill-disposed men the peace disturb'd ; especially , if new commotions flam'd amongst them , then the christians must be blam'd . trajan commands the lineage of david , which could be found , should by no means be saved he phocas , pontus bishop , cast in 's wrath , first int'a lime-kiln , next a sealding bath . ignatius , and many thousands more exposed to the wild beasts to devour : nor did in adrian's reign this fury slake , ten thousand sufferd for the lord christ's sake . in ararath thousands were crucifi'd , crowned with thorns , and thrust into the side vvith needle-pointed darts , in imitation of christ , our blessed lord and saviours passion . faustiu us , zenon , and eustachius , dy'd for the truth . vvhen calocerius saw how the saints did bear afflictions rod , he cry'd out , truly , great 's the christians god : for which he apprehended , did become partaker likewise of their martyrdom . symphorissa , a fair and vertuous dame , hang'd up by th' hair , was scourged for christs name , and then made fast unto a pondrous stone , into the bosom of a river thrown : seven sons she had , all stak'd , rack'd , and at last thrust thorough , were into a deep pit cast . adrian b'ing come to athens , sacrific'd after the greekish manner ; authoriz'd any that would , to persecute , abuse vvhoever in contempt should it refuse . quadratus , an athenian bishop , hence did out of zeal i' th' christians defence write learned tractares : serenus did do the like ; and famous aristides too ; declaring that'twas neither right nor reason in harmless persons ; and no other fault should bring their lives in danger , at th' assault of th'hair-brain'd rabble ; th' emperour hereat grew milde , and pity'd their afflicted state . after him antonius pius swaid and he this persecuting storm allaid . gods word 's fulfill'd , the wicked's rod shall not alwayes remain upon the righteous lot . sect . viii . the fourth primitive persecution , which began anno christi 162. now antoninus verus , pius son , ( who dead ) rais'd the third persecution . germanious , pionius , metrodore , polycarp , carpus , and a number more in asia burn'd . felicit as at rome , with her seven children suffered martyrdome . scourg'd was her eldest son ; and after , prest to death with leaden weights , attain'd true rest . the two next had their brains knockt out with mauls : the 4th thrown headlong down a prec'pice , sprawls with his broke neck : the three that do remain , must lose their heads . in fine , the mother 's slain . concordus suffered ; who in disgrace , did spirt out spittle in the idols face . in france the christians under went all wrongs ; as scourgings , stonings , and the spatt'ring tongues of railing rabshakeh's : at home , abroad , their backs must tolerate afflictions load : yet well they knew , that griefs were transitory , if but compared to eternal glory . sanchis the bishop of vienna , stood unmov'd , under such pains , as flesh and blood could not endure to bear : no torments could prevail to make him to let go his hold . when he was ask'd , where he was born and bred ; he , i 'm a christian , onely answered : and when another did demand his name , urging it much , his answer was the same : a third enquir'd , whether he were a man , or bond , or free ; i am a christian , he still reply'd : no torments could divorce his constant lips from using that discourse . when there were plates of candent brass apply'd i'his tendrest parts : o how did he abide that scorching heat ! nor was he seen to shrink , as did his body : while his tort'rers think , with new supplies to force his recantation , he quite contrary to their expectation , vvas so restor'd , that what he did endure these latter times , did prove his sov'raign cure . at last plac'd in a red-hot iron chair , his spir'e ( with others ) vanish'd into air. thus were the holy saints , from morn to night , a spectacle unto the people's sight . biblides in the midst of pains spake thus , ah! how should we ( as you report of us ) vve christians , think you , of our babes make food ? vvhen we not taint our lips with bestial blood . attalus frying , thus your selves do eat mans flesh : and as for us , we loath such meat . b'ing asked what he call'd their god by name ; he answer'd , man 's and his was not the same . then let your god , if that a god he be so powerfull ( said they ) come set you free . pont'cus a youth of fourteen years of age , perpass'd the utmost of the fo-mens rage . vvilde beasts are put to blandina , but they ; more merciful then men , would go their way . vvhipped she is , then broyl'd and thrown on ground for buls to tear : from every gaping wound blood gushes forth , and runneth out afresh from th'u●stopp'd chinks of her bemangled flesh . she felt no paine , by reason she was fill'd vvith spir'tual joy : she at the last was kill'd . the bodies of the saints were made a mock , a scorn , a by-word , and a laughing-stock i' th' open streets , till thrice two suns were down , then burn'd their ashes in the river thrown . th' apostatized christians , which came unto their tryals , did confess their shame by down-cast looks , and sorrow-boding faces ; the gentiles pulveriz'd them with disgraces , as persons too degenerous , addicted to vice , deserving what should be inflicted : but they which constant to the last remain'd , vvent with a cheerful brow , and entertain'd an obvious death ; and , as it were combin'd their glorious rayes , and like to phoebus shin'd . so have i seen a fair and comly bride , richly attir'd , with what a decent pride she quits her conclave , or interior room , who drawing neer , about her neck doth fall , and seals his favours on her lips withall . faith as an ornament the soul endows ; christ is the bridegroom , and the church the spouse prepares to meet him , and direct her paces , they he may hug her with entwin'd embraces . they meet ; christ & his following spouse do clamber up by steep staires ; heaven is the bridal chamber : where , with unknown delights , they are possest of sweet reposes , and eternal rest . marcus aurelius , and antonius go to war against the quades the vandals too : their army by innum'rous foes beset , were so put to 't , the souldiers could not get the least of water , their thirst to allay : vvith that , a christian legion fell to pray , ( vvithdrawing from the rest ) the heav'n disburst abundant show'rs ; the romans quench'd their thirst : against their enemies , such lightnings flash'd , as made them fly discomfited and dash'd . the emp'rour pleas'd hereat , commands that none kill christians more , whose god such things had done : and his ( which was not long in force ) decree burn'd the accusers , set th' accused free . sect . ix . the fifth primitive persecution , which began anno christi 205. when peace-maintaining pertinax was dead , servere severus reigned in his stead ; by envious rumors , and through false suggestion , the christians lives were dayly brought in question . the king commands ; his willing subjects strive to bring 't about , that none be left a live . in sun-burnt affrick , cappadocia , in carthage and in alexandria . so that the aumber slain was numberless ; origen's father , with whom origen his son had dy'd , had not his mother bin an hinderance , in that she did convey , the night before , his shirt and cloaths away ; hereat , he not for fear of martyrdome , but shaming to be seen , remain'd at home . tertullian , irenaus , andoclus , urbanus , satyrus , secundulus , perpetua , felicit as , and rhais , did by untimely deaths conclude their dayes . caspodius , a divine , drag'd up and down the streets ; at last was into tyber thrown . cecilia idolatry contemn'd , and therefore by the judge must be condemn'd ; the sergeants minding how she did behave her , how fair she was ; sollicite her , to favour her self , and not to cast her self away ; she was but young , and many a merry day might live to see : but she discreetly sent such gracious words , as caus'd them to relent , and unto that religion yield their hearts ' gainst which they threw their persecuting darts . which , when perceiv'd , leav gain'd , she runs her home and for vrbanus sends : vrbanus come , he grounds them in the faith so highly priz'd . four hundred do believe and are baptiz'd . this holy martyr afterwards was shut twice twelve hours in a bath ; at last they cut her head off from her shoulders : thus she ended her dayes , and up into the clouds ascended . agapetus , of fifteen years of age , vvas scourg'd , then hang'd up by the feet : in rage he scalded was ; unto the wild beasts rost ; but they not hurting him , his head he lost . pamachius , a roman senator , vvith's wife , his children , and neer fourty more , all in one day beheaded were ; their pates fixed on high , over the city gates , as bug-bears to affright and scare the rest from christianity , which it profest . potamiena , ( boyling pitch being pour'd upon her naked flesh ) the flames devour'd . and zepherinus ; after him vrbanus , both roman bishops ; good valerianus , tybartius too , two noble men of rome , for their religion suffer'd martyrdome . gainst narciss , three false witnesses suborn'd ; th' one lost his eyes , the fire a second burn'd ; the third lay languishing : thus we may see th'accusers suffer , the accus'd go free . antiochus fell down , and having cry'd , his bowels burn'd within him , sadly dy'd . sect . x. the sixth primitive persecution , which began anno christi 237. maximinus ( severus dead and gon ) stirr'd up the twice-third persecution : disliv'd the teachers , leaders , and the best ; by this means thinking to seduce the rest . thousands were martyred , whose names are lost with or'gen's * book , in which they were engrost . about this time natalius , a priest , ( who much had suffer'd for the cause of christ , ) seduced was by asclepiodot and theodore , who promis'd to allot a hundered and fifty silver crowns to him each month , if he would but renownce the christian god , and give to theirs respect : he did , and was a bishop of their sect : but god ( whose mercy would not have him lost , who had so much endur'd , so oft been cross'd ) admonished him by a vision plain , t'ad joyn himself to the true church again : which the good man , b'ing for the present blinded with gain and honour ( as he ought ) not minded . he the night after b'ing by angels scourg'd , did put on sackcloth in the morn , and purg'd his soul with tears : with doleful lamentation , he runs in hast to th'christian congregation : of all loves , and for jesus christ his sake , humbly entreating them , once more to take him into their society , and quire , accordingly they granted his desire . horse-torn hippol'tus dy'd : the martyred by sixties in a pit were buried . sect . xi . the seventh primitive persecution , which began anno christi 250. decius , that cruel emperour , begun the seventh bloody persecution : of which niceph'rus thus ; can any tell the sands ? they may the martyr'd saints as well . fabian , that kept a bishoprick at rome , and the kings treasures , suffred martyrdom . babilas dy'd in prison ; and a train of forty virgins were in antioch slain . the alexandrian christians are bereft of all their goods ; yea , they have nothing left : yet they rejoyce , and are therewith content , knowing their substance is more permanent . when apollinea's teeth had dash'd out bin , a fire was made ; they threat to throw her in : she paus'd a while , ( refusing to be turn'd ) and gave a leap into the fire and burn'd . julian , epimachus , and alexander , the flame consum'd : many ( poor souls ) did wander in the deserted deserts ; others lives lay open , to the raging cut-throat's knives . a certain minister with pains opprest , and fearing death , desir'd to be releas'd : a young man , then , too glorious to behold for mortal eyes , appearing , did unfold his angry lips : what would you have me do ? you dare not bear , and out you will not go . because chast theodora a did refuse to sacrifice , they sent her to the stews ; where lust-enflam'd young men for entrance press'd : but didymus slip'd in before the rest , having the habit of a souldier on , he chang'd for hers ; and she in his is gon . didymus stayes behind : b'ing found a man , confessing th' whole state of the matter ; so he was condemn'd , and must to torment go : which theodora a having understood ; to save the shedding of innocuous blood , comes to the judge , and said , i bear the guilt ; and lo i 'm here , condemn me if thon wilt : as for that man , i pray let him go free , let not your fury light on him , but me . she was not heard ; both for their lives were try'd , condemned both , beheaded both , both dy'd . no torments that the praetor could devise , could force nicetas t'offer sacrifice : he therefore him into a garden brought , with all variety of pleasures fraught : there laid him down upon a bed of down , ( a silken net softly upon him strown , ) among the lillies , and the fragrant roses , neer murm'ring streams inviting sweet reposes ; to the sweet whistling of the leaves mov'd by a gentle gale , he left him : presently in comes a strumpet garishly , attir'd , and in a wanton dialect , desir'd the non-denial of her earnest sute , to use her body lowly prostitute . nicetas , ( fearing he should be by folly conqu'red , and led to do what was unholy , ) bites off his tongue , and with a certain grace , he spits it out into her whorish face ; so by this smarting wound he did prevent sins sting , and consequently punishment . nichomacus most sensible of pain , i am no christian , cry'd ; so was not slain : he had no sooner put his hand to evil , but was possessed with an unclean devil , and thrown with violence upon the ground , bit off his tongue , and died of the wound . many a postates were possess'd , and some suddenly struck , ( were ever after ) dumb . though some thus fell away , others stood fast , remaining glorious martyrs to the last . but decius not long securely slept : for conquer'd by the goths , with 's horse he leapt into a whirlpool , and therein was drown'd ; nor was his body ever after found . yea , god throughout the roman empire spred a ten-years plague , t' avenge the blood was shed . brotherly love the christians shew'd t' each other , by visiting , relieving one another : but the idolaters fled from , neglected , cast out , not succour'd , those that were infected : shift onely for themselves , go where they will , this spreading punisment pursu'd them still . gallus succeeding ( decius being dead ) this persecution continued : the weight of his displeasure fell most heavy upon the shoulders of the tribe of levi. he banish'd cyprian , and more divines , condemned others to the metal-mines : t'whom cyprian wrote letters cons'latory shewing , affliction is the saints true glory ; deep wounds and scars are to a christian brest as ornaments to bring them in request with god himself ; to multiply their fame , and not as markes of stigmatized shame . and though the naked mines afford no beds , can they want ease that lay in christ their heads ? what if their aking bones lie o' th' cold floor ? is 't pain to lie with christ ? say they are poor , yet are they rich in faith : suppose their hands be manacled , put ease coacted bands hold their worn seet : can he be said to be fetter'd with chains , whom the lord christ doth free ? he lies ty'd in the stocks , thereby whose feet to run a heav'nly race become more fleet . nor can a christian be bound so fast , but his life's crown , adds wings unto his hast . they have no clothes , cold weather to resist : can he be naked who hath put on christ ? do they want bread ? christ is the bread of life , that commeth down from heaven , in him is rise : man by the word which doth from god proceed , is said to live , and not alone by bread . what matter is 't though you deformed seem ? you shall be honour'd , and of great esteem : your god will turn your miserable dayes to peace ; your mournings into songs of praise : you sail through troublous seas , to be possest of heaven , the haven of eternal rest , and do not grieve , because you are forbid to serve the lord , ( as formerly you did ) in your parochial places , god's enclin'd t' accept th' endeavours of a willing minde : the dayly sacrifices you impart , god loves ; a broken and a contrite heart his soul takes pleasure in : he doth regard , his servants tears , and will at last reward fidelious brests , which do confess his name : promis'd he hath , and will perform the same . sect . xii . the eighth primitive persecution , which began anno christi 259. valerian next adds fuel to the fire , and blows the flames of persecution higher ; by an egyptian sorcerer beguil'd , he now is cruel , who before was milde . the christians are banished his court , where lately he allow'd them to resort ; nor was this all ; young men , maids , husbands , wives , all sorts , and ranks , must lose ( dear hearts ! ) their lives . three hundred souls , then by the president of carthage were into a lime-kiln sent . three virgins first had vinegar and gall forc'd down their throats ; then scourg'd , then rack'd and all besmeared were with lime : then broil'd , then cast to wild beasts , and beheaded at the last . when cyprian long had born afflictions yoke , his neck submitted to the fatal stroke . sixtus a bishop of the city rome , and his six deacons , suffer'd martyrdome . laurence the seventh , as along he went with sixtus going to his punishment , complain'd he might not ( seeing he had rather suffer then live ) die with his rev'rend father . sixtus reply'd , before three dayes were out he should come after : go and give about i' th' interim thy treasures to the poor : th' observing judge supposing he had store of wealth crock'd up , commanded him to bring all that he had : for to effect which thing , laurence crav'd three dayes respit ; in which stock of time , he gath'red a poor christian flock into a ring ; the fourth day doth afford new light , and he must now make good his word . being enforc'd by a severer charge , couragious laurence doth his arms enlarge over the needy throng , and said , these be the precious jewels of the church : see , see , here treasure is indeed ; here christ doth dwell . but oh! what tongue sufficiently can tell the raving fury which the tyrant acted ; how he did stamp , did stare like one distracted ? his eyes did sparkle , his gnash'd teeth struck fire , and 's mouth all in a foam , thus wreak'd his ire : kindle the fire ; faggots on faggots fling : what , doth the villain thus delude the king ? away , away with him ; whip beat him sore ; jesteth the traitor with the emperour ? pinch him with red-hot tongs ; let candent plates engird the raskals loyns ; heat , heat the grates ; and when y'have bound the rebell hand and foot ; on with him , rost him , broil him : look you do 't , on pain of our displeasure ; toss him , turn him ; i charge you , do not leave him till you burn him , and that to cindars too : each man fulfill his office quick , and execute my will. revenge findes nimble hands ; the tort'ters lay him on a soft down-bed ; i will not say , a fi'ry iron one : god made it so , that it afforded lanrence ease , not woe . valerians heart burns , laurence flesh doth roft ; 't is doubtful whether was tormented most . then laurence thus : tyrant , this side 's enough : turn up the rest ; or rost or raw , try which thou likest best . sect . xiii . the ninth primitive persecution , which began anno christi 278. claudius , and after him quintilian , ( reign ) ( both which but one and thrice three years did maintain'd the churches peace : while they endur'd , the saints were happy , and their lives secur'd . aurelian , nat'rally severe and cruel , succeeds ; his rage fomented by the fuel of mis-informing sinister suggestions , prov'd tyrannous ; his nephew's life he questions ; and questioning , abrepts : then he begun to stir up the ninth persecution . but thus it happ'ned : while he went about to seal the edict that was issuing out , there did a thunder-bolt so neer him fall , that he was kill'd , 't was the consent of all . the emp'rour strake with such astonishment , gave over his tyrannical intent . he after six years reign was murthered : and the church forty four years flourished under a various emp'rour . o what peace doth crown the christians brows ! what large increase of honour doth betide them ! they resort unto the court , who lately were a sport t'insulting foes : and they that were a prey , are prais'd and priz'd : who now more great then they ? while thus the christians bath'd themselves in quiet , their natures drew them to excessive riot , t'indulge to idleness , to scold , and brawl for very trifles , or nothing at all ; with railing words bespatt'ring one another , moving sedition against each other : bishops with bishops ; and the vulgar train do with the vulgar altricate for gain : thus , thus their sins encreased ev'ry day , till gods wrath came , where sin chalk'd out the way : and now the christians enemies abound , laying their churches level with the ground ; burn sacred writs . i'th'open market-places ; pursue their priests , and load them with disgraces : slanders and contumelious opprobries , abhor'd their doctrine , and their words despise . sect . xiv . the tenth primitive persecution , which began anno christi 308. tvvo tyrants , dioclesian in the vvest and maximinian in the east , distress'd the saints of god : the foe-men overcome , they instituted solemn games at rome , as glad memorials of their b'ing victorious : nay dioclesian was so vain-glorious , he needs would be a god , and be ador'd by ev'ry bended-knee , as supream lord : nor did he stick to say , that he was brother unto the sun and moon , as was no other . his shoes adorn'd with gold and precious stones , the people kneeling on their marrow-bones he bid to kiss his seet , ( o height of pride ! ) he persecution rais'd ; at easter tide places of divine worship he or'eturn'd ; and in contempt the sacred scripture burn'd , some elders of the church were torn in sunder ; the rest variety of deaths went under . sylvanus bishop , with him thirty nine , ended their sorrowes in a mettle-mine . the tyrian christians ( none this fury spares ) vvere cast to lyons , leopards , and bears kept hungry for that purpose : male-content , the beasts not touched them ; their claws were bent at other preyes ; they vehemently rage ' gainst those which brought the christians on the stage , and seiz'd on them ; who though they thought they stood out of harms way , became the wild beasts food . and afterwards , these holy martyrs slain , vvere soon committed to the foaming main . the syrian pastors lay in prison chain'd ; zenobius a physician , brick-bats brain'd . yea good serena dioclesians wife , was for religions sake depriv'd of life . the martyrs blood ran like a flowing tide , such an innumerable number dy'd . upon a christmas-day maximinus fir'd a church whereto the christians retir'd , to celebrate that joyful day , wherein jesus was born to save them from their sin . he also did a phrygian city burn , and all th' inhabitants which would not turn . forty young gentlemen of good repute , confess'd their faith , and boldly did refute false wayes : their names up to the marshal gave , who seeing them so gallantly behave themselves , admit'd , and stood in a quandary , what course to take ; his anxious thoughts did vary : resolved , he try'd what fair words would do ; proff'ring them money , and preferment too : they answer'd thus ; we nothing do desire , but christ alone ; the wheel , the cross , the fire , are easie pains . his eyes the marshal casts upon a pond expos'd to northern blasts ; bids them be stripp'd unto their naked skin ; 't was winter weather , yet they must go in , there stay all night . we put not off our cloaths , say they , but our old man , which god so loaths . the pond receiv'd them , and the nipping frost stiffened their members ; breath not fully lost when day appear'd unto the wakened world , they were took out , and burn'd ; their ashes hurl'd into the gliding streams . — in france , in colen italy , and spain , were many millions of christians slain , as witnessed unto the truth : in trevers the brookes of blood discolour'd ample rivers . this persecution run along , and came into our britain , where the christians flame . besides the kindes of deaths , the torments were so great , that they unutterable are ; as whippings , scourgings , rackings , hackings , manglings , hangings , bangings , prickings , kickings , stranglings , smoakings , choakings , rostings , scorchings , spoylings , cuttings , guttings , flayings , fryings , broylings : some manded to the mines , others were quarter'd ; in brief , there were seventeen thousand martyr'd in one months space ; yet still the christians joy'd , and still encreas'd , the more they were destroy d. galerius invading antiech , romanus runs , and tells the christian flock , that wolves , which would devour them up , were neer : but therewithal , exhorts them not to fear the greatest perils , but that young and old would be couragious , resolute and bold , to hazard life and limb , for to maintain god's cause and theirs . with that , an armed train pour'd in upon them ; but the christian throng arm'd with the staffe of faith , were too too strong for them to grapple with then : speedy word was sent their captain , that no power of sword could e're prevail ; it was in vain to strive against the stream romanus yet alive . the ireful captain , in a sume , commands romanus be deliver'd to his hands . romanus comes ; thus did the captain say , and art thou then the author of this fray ? art thou the cause why thus so many fall ? by iove i swear that answer for them all thou shalt ; and that e're thee and i do part , i 'll make thee undergo the self-same smart thou do'st encourage others to abide . galerius ceas'd : romanus thus reply'd ; tyrant , i hug , and willingly embrace thy sentence ; know , i count it no disgrace to be for my dear breth'ren sacrific'd , by worst of torments that can be devis'd . galerius raging at this answer stout , commands his men to truss him and draw out his bowels . th' executioners defer such horrid deeds , and say , not so good sir , he is of noble parents , and his breath may not be stop'd by an ignoble death . scourge him then soundly , let your yerking lashes , weighty with leaden knobs , cut wounds , and gashes . to whom romanus used this expression ; not my descent , but christian-like profession nobilitateth me ; be not therefore more favourable , but inflict the more : your idol worship i detest , despise , and all your superstitious fooleries . with that his sides , his naked sides , were lanc'd this bones ; yet still this blessed saint advanc'd the living god , and christ , whom he hath sent : then were his teeth struck out , for this intent he might not speak so audibly : his face was buffeted , his cheeks were slic'd ; nor was this all ; nails tear his eyelids : from his chin they pluck'd his beard , and with his beard the skin : yet this meek martyr said , i give to thee o captain , thanks , for opening wide to me so many mouths , whereby to shew the power of god , and jesus christ my saviour : look tyrant look , upon my various wound ; so many mouths have i , gods praise to sound the captain wond'ring at his constancy , ceased to exercise more cruelty : yet menaced to burn him , and did say thy cru'fi'd christ is but of yesterday , the gentiles gods of longer standing are . romanus takes occasion to declare th' eternity of christ : of seven year old give me a childe ( said he ) what he 'll unfold listen unto : from out the gazing throng a pretty boy is pick'd : romanus tongue bespeaks him thus ; my lamb , ought we not rather to worship christ , and in this christ one father , then a plurality of deities ? speak , 't is a good boy , speak : the child replies , there needs must be but one god we conceive ; that there are more , we children can't believe . th' amazed captain said , young villain , where , and of whom learn'dst thou this ? my mother dear , he answer'd , taught it me ; this from her breast i suck'd in with my milk , that i must rest my faith in christ alone , and in no other . in comes rejoycingly the sent-for mother ; the child 's hors'd up and scourg'd , the standers by , with wat'ry eyes behold this cruelty ; while the glad mother , a tear-less spectator chides her sweet babe , for asking for cold water : after that cup she chargeth him to thirst the babes drank of , which were in bethlem nurs'd : upon my blessing , i saac record , proff'ring his neck unto his father's sword . then did the barbarous tormentor pull the hair , the skin , and all , from the childs scull . the mother cryes , this pain will soon be gon ; suffer , my child , my sweet-sac'd child , anon thou 'lt pass to him , who will adorn thy head with an eternal crown , a crown indeed ! thus doth the mother chear the child : the child takes heart to grass , and in his pains he smil'd . the tyrant seeing how the child stood fast , himself subdu'd , commands him to be cast into a stinking dungeon , whilst that pain unto romanus was renew'd again . romanus is drag'd forth , to have a fresh supply of stripes , on his bemangled flesh . discovering the bare bones , a second smart augmenteth each already-wounded part . nor was this yet enough ; cut , prick'd , and pounc'd he suddenly must be ; then was denounc'd a final sentence ' gainst him , and the child ; both must be burn'd , their torments were too milde ; the tort'rers did too favourably deal . romanus boldly said , i do appeal from this ungodly sentence of thine own , to christ his righteous tribunal throne , who is an upright judge ; not that i fear thy merc'less handling ; no , i more can bear then thou canst lay upon me ; but that i may shew thy judgments to be cruelty , the childe 's demanded of his mother ; she , embracing it , deliver'd it to be bereav'd of life ; and when the fatal stroke was given , farewel , sweet child , farewel , she spoke : all praise o lord , with heart and word , vnto thy name we render : the saints that dye , are in thine eye most precious , dear , and tender . the childs head 's off , the mother tender-hearted enwrap'd it in her lap , and so departed . romanus then into the fire is flung : a storm extinguish'd it ; and now his tongue must take a farewel of his head ; his neck becomes the subject of a halters check . one gordius having liv'd a certain time in deserts , counted it at last a crime not to endure ; he therefore when a game was celebrated unto mars , forth came , and up in a conspicuous place b'ing got , he said , i 'm found of those that sought me not : then apprehended , he his faith confesses ; and in the midst of torment this expresses : god 's my adjutor , ah! why should i than fear in the least the tyranny of man ? nothing shall me dismay , that can fall out ; thou lord art with me , fencing me about with bullwarks of thy love ; thy favour still surrounds me : ah! how can i then fear ill ? these torments are but light , which i endure ; let heavier come . tormentors , pray procure substantialler then these ; these are too small : gibbits ? and racks ? as good have none at all . vvhen foul means could not shake his faith in christ , he was by specious promises entic'd : but gordius said , i do expect in heaven greater preferments , then on earth are given . now for this good man going to be burn'd , how many tender-hearted persons mourn'd ! to whom he thus ; let not your brimfill'd-eyes weep showres for me , but for god's enemies ; vvho make a fire for us , but in conclusion , purchase a greater to their own confusion : o weep for them , or none ; good people curb those gliding streams , and do not thus disturb my calmed minde : for truely i could bear a thousand deaths for christ , and never fear . some pity'd him , while others , standing by , perswade him to deny christ verbally , and to himself reserve his conscience . my tongue , said he , will under no pretence deny its donor : unto righteousness our hearts believe , but 't is our tongues confess unto salvation ; o let me excite you all to suffer for a cause so right : good folks , fulfill a dying mans desire . so said , he ceas'd , and leap'd into the fire . one menas , an egyptian born and bred , leaving his temporal subsistence , led a solitary life , in desert places ; where he might wholly exercise his graces , in fasting , prayer , meditation , fit and dil ' gent reading of the sacred writ . at last return'd to cot is , when the croud were at their pastimes , he proclaim'd aloud himself to be a christian : then surpriz'd , his faith in god more boldly he agniz'd . torments ensu'd ; no torments could revoke his minde , but thus he confidently spoke : in my minde , nothing comparable is to the enjoyment of eternal bliss : nay , all the world , if put into one scale , is lighter then one soul : vvho can prevail , to disunite us from the love of christ ? can tribulation ? anguish ? he 's the high'st ; to him will i look up ; he bids me fear not those that can kill me bodily , but are not able to hurt the soul : but fear him who hath pow'r to slay the soul and body too , and fling them into hell . having receiv'd the final sentence , up to heaven he heav'd his eyes , hands , heart , and said : o lord my maker , thanks be to thee , in that i am partaker of christ his precious blood : thou hast not let my foes devour me , but hast beset my heav'n-fix'd soul with such true constancy , that in the faith i liv'd , for that i die . the lift up axe , upon his neck falls down , and so he lost his head , but found a crown . in portugal a noble virgin nam'd eulalia , of twelve years old , enflam'd with holy zeal , most earnestly desir'd to suffer death , and heartily requir'd the blest assistance of gods willing arm , and faith all her corruptions to charm : her godly parents , fearing she should come t'antimely death , did keep her close at home ; but she ( not brooking long delay ) by night stole out of doors , by that time it was light she came into the city , and appearing before the judge , spake boldly in his hearing : what , no shame in you ? will you still be bent to shoot your arrowes at the innocent ? never have done ( because no power controuls ) to break their bodies , and afflict their souls ? are you desirous what i am to know ? i am a christian , and an open foe unto your diabolick sacrifices : as for your idols , them my soul despises : i do aknowledge , with my voice and hert , th'all-powerfull god : hangman , in ev'ry part come cut and mangle me , dishead me , burn me ; what ever thou canst do , shall never turn me . alas ! alas ! my flesh is too too weak , and may be conquer'd ; thou maist eas'ly break this brittle casket : but my inward minde a jewel is which thou shalt never finde . then thus the angry judge ; here hangman , take her , drag her out by the hair , to torments ; make her be sensible of what our gods can do , and we : but yet before thou undergo a miserable end , o sturdy girle , i 'de fain have thee recant ; life is a pearl too precious to lose : call but to minde thy noble birth , and be not so unkinde to thine own self as to neglect thy fortune ; methinks the glist'ring bride-bed should importune thee to preserve thy life : bar not thine ears , but be entreated by thy parents tears , not to contemn th' aurora of thy time ; the flower of thy youth is in its prime , and wilt thou slight it now ? well , if thou wilt , know , that to make thee answer for thy guilt , engines are ready ; if thou l't not be turn'd , thou shalt beheaded be , or rack'd , or burn'd : what a small matter is 't , not worth this strife , to strew incense ? yet that shall save thy life . eulalia not reply'd , but spurn'd abroad the incense heaps , and did with spittle load the tyrants face : the hangmaa having retch'd her ; with wilde-beasts talons to the hard bones scratch'd but she ceas'd not to praise the lord , and prize ( her . th' attainment of these sublime dignities . vvith th' iron grate her mangled body's gor'd ; her brests , with flaming torches are devour'd ; her long hair set on fire : she opened wide her mouth , and sucked in the flame , and di'd . the judge told agues , if she did refuse to sacrifice , there was a common stews , and in she should : the chast religious maid unto the flock'd-lascivious youngsters said , christ will not suffer this ( i tell you true ) this spotless soul to be defil'd by you by you base slaves to lust : then was she plac'd naked i'ch'street , and publickly disgrac'd : amongst the rest , one scoffing at her shame , a flame like to a flash of lightning came and struck out both his eyes ; he falling down , did wallow in the dirt , while she did crown her soul in praising god : the judge sends word to th'executioner to sheath his sword in her warm bowels ; agnes maketh hast to meet with him ; she cannot run so fast . o this ( said she ) this , this is he whom i am taken with : i long , i long to die : my brest stands fair ; thrust souldier , if thou wilt , thy glitt'ring rapier up unto the hilt . dear father open wide the gates of heaven to entertain my soul : her life 's bereaven . sect . xv. the persecution of the christians in perfia , under sapores , about the same time . and now the persian magicians bring in accusations , to sapores king , against the christians , for their adhering to constantine the great , ( a crime past cleering . ) the king incens'd herewith , with taxes , fines , oppress'd them sore , and killed their divines : simeon their priest was into prison sent , for slighting idol-gods ; and as he went , vsthazares ( a christian of late , since sall'n away ) who at the court-gate sate , espying him led by , obeysance did him : but simeon for apostatizing chid him . the conscious eunuch suddenly let fall a briny showre ; his costly garments all laid by , he mourn'd , and with dejected face , deplored thus his lamentable case : ah me ! with what a brazen brow shall i look upon god , see'ng simeon doth deny his kinde salute ? he to the king must go , who gently ask'd him why he mourned so ? if in my palace thou want'st any thing speak man , and by the honour of a king it shall be thine : that tolerable were ; but ah! who can a wounded spirit bear ? 't is this ( said he ) that acerbates my woe ; i live , who should have dyed long agoe ; this sun i see , to which i seem'd to bow thereby denying christ , to pleasure you ; i 'll take a solemn vow , for to adore the great creator , not the creature more . the king adjudged him to lose his head ; and at his death at his request 't was spread , here 's one that suffers not for any treason , but for religion , and no other reason . the christians which disheartened had bin by his apostacy he sought to win by his profession and example too , to take new courage , and to undergo the like if need requir'd . good simeon rejoyc'd , and prais'd the lord for what was don . when the next sun had rais'd them from their beds , he and a hundred more all lost their heads . the king decreed , no mercy should be us'd to them which to adore the sun refus'd . the sword rang'd over all the persian bounds ; devour'd whole cities , and unpeopled towns . in brief , in all , during sapore's reign were more then sixteen thousand christians slain , sect . xvi . the churches persecution under julian the apostata , anno christi 365. no sooner was constantius deceas'd , julian his nephew , of the west and east is made sole emperour : he from his youth was well instructed in religion's truth : his good behaviour and ingenious parts , made him a load-stone to attract all hearts . in brief , he had ( what 's difficult to finde ) the rare endowments of a vertuous minde . but he apostatiz'd : satan his tutor , learn'd him to be the churches persecutor : he op'd the idol fanes , lock'd up before ; and when the christian faith grew more and more by torments , he was pityful and mild , and by his gifts and flatteries beguil'd the weaker sort , who avarous of gaia , vvere drawn aside : he also did ordain , that none professing christianitie , master of any art should dare to be , or any officer : he did suborn jesters , to load them with contempt and scorn : himself put none to death ; yet did the crew of heathenish idolaters imbrew their hands in christian gore , brain'd them with stones , and tore the flesh from off their naked bones ; drench'd some in scalding water ; some were stipp'd stark naked ; others had their bellies rip'd and stuff'd with barly , for the greedy swine to champ upon ; while some with famine pine , some smear'd with honey up against the sun , in baskets hung , for vvasps to feed upon . the children neither spar'd father nor mother , nor parents chil'ren ; no nor brother brother . the flesh-deprived bones of some were mix'd vvith asses bones : here hangs on crucifix'd , and there 's one drag'd about the streets ; a third is taken captive like a twiglim'd bird . vvhen julian sacrific'd to fortune , one maris , bishop of blind-ey'd chaleedon , sharply rebuk'd him , call'd him impious man , apostate , atheist : to whom julian retorts , blind fool , thy god of galiles vvill not restore thy fight , and make thee see . maris reply'd , i am not so unkinde , as not to thank my god which made me bliade , lest that mine eyes , ( turn'd from a better fight , ) upon thy so ungracious face should light . cyrillus , deacon in hier apolis , demolished the gentiles images ; he 's took , his belly 's rip'd , his liver drawn out of his body , with their teeth is gnawn . a little tract of time b'ing wheel'd about , their tongues were rocted , and their teeth fell out of their loose sockecs ; their blind eyes no more beheld the objects they beheld before . while of apollo's delphick oracle julian enquir'd , a flash of lightning fell from the collided clouds , which overturn'd the temple , and apollo's image burn'd . the fines were more then they were sessed at : he scoff'd them thus ; you ought to undergo all wrongs : does not your god command you so ? ath'nafius said , this persecution is but a little cloud , 't will soon be gon , sect . xvii . the churches persecution under the arrian hereticks , which began an. christi 339. great constantine , a while before he dy'd , amongst his sons did equally divide his empire ; to the rule he did assigne constantius , constans , and constantine : constantius , that governed the east , was soon seduced by an arrian priest ; who him inform'd , that athanasius return from exile was pernicious unto the publick good : incensed then , the emp'rour sent five thousand armed men to cut him short : the church was round beset , yet he from them mirac'loufly did get ; though many arrians cast their eyes about for this intent , t'indigitate him out ; not much unlike a sheep ordain'd for slaughter : nor could this good man live in quiet after , in banishment till he was forc'd to hide in a deep pit , where he no light espide for twice three years ; and at last by a maid that us'd to bring him food , he was betraid : but god's directing spirit did befriend him ; he scap'd , before they came to apprehend him . thirty egyptian bishops slain ; twice seven were banished ; some in their way took heaven . in alexandria ( the arrians urg'd ) twice twenty orthodox divines were scourg'd . the emperour , at his approaching death , griev'd for his changing of the nicene faith . valens held on these damnable designs ' gainst christians ; fourscore eminent divines he ship'd , and fir'd ; so they resign'd their breath , by patient suffering of a double death . many he caused to be crush'd to shivers ; some to be drown'd i' ch' sea , others in rivers ; some in the desarts wandred up and down , cloathed in sheeps-skins , pityed by none : while other-some , ( so put unto their shifts , ) lurked in dens and hollow rocky clifts . at last this tyrant from the goths did fly , who fir'd a village o're his head , whereby he miserably dy'd : unto his name leaving behind a monument of shame . sect . xviii . the persecution by the donatists , anno christi 410. the donatists , and circumcellions , in sun-burnt affrick , rais'd rebellions : the orthodox , innumerable wrongs lay under ; bishops lost their hands and tongues : and others , that remain'd sincere and sound , this barbrous outrage either hang'd or drown'd ; their goods are plunder'd , and their houses turn'd to heaps of eindars , and their fanes are burn'd . the sacred scriptures are by flames devour'd ; wives are defil'd , and virgins are deflour'd . where ever these profane schisma ticks came , they holy things profan'd ; nor was 't a shame counted amongst them , but a grace , to feed their mungrell currs with sacramental bread . but god's just judgements did not long forbear : the dogs run mad , and their own masters tear . these furious persons , cast into the stocks the godly christians , and the orthodox : all affrick o're , they empty out their gall , destroying many , and affrighting all . sect . xix the persecution of the church in affrick , by the arrian vandales , anno christi 427. the vandales , under genserick's command remov'd their quarters from th' iberian land , and march'd to affrick : as along they went , cut down the shrubs , which yeilded aliment to the dispersed saints ; what e're they found unruin'd , they laid level with the ground . the min'sters sinking underneath their loads , are pricked forward with sharp-pointed goads . some had ( until they crack'd again ) their legs wrested with bow-strings : grease and oily dregs , salt-water , stinking mire , and vinegar , into the mouths of others forced are . the reverend gray hairs , from them obtain'd no mercy : as for infants , they were brain'd , or torn in pieces from the fundament . the carthaginian senators were sent to wander in exile ; without respect to sex , or age , the roman city's sack'd . upon a sceation-day , a christian train meeting at church , were by these her'ticks slain . there was a noble man , nam'd saturus , the tyrant seeing him , bespake him thus : y' had best to execute my just commands , or you shall forfeit else , your house and lands ; your wife shall marry one that drives the plow ; your children shall be sold : nor did this bow the good mans faith ; his wife hearing her doom was to be marry'd to a scurvy groom , runs to her husband doth her fine clothes tear , and rends from off her head her curious hair ; her brood of children hanging at her heels , a suckling in her arms , then down she kneels , and said ( my deatest ) oh some pity take on thy poor wife : o for the lord chrift's sake let not thy bantlings under slav'ry tire , nor me be linked to a filthy squire . be rul'd , sweet heart , if by constraint th' art brought to act amiss , thine will not be the fault . he thus ; thou speakest like a foolish wife , acting the devils part ; thy husbands life if thou didst dearly tender , as thou shouldst , entice him so to fin , thou never wouldst ; which will procure a second death to me , worse then the first ; i am resolv'd to be obedient therefore to my gods commands , and quite forsake wife , children , house , and lands , to b'his disciple . scarce these words were out , he was despoil'd of all , and sent about the country begging . genserick being dead : hunrick succeeded in his fathers stead . well night five thousand that did christ profess , he banished into the wilderness : he made his courtiers dig the earth for corn , and brought the women into publick scorn . mothers their little children followed , right glad that martyrs they had born and bred . one leading by the hand her little son , hasting t'oretake them , said , run sirrah , run ; seest how the saints do trudge along ? how fast they make unto their crown ? hast , sirrah , haft . she 's thus rebuk'd : how now ? why do you go so speedy ? woman , whither haste you so ? she thus reply'd ; good folks pray pray for me , i go to exile with this child you see , for fear the enemies corrupt his youth , and so mislead him from the wayes of truth . as the saints went along to banishment , multitudes follow'd , and with one consent flinging their children down , did this express ; and must we then be wedded to distress ? while you haste to your crown , what will become of us ( poor wretches as we are ) at home ? vvhat ministers have we ( you gon ) to feed our hungry souls with sacramental bread ? vvho shall baptize our infants ? tell us who instruct us ? w'have a greater minde to go then stay behinde : but ah! our feeble strength vvill not hold out so great a journeys length . now they that went , and could not mend their paces , were dragged by the moors , through rugged places ; their flesh all rent and torn ; they that were stronger came to the wilderness , to kill their hunger , and barely are allow'd ; the scorpions crawll about them , but do them not hurt at all vvith their lethif'rous sting : thus god did please after affliction to send them ease . hunrick sends mandates throughout affrica , that all the bishops should by such a day at carthage meet , on purpose by dispute to prop their faith ; and if they could confute the arrian bishops : now the time drew near , and they according to command appear . dispute began ; the orthodox thought best to cull out some , to answer for the rest . the arrians plac'd themselves on sublime thrones ; these stood o' th' ground , and said , inequall ones are too unfit to hold an argument , no , no , it is by general consent , that disputants the controversie rear on equal termes , until the truth be clear . an hundred strokes , on ev'ry one were laid for this bold speech ; whereat eugeuius said , the lord in mercy look upon our woes , and mark our sufferings under raging foes . the arrian bishops moved to propound what they intended , at the first , gave ground , declining the dispute : the orth'dox then a declaration of their faith , did pen , and did it with this protestation show : what our belief is , if you long to know , here 't is : the arrians stormed at this thing , gave them foul words , accus'd them to the king ; he all of them out of the city turn'd ; who them reliev'd , must by his law be burn'd . the bishops which i' th' open fields did ly , bespake the tyrant as he passed by : what evil have we done ? we fain would know the reason why we are afflicted so ; if we be called to dispute , we crave why are we thus despoil'd of all we have ? why must we live on dunghils , in distress , afflicted , housless , cold , and comfortless ? he bids , and over them his horsmen ride ; many are bruised sore , then they deny'd , b'ing urg'd , unto an oath to put their hands ; and said , our god contrarily commands : nor are we mad-men , or such fools , as that we should subscribe , before we know to what . this was the tenour of the oath then read : you all shall swear , that when the king is dead hildrick shall reign , and that no man shall send letters beyond the seas . the king your friend , upon your taking it , will you restore unto the churches you were at before . they that did not , and also they that did were all enslaved , and to preach forbid . what doleful outeries ! what heart-rending grones were throughout affrick caus'd by bloody ones ! with cudgels , either sex and age was bang'd : here , some they burned ; there they others hang'd . women , and naked gentlewomen were openly tortur'd , all their bodies bare . fair dionysia bolder the rest , thus the conceptions of her mind exprest : afflict your fill , god's favour i have got ; onely my woman-hood disclose you not . these words scarce out , they more enraged strip'd her , expos'd her to all eyes , and soundly whip'd her , untill the blood flow'd down : that which you broach , satanick slaves ( said she ) for my reproach , is my best garland . then she wisely chear'd her young and onely son , who persever'd patient in all his pains , till he disburst his spirit unto him that gave it first . hunrick b'ing dead , succeeding gundabund twice six years tyranniz'd : mild thrasamund and ild'rick ruled well . but in conclusion , bell'zarius brought the vandals to confusion , after they ninety years had been a rod to scourge the saints and israel of god. the persecution of the church under the papacy . sect . xx. the persecution of the waldenses , which began anno christi 1160. when the black cloak of popery was hurl'd upon the shoulders of the christian world , the saints still labour'd to dispel away those shades cimmerian , and reveal the day with truth's bright lustre ; and withall devest the roman glory . one among the rest , a learn'd and godly man at lions , whose name was peter valdo , much oppos'd the same ; declaring plainly transubstantiation to be no better then an innovation : he mov'd the cred'lous people to embrace the precious offers of the means of grace . they which unto his doctrine gave respect , from him were called the waldensian sect : which like a snow-ball rowling down a hill , decreased nothing , but increased still . though ev'ry day and hour the martyrs bleed , yet is the martyrs blood the churches seed . this her'sy in a thousand citys swarms , maintaining seventy thousand men of arms : nor could the popish canons , constitutions , curses , decrees , alter their resolutions : to suffer wrong , in body , goods , or name , for christ his sake , was counted not a shame . valdo yet still proceeds ( nor can he hope long life ) to publish to the world , the pope is antichrist ; the mass abominable ; the host an idol ; purgator ' a fable . pope innocent the third , did authorize monkish inquisitors for to surprize these her'ticks ( as he call'd them ) by process , that so the sec'lar power might them suppress , is any rich , the inquis'cors had a trick to make him poor , oh he 's an heretick , let him have such a death ; no power controul'd or curb'd them in ; but what they would , they would . if any , water , or a pad of straw , gave to the saints , he was condemn'd by law . if any advocate , assaid to plead his kinsmans cause an action indeed ! and if an heir , his father that way leans , and that 's enough to rob him of his means . nay , for to keep the people in more aw , they prisoners do in their processions draw triumphantly ; injoyning them to vex and scourge themselves ; with ropes about their necks , a torch in either hand , others along must pass , to terrify the gazing throng . besides all these , they have a thousand querks ; they send cut some to fight against the turks and infidels ; ( no need to seek for heires ) their houses , goods , and chattels , all are theirs . at their return , if any ask'd their wives vvho lay with them ? they ' ndangered their lives . the foes confess'd , they had not wherewithall to build up prisons for th' accused all : and yet for all this persecution , there above eight hundred thousand christians were . the faith encreas'd , and with a prosp'rous gale clim'd o're the alps came to pragela's vale ; from thence the people bordered upon st. martin , piedmont , la perouse angrogne . wander there did innumerable flocks upon the craggy cliffs , and algid rocks . above three thousand being hid in caves , vvere stifled by these marble-hearted slaves . the poor waldenses by their pray'rs and tears oft mov'd the lord to free them from their fears . two horsemen flying , cry'd , they come , they come ; another while , the beating of a drum caused their foes retreat : which stones , and slings , they thousands kill'd at several skirmishings . thus god for his despised saints did fight . a handful putting num'rous foes to flight . but when the godless party overcame , they did commit their captives to the flame , or hang'd them up , or cut them out in quarters ; all which discourag'd not the glorious martyrs . through the industrious waldenses toil , abundant store of corn , and vvine , and oil , enrich'd calabria ; and god did bless their pains in provence , with the like success . at last when freely they the gospels worth began to publish , pope pins the fourth disturbing them , they left behinde their goods , vvith wives and children flying into th' woods ; but were pursu'd ; some slain and others wounded , some famine-pined souls in caves were found dead , and they that were of st. xist and la garde , vvere rack'd , strip'd whip'd nor old nor young was panza slays eighty , and stakes up their joynts ( spar'd for thirty miles together ; he appoints a quarter to each stake , merindol town vvas razed by opede , and batter'd down , the cabrierians brought into a field , vvere hack'd to pieces cause they would not yield , and in a barn replenished with straw vvomen were fir'd . opede himself did draw young infants from their mothers ●ip'd-up bellies ; his men kill'd them of aix and marseilles ; some two and two , together bound , they slew and boots of scalding oil ( o cruell ) drew on others legs , but heav'n at last decreed a woful end , to that accurs'd opede . the waldenses , which into albs came , of albigenses thence receiv'd the name , pope al'xander the third , his wrath did smoke when they shook off his antichristian yoke ; he them condemn'd as het'ticks , yet they spred , and many potent towns inhabited : nay many lords , and earls , did with them side , against the pope , and constantly deny'd the romish faith , and resolutely spake their willingness to suffer for christs sake . beziers was stormed by the pilgrim train , and in it sixty thousand persons slain . the legat saies , souldiers kill old and young , for why ? god knoweth those to him belong . the catholicks besieg'd and batter'd down on the inhab'tants heads carcasson town . when baron castle was surpriz'd , th' enclos'd of th' albigenses were disey'd , disnos'd , then sent to cab'ret with an one-ey'd guide . yet still like gold that 's in a furnace tri'd , the saints , appear'd ; their sparkling zeal like fire blown by afflictions bellows , blaz'd the higher . now luther rose , the antichristian terror , and those that were seduc'd , reduc'd from error . sect . xxi . the persecution of the church of god in bohemia , which began anno christi 894. borivojus , duke of bohemia , entring the confines of moravia , by a strange providence was christianiz'd , and with him thirty pal'tines were baptiz'd . at his return , he raised from the ground churches , and schools ; and all the country round flock'd thither : many of the noble race , as well as commons , did the truth embrace . malicious satan env'ing the progress the gospel made , gainst those that it profess rais'd persecution up : borivojus is sent into exile . sanguineous drahomira ' the christian temples locks , forbidding ministers to tend their flocks ; and in the silent night , three hundred lives pay'd tribute to the bloody cut-throats knives . but gods just judgement , drahomira follow'd , the opening earth , her and her cart up swallow'd . the popish party having got the day , did all the obvious bohemians slay . at cuttenburge four thousand souls were thrown into the metal-mines ; o hearts of stone ! the priests cry out , blow out , good people , blow these sparks , before into a flame they grow : water is us'd ; the more they did endeavour to drown the saints , they flamed more then ever : many are scourg'd , some sent into exile . two german merchants brought unto the pile , exceedingly encourag'd one another : one sayes , since christ hath suffered ( dear brother ) for wretched us , let 's do the same likewise for him ; and such a high-bred savour prize , that we are counted worthy so to die for his sweet sake : the other did reply , the joy that in my marriage-day i found , was small to this ; o this doth more abound ! both cry'd aloud , ( the faggots set on fire ) blest christ , thou in thy torments didst desire thine en'mies peace ; the like we also crave : forgive the king ; let not the clergy have : thy scalding vengeance ; o forbear to plague the poor misled inhabitants of prague : o be thou pleas'd to let them scot-free go : for ah! poor souls , they know not what they do ; their hands are full of blood : they pray'd and wept ; and wept and pray'd , till in the lord they slept . on noble-men intolerable fines were laid ; two hundred eminent divines are exil'd ; some are burned ; others brain'd ; some shot to death ; with blood the earth 's destain'd . the martyrs one by one , that were in hold , are called forth ; who resolutely bold hast to their sufferings , with as great content , as if they had unto a banquet went. when one was called for , he thus exprest himself , in taking leave of all the rest : farewel , dear friends , farewel ; the lord support your spirits , that you may maintain the fort against the common foe ; and make you stout , and resolute to keep all batt'ry out ; that what you lately with your mouths profest , you may by your so glorious death attest . behold , i lead the way , that i may see my saviours glory ; you will follow me to the fruition of my fathers sight . o how my soul is ravish'd with delight ! this very hour all sorrow bids , adieu to my glad heart : o now my joyes renew : transcendent joyes ! heaven and eternity is mine , is mine . then did the rest reply , god go along with you : o heaven we pray assist thy servant , in his thorn-pav'd way . o may the willing angells come to meet thy obvious body , and direct thy feet into thine , and our fathers mansion : go , go , dear brother go ; and we anon shall follow after , and be all receiv'd to bliss through christ in whom we have believ'd . farewel , farewel ; let equal joyes betide to us that follow , and to you our guide . first the lord schlick , a man as wise as grave , condemned to be quarter'd , did behave himself most gallantly , and said , my doom me pleaseth well , what care i for a tombe ? a sepulchre is but an easie loss ; fear death ? not i : welcom my crown , my cross : let , let these limbs be scatter'd here and there ; i have gods favour , and i do not fear the worst that foes can do : see how the sun displaies his shining beams . jesuites be gon , and build not castles in the empty air , for i dare die for christ ; i that i dare . be pleas'd , blest jesus , thorough deaths dark night , to manu-duct me to eternal light ; eternal light ! o what a happy sound that word reports ! my soul , at a rebound catch heaven , catch heaven : no sooner had he spoke , but he submitted to the fatal stroke : his right hand , and his head ( lop'd off his shoulders ) are hung on high , to terrify beholders . the lord wenceslaus , seventy years old , b'ing next , was asked , why he was so bold in fred'ricks cause : he said , my conscience run along with me ; and what is done , is done . my god , lo here i am , dispose of me , thine aged servant , as best pleaseth thee : o send that grim-look'd messenger , that staies for none , to end these miserable dayes ; may i not see the ruines that do wait upon our sinking , our declining state. behold this book ; my paradise was never so cordial as now : judges , persever in sucking christian blood ; but know , gods ire shall smoak you for 't . up starts a cowled fryer , and said , your judgement errs . with this reply , he answer'd him , i on the truth rely , and not on bare opinion ; christ's the way , the truth , the life ; in him i cannot stray . then stroaking his prolixed beard , he said , my gray hairs honour serves you : having pray'd , and giv'n his soul to christ his saviour , his cut-off head was fixed on the tower. lord harant next was call'd , who bravely said , i 've travell'd far , and many journeys made through barb'rous countries and escaped dangers by sea and land ▪ yet was my life by strangers surrepted not ; b'ing safe returned home , my friends and country-men my foes become : for whom i , and my grandsires have let fall and wasted our estates , our lives and all . forgive them father ; i o lord have grounded my faith in thee ; let me not be confounded . then on the scaffold thus : o lord , i give my spir't into thine hands ; in hope to live by christ his death , according to thy word : and so he yielded to the murth'rous sword . sir caspar kaplitz , eighty six years old , said to the minister , behold behold me a decrepit wretch , whose frequent pray'rs have beg'd deliverance from this vale of tears ; but all in vaine : for to be gaz'd upon by the worlds eyes i 'm kept ; god's will be done , not mine ; my death to mortal eyes may seem disgraceful , but 't is rich in gods esteem . oh lord my god my trembling feet support , for fear my sudden fall occasion sport to my observing foes . the minister ( perceiving that the excutioner could not perform his office as he meant , his crookedness b'ing an impediment ) bespake him thus ; my noble lord , as you commended have your soul to christ , so now advance your hoary head to god : he try'd what he could do : his head struck off , he dy'd . then the lord oito , a judicious man , having receiv'd the sentence , thus began : and do you then , o caesar still think good for to stabilitate your throne with blood ? can god be pleas'd with this ? say tyrant say : how will you answer 't at that dreadful day ? kill this my body ; do , let my blood fill your veins ; disperse my members where you will ; yet this is my belief , my loving father will be so pleas'd as them together gather , and cloath them with their skin ; these very eyes shall see my lord , where e're my body lies : these ears shall hear him ; and this very tongue ring peals of joy ; his praises shall be sung by this same heart of mine . i must confess , i was perplex'd at first ; but now ; i bless my god , i finde a change : i was not troubled so much , but now my joyes are more redoubled ; i fear not death ; now death hath lost her sting : to die with joy o 't is a pious thing ! am nor i sure , christ and his angels will guide me to heaven , where i shall drink my fill of those celestial cups , those cups of pleasure , and measure drinking , though not drink by measure ? shall then this death have power to divide my soul from him ? the heavens open wide : see where my finger points . the standers by beheld eye-dazeling cortuscancy . after a silent prayer made , he spake , lord save thy servant ; oh some pity take : i am thy creature ; o let me inherit christ-purchas'd glory : lord receive my spirit . next , dionysius zervius ( that storm'd against the saints ; but ) when he was inform'd of gospel-truths , how christ procured rest for those believ'd , he forthwith smote his brest , and fetch'd a sigh , while tears ran down ; did cry , this is my faith , and in this faith i 'll die : through christ alone , i can acceptance finde , yet god will not despise my contrite minde ; upon these knees , these bended knees , i call for mercy ; mercy , lord : although i fall , help me to rise in thee : my foes controul may hurt my body , but not hurt my soul . an aged man b'ing brought , both these commended their souls unto the lord ; so their lives ended . next was the lord of rugenice arraign'd ; who said , i have a greater priv'ledge gain'd , then if the king had spar'd me , and augmented my restor'd substance ; and am more contented . god is our witness , that we onely sought religions liberty ; for that we fought : who , though w' are worsted , and must end our days , the lord is righteous in all his ways . his truth we must defend , ( as he sees good ) not by our naked swords , but by our blood. what is the cause , my god ? o tell me why , so soon as others do , i may not die ? for ah ! thou knowst , thou knowst that i resign my self unto thee , and am wholly thine . put not thy servant off with long delay , but take me hence : sweet jesu come away . the sheriff came for him ; he rejoycing said , blessed be god : then towards him he made . upon the scaffold , he himself did chear with that of christ , father , i will that where i am , thy servants may there also be , that they may my heaven-given glory see : i haste to lose this life , so transitory , that i may be with christ and see his glory . climbe up my soul , climbe up to be embrac'd in christ his arms : and so he breath'd his last . valentine cockan spake to this effect , upon the scaffold : gracious lord , direct my feeble steps ; o let deaths valley be a pasport to the clearer view of thee ; for why ? thy word hath bin my hidden treasure ; o what satiety of joy and pleasure take residence with thee ! there 's nothing can afford my soul more satisfaction than thy self's fruition : lord , my spirit flies into thy courts : so having said , he dies . next , toby steffick's brought , a man whose heart walk'd upright with his god ; though like a cart press'd with afflictions sheaves , to heaven he heav'd his wasted eyes , and said , i have receiv'd from the beginning of my life till now , good things of god , and shall not i then bow my will to his , but his chastisements shun ? i will not ; no , god's holy will be done . can i , poor dust and ashes , have the face to plead with god ? i chearfully embrace thy pleasure , lord ; i come to bear the cross ; o be thou pleas'd to purge away my dross : calcine my soul ; obliterate my sins ; and make me pure against that day begins . he pray'd ; and having drunke the lethal cup , his spirit into heaven ascended up . doctor jessenius after him was martyr'd , his tongue cut out , head off , his body quarter'd ( citing the saying of ignatius ) chears his co-sufferers , we are gods corn , sown in the churches field , and must be torn by beasts , to fit us for our masters use : but here 's our comfort , one a bloody sluce the church is founded , and hath been augmented by blood , nor shall the opened vein be stented . the blow must now be fetch'd ; his soul he gave to heav'n , his body to the gaping grave . then being call'd to execution ; i come , said he ; a pious resolution takes up my heart ; i 'm not asham'd , nor sory to suffer these ( nay worse things ) for his glory ; i have , i have , by my heav'n-borrow'd force fought faith's good fight , and finished my course . then praying , father , in thy hands i leave my spir't ; he did a martyrs crown receive . john shunlt is , while he on the scaffold stood , said thus , leave off this melancholy mood , dejected soul : o be not so cast down : hope thou in god ; though for a time he frown , yet will he smile again , and thou shalt yet praise him , though nature do receive her debt . the righteous are among the dead enrold by fools , whenas they rest : behold ! behold ! i come sweet jesus : o some pity take unon thy creature , for thy promise sake . cast me not off , my misery condole ; my sins o pardon , and receive my soul : make no long tarriance ; come , lord jesus , come : and so he underwent his martyrdome . next maximilian hoslialeck , ( whom learning , worth , and piety did deck : ) after the sentence past , one asked him the reason why he look'd so dull , so grim , and sadder then the rest : to rell the truth , the sins ( said he ) i acted in my youth come now afresh into my minde : for though i know that no remainder can o'rethrow them which with jesus christ have made a close ; yet know i , that the lord his justice flowes as well as mercy , on those are his own . summon'd to death , he said , lord , from thy throne look on me , o illuminate mine eyes , left death o'recome me , and mine enemies insulting say , we have prevail'd . o lord , ( be pleased to make good thy promis'd word ) let me whose eyes have thy salvation seen depart in peace : an ax did pass between his head and neck . then four more christian brothers they hanged one by one , and begger'd others . nor might they have the ben'fit of the laws : when some did plead the justness of their cause , the judges scoff'd them , thus ; although you ha'nt sins that are actual , yet you do not want th'orig'nal sin of heresie , and store ; you can't exempted be from death therefore . the saints deprived of their livelyhoods in towns and villages , retir'd to th'woods . the parent his encloystred child bemoans , but cannot help it . oh! the griefs and groanes of marriagable maids ! what sad farewels take parting friends , when into monkish cells fore'd are their neer'st relations ! great mens sons , fryets must tutour . and their daughters nuns . wives from their husbands , husbands from their wives part with wet eyes : some thousands lost their lives ; others were stripp'd in frosty snowy weather ; while some imprison'd lay , and starv'd together , the mass-priests are the men that must be heard , and rude men , if apostates , were prefer'd . bol'slavia the principallest seat the brethren had ( two hundred years compleat ) was seized on ; her ministers turn'd out , and crafty friers to pervert the rout plac'd in their rooms : but when this would not do , they must into a stinking dungeon go . the cities bidsove , tusta , zaticum , litom'ric , rokizan , radecium , don murtin , all were brought to desolation , under a fair pretence of reformation . some citizens were into exile sent ; some into voluntary exile went. the maj'r and sixteen hundred persons more , at pracbatice , lay weltring in their gore . they threw religion down , where ere they come , and set up superstition in the room . as for the bible , christians were forc'd from it , wiblia ( the bohemian word ) is vomit ; nor was there ( o most dámnable designe ! ) a toleration giv'n to books divine . the mouths of some are gagg'd , the host they do thrust down their throats , whether they will or no. others t'auricular confession forc'd ; and many were from all they had divorc'd to tell how they the women-kinde did use , is not so proper for a modest muse . sect . xxii . the churches persecution in spain , which began anno christi 1540. a spanish factor francis roman nam'd , hearing at breme a sermon , was s'enflam'd and wrought upon , that in a little space he grew in knowledge , and encreas'd in grace . upon a time when he return'd agen , he labour'd to convince his country-men of blind-fold ign'rance ; for the wayes they trod were dissonant unto the word of god. but they reproachfully despis'd , contemn'd his words , and him unto the fire condemn'd . then with a paper-mitre on his head , painted with ugly demons , was he led to execution : and by the way being urg'd to bow unto a cross , said , nay , the christians are not wont to worship wood : so having said , he was the fire's food . how many honest-hearted persons cast into infectious dungeons , breath'd their last ! the pris'ners cloath'd with red-cross'd sambitoes , were at validolid plac'd all in rowes . the inquisition was first invented by the domin'can friers ; who attented the extirpation of the christian race , by death , or ignominious disgrace . one while they strive with flatt'ries to ensnare the doubting christian e're he be aware : and if they see that fair means will not do , they exercise compulsion . o who ! who is there able to demonnstrate fully the kinde of torments that were us'd ? the pully hang'd on the gibbit , holds the hands or thumbs of the poor wretch ; then the strappado comes , and rends his weight-distended joynts a sunder . some in the trough are tortur'd ; some are under cruel imprisonments , where is not any light but what enters the key-hole or crany . some are injoyn'd to run unto the racks , with yellow sambenitoes on their backs : their tongues in a cleft-stick have not the scope to empty out their mindes ; and while a rope encompasseth their necks , coacting bands press hard behinde them their united hands . thus , thus poor creatures , in a piteous plight , are led to suffer in the peoples sight . burton and burgate , burgess , hooker , baker , english-men born , were each of them partaker of martyrdom at cadiz ; and ascended to happiness , which never shall be ended . sect . xxiii . the churches persecution in italy , which began anno christi 1546. eneenas , by his parents sent to rome for educations sake ; at last become an able scholar through the grace of god , in christ his school , the wayes the romans trod renouncing quite : for which he 's apprehended , and clapt up ; yet he constantly defended the christian faith : he with his life might go , if he would but put on the sambito ; which he refus'd ; nor any badge would wear save that of jesus christ ; which was , to spare no blood to seal up what he had profest : so being burn'd , he in the lord did rest . the maj'r and bishop of st. angelo long arguing the case , which of the two should , at his proper cost , procure some wood , for galeacius burning ; while they stood demurring , he bade them no more debate , it should be fetch'd out of his own estate . john mollius , a roman , did christ own : if he but named him , salt tears ran down on his wet cheeks : he preach'd where e're he came the word of truth , until he fed the flame , one francis gamba , born in lombardy , went to the slaughter with alacrity . algerius , a fine young man , acquaints , by way of writing , the afflicted saints , how much his joy in prison did abound , and how he honey in a lion found : exhorting them to patience ; in the end writes , from a delectable orchard pen'd ; he 's burned . pope pius the fourth dislives at naples , many nobles , with their wives . the city venice after twelve years peace , was by the pope disturb'd , to the encrease of martyr'd saints ; who unto stones were bound , and in the bottom of the ocean drown'd . an englishman martyred in portugal . one william gardiner , whom bristol bore , in portugal the martyrs garland wore . sect . xxiv . the persecution of the church in germany , which began anno christi 1523. when luther , with his fellow-labourers , converted many germans , unto wars the pope his highness stir'd up charles the fift ' gainst proestants : to further this his drift , two hundred thousand crowns , and at a boot five hundred horse , and twice six thousand foot , he sent with speed ; the prot'stant princes hence , rais'd also armies for their own defence : and now the emp'rour for no other reason , proclaim'd them guilty of no less then treason . both parties are engag'd ; but the success is left to god , who doth not alwayes bless the better cause with victory , nor shield his saints from wrong ; the christians lost the field . the persecution rose in sev'ral places ; author'ty arm'd with rig'rous laws , outfaces candid simplicity : 't is sad to tell the barb'rous outrage to the saints befel . some rack'd ; from place to place some toss'd and turn'd ; some driven into woods and caves ; some burn'd . † about this time , the boors in arms did the and rob'd the abbeys , and monasteries ; they after they had entertained bin by mr. spencer , strip'd him to the skin ; who weeping , said , this violence will i'th'end bring mischiefe on your heads : you do pretend the gospel ; but alas ! how quite contraire unto the gospel-rules , your walkings are ! they jeer'd him for his pains ; at last he 's bound both hands and feet , and in the river drown'd . his gaping wounds let out a crimson flood , which on the surface of the water stood . when wolfgang scuch was asked if his woe he would have be abridg'd , heanswer'd , no ; god , which hath hitherto upheld my head , will not forsake me in my greatest need ; no , no , he will not : 't is a happy flame which lights to heaven , thrice blessed be his name . george carpenter b'ing cast into the fire , fulfill'd his christian bretherens desire , in giving them a signe of his true faith , cry'd , jesus , jesus ●ill ●e lost his breath . our leonard keyser also at the stake , said , i 'm thine , save me lord , for thy truths sake : his willing spir't impatient of the flame went up to heaven , whence at first it came . a cruel bishop in hungaria , took a godly minister , ( who could not brook erroneous wayes ) and hares , geese , hens , he tide his naked body with on ev'ry side : being by set-on dogs , and bloody hounds , all rent and torn , he died of his wounds . but god is just : the bishop that so acted his cruel part , did forthwith fall distracted : his hair by handfulls from his head did rend , and raving , made a miserable end . sect . xxv . the persecution of the church in the low-countries . there was in holland a religious dame , called wendelmuta , she for christ's name was sent to prison , where she must be kept till the next sessions ; her kinde kindred wept and said thus , ah! why doft thou not conceal what thou believ'st but madly thus reveal thy secret thoughts ? be more reserv'd , thereby thou 'lt life prolong . to whom she did reply , you know not what you say ; the heart alone believes to righteousness ; confession unto salvation with the tongue is made : she burn'd , her spirit did the heav'ns invade . george scherter , a divine , passing along tow'rd execution , to the gazing throng delivered these words ; that you may know i die-a christian , i a signe will show : his head cut off , he turned on his back , and cross'd his arms and legs ; by which aspect many believe the gospel ; whom alive they bury , drown , or into exile drive . in colen , holland , suevia , lovain , the godly well-disposed part was slain . some lost their heads in flanders , some were sent into perpetual imprisonment . two hundred saints in art●ïs , brabant , were made away , with not a few at gaunt . at delden , two young virgins well-descended , for their frequenting sermons apprehended , examin'd and condemn'd must both partake of martyrdom , and suffer at the stake . but after death the bodies of them both remained white , the fire to hurt them loth . at antwerp , one christopher fabri's brains are beat cut with a hammer . sev'ral pains afflict the innocent ; these bear great loads ; those are companions to frogs and toads . one nicholas and austine , with their wives , at dormick apprehended lost their lives , when nicholas did hear a captain swear , he said , hath christ done ought that thus you tear his name in pices , rending life and limb ? pray vent your malice upon me , not him : b'ing silenc'd at the stake , thwarting their will , he cry'd , o charles wilt thou be hardned still ? with that , a souldier gave him a great blow : he thus ! ah miserable people know , god's word 's too good for you : the fryars cry'd , a devil , a devil : with david , he reply'd , depart ye workers of iniquity ; depart , depart : my god hath heard the cry my weeping voice hath made ; his holy name be prais'd : so said , he vanish'd in the flame . at dormick bert'rand trod the cake about ; for which distongu'd , he yet on god call'd out : a ball is thrust into the mouth of him ; he 's burnt , and 's ashes in the river swim . at lile , for three years space in woods and caves god's word was preached : satan and his slaves took the advantage of the silent night so finde their meetings : finding none , they light on robert oquir's house ; his wife , his sons and he , rejoyce in tribulations . bound at the stake , their spirits they commend to god , and make a comfortable end the persecution of the duke de alva , in the netherlands . the gospel shining in the netherlands ; philip , that wore the spanish crown , commands the duke de alva , with a warlike train , to slay professors , and with might and main , promote the romish doctrin ; to rebuke nobles , and commons too : the desep'rate duke scarce breath'd , but on them violently pour'd ; matrons he ravished , and maids deflour'd before their husbands and their parents eyes , or put them unto worser cruelties . he on a time ( at his own table sate ) boasted his diligence t'eradicate heret'cal weeds : for that besides the slain during the war in six years space , a train of more then eighteen thousand persons were by him deliv'red to the hangmans care . don frederick his son kindely receiv'd by zutphen bourgers , cruelly bereav'd the poor inhabitants of all their lives , hang'd , drown'd , brain'd very infants , virgins , wives ; then marched he to naerden ; and the town ( all the ind wellers kill'd ) he bart'red down . at harlem , he three hundered walloons beheads ; five hundred bourgers and dragoons he hangs , or drowns : all th' english , and the scorts , to lose their heads in gen'ral , he alots . the wounded , and diseas'd , are killed all before the entrance to the hospital john herwin said unto the gazing throng , ( as he to execution went along ) see what rewards the wicked world do give christ his poor servants : for whilst i did live a drunkard 's life , and play'd at cards and dice , a foe to vertue , and a friend to vice ; o then i liv'd at ease , and was a stranger to bonds , and fetters ; nay was out of danger of suffering for the truth ; yonder they cry a boon companion goes ; who then but i ? no sooner did i seek my god , but lo this fawning friend , became a frowning foe : yet this doth not , ( and so i hope shall never , ) discourage me one jot ; i must persever in what is good , and follow christ the faster : the servant is not better then his master . his soul refreshed then with gileads balm , to sing he did begin the thirtieth psalm with lift-up heart : but an impatient frier thus interrupted him , avoid the fire , oh john , and turn ; yet you have time and space . then disregarding martyr turn'd his face another way : then some that were in sight , retorted this ; turn thou , thou hypocrite . herwin sung on , until his psalm was ended : the fryer then : good people ben't offended to hear the clamour of this her'ticks song . her'tick ? thou bala'mite thou , hold thy tongue , the crow'd reply'd ; no living soul here bears offence : his musick much delights our ears . four hundred folks encourag'd him to run his race , and finish what he had begun : to whom he thus ; breth'ren , i undertake this spir'tual combate , meerly for the sake of my great lord , and captain jesus christ : i now am going to be sacrifie'd ; and when god shall of his abundant grace call you to suffer , follow me apace . he 's on the gallowes , and the ladder's turn'd , and then his body 's into ashes burn'd . some ci'zens in a firy chariot sent from antwerp , to the city heaven went. one scoblant , as he to his tryal past , said thus ; would god that i might be the last that thus might suffer death ; o that my blood might satisfy their thirst , if god see good ; that so the church of christ , forlorn , distreft , might ever after live , at ease , and rest . i now put off this mantle transitory , in hope to wear a robe of lasting glory . a popish priest , by a religious dame converted to the faith , spake thus : i came to comfort you ; but i my self indeed , of you to comfort me have greater need . christopher gaud'rin said , mans life on earth consists but of two dayes ; the first his birth ; the next , his dying day : and therefore i must needs die once : who would refuse to die to live for ever ? death and i must kiss : 't is death conducteth to eternal bliss . the sentence past , he did apart repair , and poured out his soul to god in pray'r : then from his hands and face he wash'd the dirt ; and puting on his back a fine white shirt , he thus his fellow-prisoners bespake : breth'ren , this is my wedding-day : i make to heav'n-ward : being come unto the place , he found three other ready to embrace the self same death : these four themselves did chear with patient suff'ring , and rejoye'd to bear . then came a fryar under a pretence to win them : christopher said thus ; hence , hence , thou soul-seduser ; from our presence flee ; we have not any thing to do whith thee . they must be gag'd : may not our tongues have power said they , to praise god at our latest hour ? sermons they used to frequent : hard ropes annex'd their necks , they finished their hopes . in flanders multitudes of true believers were sent to be eternal life's receivers . in breda , there a goldsmith dwelt , his name was petar coulogue ; whose renowned fame had spred all o're the town , and ev'ry mouth proclam'd him faithful , if they spake the truth . this pious deacon quickly was beset with popish catchpoles ; neither would they let him once enjoy the company of any of his own church ; he over-pows'd by many was hurry'd to the castle , while he staid a pris'ner there : once every day his maid brought him his sustenance , till they perceiv'd he had much comfort from her lips receiv'd . she also was imprison'd , where she found such inward joys as made her heart rebound . now when a little tract of time was spent , peter was called forth ; who underwent great pains with admirable patience : these cruel villains for to recompence his maids true zeal , fetch'd betkin to the rack , cruelry undeserv'd ! she nothing slack , went chearfully along ; ere she did part with life , her tongue thus empty'd out her heart : since needs i must sustain afflictions rod , first suffer me to pray unto my god. this they consented to ; she scap'd a scouring by this ; for whilst she out her pray'rs was pouring , one of the then . commissioners fell down into an irrecoverable swown . this miracle was hush'd , as though in vain 't was sent : now to their cruelty again ; examples will not take ; they 'll not be turn'd , they are condemned , and they must be burn'd . the people wept ; peter and betkin pray'd to god for strength : the courage of the maid did work so kindly on the well-affected , that breaking through ( the danger unrespected ) the throng'd crowd they the pris'ners did embrace , and praised god for his supporting grace ; then spake to this effect : fight on , fight on , the crown prepared you shall wear anon . these words spake betkin ( with a brow as clear as day ) my bretheren and sisters dear , see you to gods word , be obedient still , and fear not them who can the body kill , not hurt the soul ; but rather fear him , who hath power to kill the soul and body too , and fling them into hell . i go to meet my glorious spouse , wrap'd in a fi'ry sheet . then falling on their knees , they sent their prayers as welcom ghests to gods attentive ears . bound to the stake , they prais'd the lord ; the flame sent up their souls to heav'n , from whence they came . william of nassaw prince of orange , by a bloody villain shot , did thus let fly his latest words : o god , my god , condoul my wounded state , take pity on my soul , on my departing soul ; o spare , o spare the spanish people , though they sinful are . these words no sooner out , his soul forscok this earthly , and an heavenly mansion took . sect . xxvi . the modern persecution of the church in germany , since the year 1630. th'imperialists , when they by storm had gain'd paswalick town , the swedish souldiers brain'd : at the inhabitants their fury lavish'd , and in the open street , they females ravish'd , nay , child-bed women too ; they flew the men and fired o're their heads their houses then . they massacred divines , and burned down the christian churches , and at last the town . tilly and pappenheim became a scourge unto the famous city magdenburge : her goodly structures and aspiring towers were burn'd down in the space of twice six hours . without the least respect to old and young , were six and twenty thousand slain burnt , flung into the river elve : by sev'ral wayes the torturers abridg'd poor chrstians dayes . ladies and gentlewomen yok'd together , forc'd into woods , in frosty snowy weather , were ravish'd there , strip'd , whip'd , and with a scoff dismiss'd , while others had their ears crop'd off . hexter is taken , and the popish rage hew'd all in pieces , either sex , and age , all serv'd alike : what the fles-eating sword had left unspoil'd , the greedy flame devour'd . at griphenburge the senators were starv'd ; the heidleburg divines and bourgers serv'd with onely bread and water . like dogs not men were the frankendales us'd . in pomeren the poor inhabitants were forc'd to eat up their own excrements : unpleasing meat ! many suspected to have hidden gold , or silver , suff'red torments manyfold : with cords the heads of some they wound about , and twisted them until the blood did sprout out of their eyes , ears , noses ; nay , unto tongues , cheeks , breasts , legs , and secret parts they do tie burning matches , yea , the parts of shame stuff'd with gun-powder , burst with horrid flame . with knives and bodkins they do pink the skin and flesh of some , draw stiff cords out and in . some rosted were with gentle fires , some smok'd like bacon-hogs ; others hot ovens chok'd ; the hands and feet of some so hard were girted , that from their fingers ends and toes there spirted sanguineous drops . they ty'd the arms and legs of some together backwards , and with rags ram'd up their mouths , because they should not pray . some hung up by the privy members ; they hearing their outcries , did with tear-throat tones , contend to drown their lamentable mones . had any ruptures ? they ealarg'd their pain by firing gunpowder : they faces plain with chisels ; and detesticle some men i' th' presence of their wives and childeren . others , stark naked through the streets are drag'd , vvounded with axes , hammers ; some are gag'd and stinking water , urine , and the like , pour'd down their throats , till sudden sickness strike them well-night ' dead : their bellies beyond measure b'ing fill'd , did swell , and so they dy'd by leasure . down others throats they knotted clouts constrain , then with a packthread , pull them up again , to the displacing of their bowels ; some vvere by'c made deaf . or blinde , or lame , or dum'b . some have their legs sawn off ; and others have their members dislocated ; those that crave gods blest assistance , are enforc'd to call unto the dev'l for help , or none at all . and if the husband pleaded for his wife , or the wife beg'd but for her husbands life , they take the intercessor , and likewise excruciate him before the others eyes . of many by their hard frications they bar'd the legs , unto the very bones . others bound backward by the arms , were hung by those distorted parts ; both old and young rather desired to be shot , or slain , and so die in an instant , then remain alive , and be partakers of such woes as they were like to feel ; for ah! their foes took away all their corn ; in stead of bread , on roots and water , they were glad to feed . and other some , stripp'd to the very skin , had not one sory ragg , to wrap them in . hence fruitful soils , were utterly destroy'd , cities , and towns , and villages left voyd , or sack'd ; all the woods fell'd ; the ground untill'd ; and ev'ry church with desolation fill'd . a reverend divine , bound to a table , was rortur'd by a cat . vvhat pen is able to paint their beastliness ? maids wives , chast dames , they forc'd to prostrate to their lech'rous flames , friends looking on ; yea , women great with child , in child-bed ton : the churches they defil'd ; the bedlam-houses , hospitals also . in hessen land they let the women go , after they ty'd about their ears their coats . dead corpses violated were . the croats devour'd young infants , and the commons brain'd on light occasions ; scarce a man remain'd alive in many places , that might tell the outrage of those furies born in hell . god did this land his warning pieces show , before his murth'ring-pieces gave the blow . a blood-red comet with a flaming beard for thirty daies together there appear'd ; god sent to those , which had so long abhor'd his faithfull pastors , and despis'd his word , this ominous torch , that while asleep they lie on the soft pillow of security , they might b' awoken and repent reform their lives , or otherwise expect a storme , foretold by 's ministers , ( so ill-befriended , ) and which this formidable signe portended . at groningen a blazing star hung forth , one army in the east , and in the north another were engag'd and did contest till that was worsted , this obtain'd the best . at wien water turn'd to blood ; three suns appear'd at once ; the thundring of great guns was heard ; two armyes then by clear day-light deeply engaging in a bloody fight . at wittemburgh and darmstad , blood it rain'd . so much , that houses and stone walls were stain'd therewith ; trees wept red drops besmear'd were then the hands and sickles of the harvest-men . at rat'sbone a strange tempest bart'red down above four hundred houses in the town ; kill'd onely four ; it trees by th'roots up tore , and all within a quarter of an hour . near troppaw a great number of jack daws eagerly fought with their 〈◊〉 claws , the battle lasted long and 〈◊〉 jacks fall'n down the country men repieuish'd sacks . in lower saxon a loaf of bread bought by a woman in the cutting bled . during magdenburge siege , a capeain's wife in child-bed dy'd , body with a knife was ripped open , and her womb did hold a boy as big as one of three years old ; having an helmet , and a breastplate on , great boots also after the french fash'on , and by his side there hang'd a builet-pouch . at altenburge , if any did but touch a blood-turn'd stinking fish-pond , he not well could in three dayes wash off the stinking smell . two armyes of strange birds in henssen fought ; a randevouz of dogs could not be brought t' a peace ; but seeing musqueteers , they joyn , for all their guns beat them away , kill'd nine . sect . xxvii . the persecution of the church in france , which began anno 1524. at melden , paris , fonutains , lions , rhone , many were put to death , some burn'd , some thrown into the liquid flood ; into the fire others let down by pulleys , did expire ; others with oyl and brimstone were anointed , then burnt ; many distong'd ; disnos'd dis-joynted : some slander'd ; some imprison'd were ; some rack'd ; and they that would not bow , nor give respect unto the images of molten-lead , passing along the streets , were massacred . john clark , through zeal , brake all the idols down that he could light on : in the metzian town , condemn'd he was to die , and first to lose his right hand , then his arms , and breasts , and nose ; vvhich quietly he bore , pronouncing then their gods are silver , and are made by men : at last they burnt him . at the castle vik doctor john castellane was burned quick . james pana●e one that educated youth , at paris dy'd for the professed truth . john de cadurco , a renown'd divine , degraded was , and burnt at limosine . one john de beck a minister at troyes , went through the fire unto eternal joyes , at rutiers , stephen brune for christ his sake , adjudged was to suffer at the stake ; the fire was kindsed , but the wind so drave the flame from him , that he stood up and gave ( a whole hours space ) instructions to the rude and easily-seduced multitude : they brought oyl-vessels , and more faggots too ; the wind continu'd , and all would not do . with that , the hangman struck him on the head : to whom he thus : and must i then indeed be beaten like a dog ? as well as i , you know by fire i am condemn'd to die . he was thrust through , and in the fire thrown down , and his left ashes in the air were strown . at bour deaux , aymond de lavey accus'd , his friends advis'd his flight , but he refus'd . not so , said he , i shall be thought absurd . to feed men with vain dreams not gods pure word . whereas i fear not , as a truths defender . my soul and body too up to surrender . in pains he said , this body once must die , my spir't shall live , and that eternally . he swowned , but recov'ring , said he , oh lord , lord , why hast thou sorsaken me ? nay , said the president , thou art mistook curs'd lutherane , thou hast thy god forsook : alas good masters , why , why do you so torment me ? lord , they know not what they do : forgive them i beseech thee . see , said thus the pres'dent , how this caitiff prayes for us . the frier drew neer , and he ( condemn'd ) begins : to god , not you , will i confess my sins . o lord , make hast to help ; do not despise thine-handy work . my brethren , i advise you that are scholars , to improve your youth in learning of the everlasting truth : labour to know what is jehovahs will , and fear not them that can the body kill , not hurt the soul : my flesh ( too weak ) withstands my spir't ; which lord i give into thine hands . with that he strangled was , his body burn'd , his soul until the day of doom adjourn'd , one bribard , to a card'nal secretary , and william hussou an apothecary had , for their seattering good books about , and cleaving to the truth , their tongues cut out ; then with a pully pulled up and down into the fire , they dy'd , but gain'd a crown . james cobard , having prov'd the mass a fable , unto the quick nor dead not profitable , was at st. michael burnt . stephen polliot suffred at paris . * michael michelet was put unto his choice , either to turn and lose his head , or persevere , and burn . he answer'd , god who caus'd him not to tire , would give him patience to abide the fire . blondel a merchant that profess'd christs name , condemn'd at paris , yeilded to the flame . one hubert , a young man , who did rely on christ jesus merits , suffered at dyion . anus audeburt drag'd forth , said thus ; this rope my wedding-girdly is , wherewith i hope to be conjon'd to christ : i was first marri'd upon a saturday , and now have tarri'd until another saturday , wherein i shall ( glad day ! ) be married agin . she in the dung-cart sang and in the fire her constancy spectators did admire . one florent venote , that had four years lain in paris prison , where all kinds of pain he felt and overcome ; for seven weeks space was close confin'd to such a narrow place , that he could neither stand ( with ease ) nor ly : at last distongu'd , he in the fire did die . one thomas , a young man , was rack'd so long , the hangman grew a weary : one among th'ir quis'tors wept . they bare him to be burn'd , and asked him , if he would yet be turn'd . to whom he said , friends , i am in my way to god , o do not hinder me i pray . one mathew dimonel , simon laloe ; and peter serre , did torments undergo . two men at nivern , had their tongues pull'd out ; yet god was pleas'd to bring it so about , that they spake plain , we bid the world , flesh , sin , and devil farewel , never to meet agin ; of brimstoue , and gunpowder bring a fresh supply ; salt on , salt on this stinking flesh : and so persisting constant till the last , their souls to heaven , their earth to ashes past . one philbert hamlin fed the cruel flame , one nicholas of jenvil did the same . at paris did a christian congregation run through much sorrow : by the mediation of the palat'nate prince , and switzers , some of them ( hardly ) escaped martyrdome . in danphin , provence , multitudes were kill'd ; in many other place blood was spill'd : and yet the church , the more it was supprest like to a palm , still more and more encreast . sect . xxviii . the persecution in the time of the civil warrs , which began anno 1562. the duke de guise , as he upon a day tow'rds paris past , took vassy in his way : his ears informing him there was a bell that rang to service in a barn , he fell thereon with all his troops : his widened throat bawl'd out , kill , death of god , each huguenote . some then with bullets , some with swords , were slain ; some hang'd ; the heads of others cleft in twain : some lost their arms and hands ; some shred for to feed upon ; above twelve hundred souls ( fowles of all degrees , and ranks , were kill'd : so don the duke to paris march'd , and seiz'd upon the king himself , and filled with abuses the places set apart for pious uses . roan taken by him , was for three dayes sack'd , the citizens thereof disliv'd , and rack'd . then menacing to ruinate orleance , a young man shot him , to deliver france from his great violence . peace was procur'd ; a happy peace , but it not long endur'd : the popish party banishing all pity . kill'd all , spar'd none in the lutetian city . at amiens , the slain were thrown in brooks ; all bibles burned and divin'cy books . at meaux , sens , mans , they drag'd some on the stones , and dash'd against the walls the little ones : some had their houses level'd with the ground , hundreds were massacred , starv'd , hang'd , or drown'd . many were hal'd to mass ; and some re-wedded , babes re-baptized ; others were beheaded . at bar they rip'd up many brests , and draw'd mens hearts thereout , & with their teeth them gnaw'd . vvhen malicorn , montargis town had got , he slew the towns-men , and with cannon-shot threatned the lady rhene to batter down her castle , if she did the christians own , not give them up to him : the princess stout , bravely reply'd : look what you go about , i charge you , for there 's no man in this realm ( the king excepted ) that can overwhelm my pinace , with the waves of a command : and if your battery go on , i 'll stand i' th' breach , to try , whether or no you dare thus kill the daughter of a king : i fear your threats ? not i : i want nor means , nor power t' avenge me on your boldness , and devour your murtherous heart , and utterly deface the infants of your most rebellious race . when malicorn thus heard the lady say , he pulled in his horn , and sneak'd away . at anger 's into rivers some were thrown , some executed : a gilt bible shown upon an halbard was , and this they sang , behold how well the hug'nots truth doth hang ; hark what the everlasting god , will tell ; behold the truth of all the devils in hell : they throw 't i' th' river , and renew'd their sound , behold ! the truth of all the devils drown'd . at ablevilly , anger 's , foix , auxerre , at troys , crant , nevers , chastillon , and bar in bloys , tholouse , as also careasson , many outragious villainies were don . at sens , and tours , hundreds were put to slaughter ; some hang'd up by one foot , and in the water their heads and breasts : the bowels are pluck'd out their rip'd-up bellies , and are thrown about the mi'ry streets : they torture ev'ry joynt , and stick their hearts upon their daggers point . a counsellor was hang'd , at the request of his own father , ( o unnat'ral brest ! ) by the parisian senators decree , the bells are sounded , and the christians be destroy'd in ev'ry place , all their estates seiz'd on by catholicks and runagates . in ligneul some they hang'd . the village aze they set one fire , and joy'd to see it blaze . augustine marlorate was hang'd at rhone , where streetswith slaughter'd carkasses were strown . in gaillac , from a steep precipice many were flung down headlong , in a trice caught break-neck falls . in souraze some were cram'd vvith lime , and down their throats had urine ram'd . one peter roch , they buried alive vvithin his self-made grave . they did deprive many of all they had , others were crown'd vvith thorns ; and others in a well were drown'd . one captain durre , a godly widdow told ualess she would produce her hid-up gold , he 'd rost her quick , and after throw her down from the sublimest tower in the town . vvell ( said she ) though i fall , yet shall i stand supported by the lord almightie's hand . he made her drink his piss ; then in her face flung the remainder , and withall the glass . he claps her up , more torments to abide : her friends redeem'd her , but she shortly did . the prot'stants of valougne . their dear lives lost , and souldiers in their houses rul'd the rost . in mascon , bonnet bor , a rare divine , scoff'd , beaten , drown'd , lamp-like in heav'n doth shine . monsieur valongues a minister , they kill'd , and spurn'd his naked corps : the mass-priests fill'd his mouth and wounds with bible-leaves , and said , preach thou gods truth , now invocate his aid . monluc at reim brain'd sucking infants , then the mothers ; hang'd above five hundred men . they sprinkled salt , upon the bleeding wounds of one poor mangled man. monluc confounds the protestants in fight , the prisoners he hangs , especially the ministers . captain lamoths , he stabs ; that will not do , he thrusts him with a rapier , through , and thro : and his blasphemous mouth these words lets fly . villain , thou in despite of god shalt die . he prov'd a lyar , though the man endur'd such mortal wounds , yet was he strangely cur'd . in limoux , grenoble , beann , cisteron , normay , and aurange , many undergon hard usage , ah! what hearts ? what tongues ? what quills ? can think , can speak , can write , those worst of ills ? females were ravish'd : others drown'd : some kill'd , their houses with unruly souldiers fill'd . hundreds of women , nay , and children too like harmless sheep unto the slaughter go . those to blaspheme that would not be constrain'd . were with the butt-end of a musket brain'd , or hewn as small as herbs unto the pot ; others rhrown out at windowes , others shot . a fair young woman , after much disgrace , was ravished before her husbands sace ; then forc'd to hold a rapier wherewith one made her , her own husband kill . a smith because he would not give the devil his soul , b'ing on his anvil laid , they beat his poul in pieces with great hammers ; some were crush'd to death with weights , others were har quebush'd . they dash'd brest-sucking babes against the walls , and slew the crazy in the hospitals . no sex , nor age , nor quality they let go free : all , all was fish that came to net . the massacre at paris , anno 1571. when the third civil war in france was ended , a massacre at paris was intended , and put in execution : first of all they set upon and slew the admiral ; the watch-word was , the tolling of a bell , which rang by break aday : the cut-throats fell on the attendants of the king of navar , and prince of conde ; not the least of favour was shew'd to any : they knock'd down and brain'd ten thousand persons : sein'c swift streams were with the effused blood ; the streets were pav'd ( stain'd with mangled bodies , not a man was sav'd these blood-hounds met with ; pistols , poiniards , knives , curtlaces , pikes , did make away with lives . the muskets bouncings ! oh the horrid tones of howling murth'rers mix'd with dying grones ! the lords and gentlemen were murthered some on their houses roofs , and some in bed . in france ( this persecution so encreas'd ) were thirty thousand massacred at leaft . but let 's to some particulars descend ; one monsieur de la place was brought t' his end . and peter ramus with his life did part , ( the kings professor in that subtile art ) thrown from the chamber window , trail'd about the streets , and whip'd , his bowels falling out . a villain snatched up a little child , who toy'd , and played with his beard , and smil'd , but he ( hard hearted wretch ! ) not mov'd at all , drew out his sword , and stabbed it withall , and cast it all gore-blood into the river : this gnaws an infant's heart , and he the liver . such protestants , as did through fear revolt , must in the fore-front , give the first assault , or else be kill'd themselves . some had their grease try'd out and sold . they us'd such blasphemies : where 's now your god ? are psalmes and prayers come to this ? sure he is either deaf , or dumb . let him come save you , if he can : they cry'd , kill , kill them all , and let 's the spoil divide . what fearfull shrikes , and outeries were there then caus'd by these devils in the shapes of men ? what breaking up of doors ? what noise of guns at orleance was there heard ? confusion runs in ev'ry street ; what trampling of war-horses ? rumbling of carts , that bore away dead coarses ! the papists , in this massacre confess'd , that they slew eighteen thousand at the least . some of them boasted in the streets aloud , th'nad dy'd their doublets in the hug'nots blood . at tholouse , they the call'd-out pris'ners slay , not suffring them to speake , much less to pray . vvhen the parisian massacre was known , at bourdeaux the like cruelty was shown . how sad was it to see poor protestants vvander now here , now there , and none their wants supply ! alas unparalelled woes ! rejected by their friends , destroy'd by foes ! sect . xxix . the siege of sancerte , anno christi , 1573. the chastrian lord besieging sancerre town , his thundring cannons play'd , and batter'd down her stony walls ; the shiver'd timber flew continually about , yet none it slew . some had their hats , breeches , and coats through shot , themselves not hurt nor prejudic'd one jot . the siege endured long ; at last , through want , horse-flesh was turn'd to food ; which growing scant , the twons-men fed on dogs , cats , rats , mice , moles , hides , parchments , halters , lantera-horns , roots , coals , their bread was made of straw-meal ; they did boyl them pottage of old oyntments , grease and oyl . and when these fail'd , they pounded nutshels , slates , eat mens dung fry'd : ho ! these were precious cates ! a lab'rer and his wife were put to th'slaughter , for feeding on their famin-starved daughter . some little corn by stoldred brought to town , each pound was valued at half a crown . the sword did but eighty four persons slay . the famine half a thousand swept away . many chose rather to resign their breath at the swords point , then famish'd be to death . the parents look'd upon with grief of heart their children , but could no relief impart . a boy of five years old , neer spent with hunger , did run about the streets ; but when no longer his feeble feet could bear him , down he fell before his parents sight : 't is sad to tell the horrour of their souls , and how their eyes ran down , when they did feel his with'red thighs . then said the child , father and mother dear , what mean you so to weep ? for gods sake spare those needless drops , and do'nt my cause bemone ; i ask no bread , as knowing you have none : but since it is gods will , that i should rest by such a death as this ; his name be blest : have not i ( mother ) in my bible read , of laz'rus wants ? and that was all he said . at last god flirr'd up the polonians , to free the poor distress'd sancerrians . they with their arms and goods might go away ; and such as would , might without trouble stay . the siege of rochel anno 1573. rochel besieg'd , the towns-men salli'd out , and often put the en'my to the rout . in one months space the soe lay'd on so hot , that more then thirteen thousand cannon-shot discharg'd against the rochellers , which held out siege fo long , till famine them compell'd t'unlawful meats , all their provision spent : but o admired providence ! god sent them fishes , and in such abundant store , the like was never seen nor heard before : as soon as the edict for peace came out , ( which legates sent from poland brought about ) they went away , and ne're return'd again . divers great lords and gentlemen were slain during this siege : commanders full sixscore , and twenty thousand souldiers or more , that did from bloody massacres retire , receiv'd at rochel their deserved hire . king charles himself fall'n sick , t' his mother cry'd , madam i pray revenge my foes , then dy'd . rochel expecting help in time of need from england , england prov'd a staff of reed which ran into their hands , whilst they depended too much thereon ; the city ( ill befriended ) b'ing close besieged by the king of france , and his adherents , the inhabitants shrewdly put to 't , for want of better meat , did horses , dogs , cats , rats , and leather eat . the poorer sort of people wanting bread , upon the buttocks of the dead did feed . young maids did look with such a wrinkled brow , as though they had a hundred years ran through . and all the english , when the freach had took the city , like anatomies did look . how sad was it to see , their hollow eyes and meagre cheeks , lank bellies , withr'ed thighs ? * a strike of wheat at twenty at pounds was rated ; a pound of bread , worth one pound estimated ; a quarter of a sheep did six pounds utter ; and thirty shillings bought a pound of butter ; for one poor egge , eight shillings was layd down ; an ounce of sugar , yielded half a crown . a dry'd fish given for a piece in gold ; a pint of french-wine , for as much was sold ; a pound of grapes , thrice twelve pence ; milk but filling a pint-pot full , valu'd at thirty shilling , &c. sect . xxx the persecution of the church of christ in the valtoline , anno christi 1620. the bloody papists , in the valtoline rising in arms , did furiously combine to th'extirpation of the christian train ; drown'd some in alba , others they did brain : shot some , and strangled others ; some they bee with knotty clubs ; and many that they met they inhumanely murth'red ; some they drew out of their naked beds , and did imbrew their hands in their effused gore ; they slit the mouths of some up to their ears ; and hit others with the strappado ; some were hack'd to pieces ; others slash'd ; and others rack'd . one was compell'd to ride upon an asse , his face turn'd to the tail , and he to pass the market-place , holding in 's hand the tail as'cwere a bridle ; some when food did fail were famished ; others were ston'd , or drown'd ; some had their very bones , to powder ground . thus having made a quick dispatch at tel , these profane wretches , marched thence , and fell upon the protestants at church elsewhere , kill'd old and young , and shew'd no mercy there , to lords , nor gentlemen : to death they shot the ministers : ladies and children , got into the bell-free for security : the place is fired ; and by fire , they die . the popish party under a pretence of standing for the protestants defence at sondres ( yet for all they kept a pother ) they one destroyed now , and then another ; as if it had bin done by accident , concealing their malevolous intent : then did they fall to plunder , and imbrew , their hands in blood , all those they met they slew . there was a noble lady which refus'd the romish faith : to whom such words they us'd ; madam , out of the tender love you bear to your young infant , in your arms , give ear to us , or else you shall be kill'd together . but she undauated , thus ; i came not hither to abnegate my faith , nor left i all i had behind in italy , to fall from my first principles ; yea , i will rather suffer a thousand death ; my heavenly father spar'd not his son , but up to death him gave , me , and such sinners as i am to save ; how shall i then regard this babe of mine ? o foe , said she , into the hands of thine i give my little child : god which takes care for the wing'd cit'zens of the liquid air , is much more able to save this poor child , though you should leave it on these mountains wild . unlacing then her gown , she bar'd her brest , and said , here is the body ; you may feast your swords therewith : to kill it you have power , my sould is gods , it can you not devour . they slay the mother , and the infant spare , committing it t' a popish nurses care . many that did refuse to go to mass , were dragged to the mountaines tops ( alas ! ) and thrown thence headlong down : for want of food others were famish'd ; into adda's flood some flung from bridges ; and with corpses dead the woods and mountains ev'rywhere were spread . a noble virgin , through the streets was led disgracefully ; they put upon her head a paper-mitre , buffeted her cheeks , and so besmear'd her face with dirt , ( that leeks might grow thereon ) then was she bid to call upon the saints ; she smiling said , all , all my hope , my trust , and my salvation is in my saviour jesus christ alone . as for the virgin mary , 't is confest she is above all other women blest ; yet is she not omniscient , and therefore knowes not what we request , what we implore : yea she her self her own son's merits needed , and had bin damn'd , had he not interceeded . christ hath despis'd rhe cross , endur'd the shame , and so will i , thrice blessed be his name , his holy name ; with that , these villains drew her into the fields , and barbarously slew her . then came a letter from a governour , that these blood-suckers should with all their power destroy both in the country and in city all that were lutherans , without all pity . whereat destroying all at tyrane , tell , bruse , sondres , and malenco , they more fell then hyrcan tygres , fell on birbenno , caspano , trahen , slaying high and low . they kill'd a man , and 's wife . a cradled child fair and well-favour'd , in their faces smil'd ; they took her by the heels ( not mov'd at all ) and dashed out her brains against the wall . at bruse , a very aged matron was sollicited by them , to go to mass , and have respect unto her age , not die ; to whom she answer'd ; god forbid that i who have one foot already in the grave , should now forsake my lord , my christ , who gave me to be constant in his truth profest , and upon sublunary creatures rest . shall mens traditions , or gods holy word take place ? so said , they slew her with the sword . sect . xxxi . the persecutions of the church in scotland , which began , anno christi 1527. one mr. patrick hamilton by name , sprung from an honourable stock , became an able minister ; his holy zeal did the despised mysteries reveal to hood-wink'd souls , so long untill at last th' enraged bishops him in prison cast : and after condemnation , he was brought to execution ; his cap , gown , and coat , he gave t' his servant , and exhorted him to venture all for christ ; yea , life and lim . bound to the stake , he cry'd , for christ his merit , o lord be pleased to receive my spirit : how long shall clouds of darkness overwhelm ? great god! how long shall foes oppress this realm ? a fryar then ; vnto our lady pray ; salve regina , say , &c. away , away , satanick imps ; god hears me in the flame . his soul went up to heav'n to praise gods name . straton converted , said , o lord i have bin wicked , and deserv'd thy wrath , yet save ; o let not me , for fear of corp'ral pain , or death , deny thee , or thy truth again : they his and mr. norman's person bring , and burn them in the presence of the king. such words the bishop of dunkelden us'd to one dean porret ( whom the fry'rs accus'd : ) my joy , dean thomas , i do love thee well , and therefore take the liberty to tell thee of thy faults ; i am inform'd you do preach the epistle , nay the gospel too , each sunday to your people ; and refuse to take from them ( as a reward ) your dues : which prejudicial to the church-men is . my joy , dean thomas , i advise you this : take tythes , or else it is too much to preach but once a week : for if thou gratis teach , may not the people think that we likewise should do the same ? tom , be not so precise ; it is enough for you when you have sound a good epistle and gospel , to expound the liberty of holy church express'd therein , and 't is no matter for the rest . thomas reply'd : my lord , if i abstain from tythes , will my parishioners complain ? i know they will not : and whereas you say , it is too much to preach each sabbath-day , i think it is too little , for my part ; and from the very bottom of my heart wish , that your lordship would be pleas'd to take such pains as that . nay , nay , dean thomas , spake the bishop then , no orders do us reach . whereas , said thomas , you do bid me preach when a good chapter i do light upon ; i 've read them over all , and finde not one that 's bad amongst them ; shew me where they lie , and at your shewing i will pass them by . i bless god , said the bishop , i ne're knew what was the testament nor old nor new : and i will not know any thing at all , saving my portvise , and pontifical . go , go your wayes , and cease so much to prate , lest you repent you , when it is too late . i trust , said thomas , that my cause is clear in gods eyes ; therefore , what need i to fear ? and so he went his way . but when time 's glass had run a little more , he burned was . though bloody clouds were rais'd , religion's raies shone forth in scotland , in those worst of daies : partly by reading ( comfort flowing thence ) and partly by fraternal conference ; which so enrag'd the papists , that they came and burnt four noted persons in one flame ; one jerom russet , that profest the truth , and alexander kennedy , a youth , were brought to judgement : kennedy's heart panted for fear at first , and would have fain recanted . but when no hopes was left , god's spirit reviv'd his drooping soul ; yea inward comforts striv'd to shew themselves , both in his face and tongue : then falling on his knees , these words out sprung : great god! what love hast thou to all express'd , and unto me vile wretch , above the rest ! o who hath tasted of thy clemency in such a high degree ( o lord ) as i ! for just now when i would deny thy power , and jesus christ , thy son , my saviour , t' have plung'd my self all over head and ears in everlasting flames , ( unquench'd with tears ) thy right hand hath not suffer'd me to dwell with the black subjects of the prince of hell : and i , that was of late with fear opprest , enjoy by thee a joy-enamel'd brest . i fear not death , do with me as you please ; i praise god i am ready , death 's an ease . then railed they on him , and jerom , who said also unto them , miscal us , do ; this is your hour and power to command ; yee sit as judges , we as guilty stand : but know , a day will come shall clear our blame , and yee ( curs'd yee ) to your eternal shame shall see your blindness . go on forward still , till you the ephah of your sins up fill . no sooner were they both condemn'd to die , but jerom comforted young kennedy : brother ( said he ) fear not , he that indwels our souls , him that is in the world excels ; the pain we here indure is light and short , but we shall have unfading glory for 't . o strive we then ( though many rubs annoy ) to enter in unto our masters joy : and , with our saviour , pass the narrow road which few shall finde ; the way to hell is broad . we die for christ , and christ hath death subdu'd , death cannot hurt us : hence me may conclude we are the members ; and if christ our head be risen , can the members long lie dead ? thus death , and satan , under-foot they trod , and in the flame , breath'd up their souls to god. at edenburgh the cruel card'nal beton hang'd some , upon suspicion they had eaten goose on a friday ; and above the rest , a woman with her suckling at her brest , he drown'd for being scrupulous and wary of making prayers to the virgin mary . he sent into exile some christian brothers ; and at st. johnstons he imprison'd others . mr. george wischard , a divine , whose worth wan him much admiration in the north , having drunk deeply of afflictions cup. cheerfully in the flames surrendred up his soul unto its donour . god fulfill'd his prophesy , the cardinal was kill'd . one henry wallace , as an heretick condemned to be burnt , was burned quick . one henry forr'st , betrayed by a fryar , was burnt , and had the end of his desire . said ol'phant to one walter mill , who pray'd , rise up sir walter . prayers don , he said , my name is walter if you call me right , i have bin too too long a popish knight . ben't there sev'n sacraments ? give me but two said he , and all the rest i leave to you . wilt thou recant ? he answer'd , i am corn , not chaff , and will not be i' th' truth out-born : then go to th'stake . said he , i may not kill my self , but put me in , and bear i will ; this is my resolution . having made his pray'r to god , he to the people said , although it be confess'd , that i have bin a friend to satan , and a slave to sin , yet 't is not that , that doth my suff'rings cause , i suffer for observing god's just laws . and now god out of his abundant grace doth honour me so farr , as ( in this place ) to make me seal ( what others not withstood , ) his truth's profession with my dearest blood . dear friends as you 'd escape eternal doom , and live still happy in the life to come , let not archbishops , bishops , abbots , priors , seduce you any more , for they are lyars . trust god alone , o alwayes make his power your rock , your bulwark of defence , your tower . so slep'd he in the lord : and was the last in scotland that the fi'ry tryal past . sect . xxxii . the persecution of the church in ireland , anno christi 1642. the factious archbishops , abbots , pryors , false jesuites , romish priests , and knavish friars , stirr'd up rebellion by their instigation , against the english in the irish nation . and when they thought their malice had invented such thriving plots , as could not be prevented , they in their publick prayers recommended the good success of their designes , which tended , to the advancement of the cath'lick cause , and told the people 't was no time to pause . their nation over-run with hereticks ; call'd protestants sworn foes to catholicks ; who were not to be suffered alive amongst them ; and for any to deprive them of their breaths , the crime was not more great , then to destroy a dog : to give them meat . or yield to them relief at any time , 't was mortal , o unpardonable crime ! romes doctrine they pretended to suppress , and root out those that did the same profess ; they laws would make , they thought , should under all pop'ry , after englands good example . ( trample observe we how their words and deeds did vary , said one thing , but did act the quite contrary . and now they fall to murthr'ous blows ; and glory , 't will save them from the pains of purgatory : none that spake english the least mercy found ; the english language was a loathed sound : all are resolv'd to scowre the irish borders from these supposed authors of disorders . poor protestants ! some were to exile packt ; some kill'd ; 't was thought a meritorious act to slay those devils in the shapes of men , ( for so they called them ; ) not one of ten escap'd their clutches : what a deal of good , said they , it does us , thus to bath in blood ! when these injurious wretches are destroy'd in ireland , and their habitation voyd , we 'll then for england ; have at england then , we will not leave alive one english man. put case we should be of our lives bereaven . immediately our souls would fly to heaven . why should such scoundrels breath ? to work let 's fall , and take away their lives , estates , and all . strip , strip , man , woman , child , base rougues and whores , leave not a rag on , turn them out of doors . so now they shelter them ; but woods and caves sha'n't be their dwellings , but shall be their graves , whom wee 'l — but many by the high-wayes side , for want of sustenance fell down , and dy'd : and many thousands that for succour fled to towns , by that time they came there , were dead , to tell their horrid massacres , would make the ear to tingle , and the heart to ake . in armag● , and tyrone , this barb'rous rage spar'd neither rich nor poor , nor sex , nor age : and elsewhere many thousands did expire by sword , by water , famine , or by fire . some had their guts rip'd out , some drag'd thro bogs ; young children thrown to be devour'd by dogs . if any chanc'd to beg but leave to pray , and kneeled down , they lost their heads straightway some in dark dungeons lie ; others half slain , earnestly beg'd to be rid out of pain . they cover'd some alive with dirt , and stones , and laugh'd , to hear their lamentable grones . some were from bridges , into rivers flung ; others , on tenter-hooks by the chin hung : they hang'd up some by th' arms , with their swords trying how long an english-man would be a dying . young infants rip'd out of their mothers womb , were given to the hogs , for to entomb . children were forc'd to kill fathers , and mothers ; parents , their children ; and brothers , brothers ; wives their own husbands ; husbands their own wives : and they themselves in fine must lose their lives . no mercy's shown , man , woman , no nor child ; the dead's dig'd up , th'alive in cauldrons boil'd . some had their hands cut off , and eyes pluck'd out ; many were left alive , their guts about their very heels : and of some's grease and fat candles were made ; while others rosted at slack fires : nay , boys and women were employ'd to perpetrate such deeds , and therein joy'd . the rebels , in the country portendown , did many thousands in the river drown . at lisgool , tullah , lissenskeah , and cumber , ( all castles ) a considerable number were brought unto untimely ends . man , woman , and child was kill'd at killmore and killoman . an ancient dame , which towards dublin went , was strip'd in one day seven times , and sent to seek her god , and to her god complain , and bid him if he could , cloath her again : all mercy was exil'd ; these murth'rous cains : brain'd some ; stab'd others with their swords , forks , skeins . thousands of protestants in snowy weather turn'd out stark naked , perish'd all together , through cold and hunger ; many that were sick , were drag'd out of their beds , and hang'd up quick . one gcodwife lin , they hanged in the air , and then the daughter by the mothers hair . upon a day a cittadel they fir'd over the christians heads therein retir'd ; and thus express'd their joy : behold , how high the flames mount , o how sweetly do they fry ! a divines mouth up to the ears they slit ; so don , they put a bibles leaf to it , and bid him preach , and teach some pretty stuff , for now he had a mouth was wide enough . a naked woman , her bare skin to hide , a wisp of straw about her middle tide ; they fit'd it , boasting how it did enhance their spirits to see the english jade so dance : they stab'd jane addis , and her young child stuck t' her brest , and said , suck english bastard , suck . if any hid themselves in cellars , caves , they all were murther'd by these hell-sent slaves ; who made their boast , they pleas'd the devil well in sending him so many souls to hell . against god , and his holy word , likewise , they belch'd out execrable blasphemies . bibles they burnt , and said , they burnt hell-fire ; cut some , and soaked others in the mire , then dash'd them on the owners faces ; some they stamp'd on , saying , hence all mischiefs come ; a plague upon them all ; in a short time , we hope to see none in our irish clime . they told th' apostates , that they thought it good to kill them while they were in a good mood . anne nicholson said boldly she 'd not turne ; and rather then she would her bible burn , as they would have her , she the death would die ; and did , as it fell out : for by and by she and her mate was stabb'd ; but he that acted the vill'ny , grew immediately distracted . at glascow fisty english men and scots they made recant , and then cut all their throats . in mayo , and in tiperary too , both counties , not a few did undergo all sorts of cruel deaths ; these bloody ones did slash , hew , hack , and pellet them with stones . they forc'd some in the sea ( swoln big with waves ) to take possession of those watry graves . in sligo , forty protestants were strip'd , and lock'd up in a cellar ; then there slip'd a butcher in ( appointed so to do ) and with an axe cleav'd all their heads in two . into the jail belonging to this town , poor protestants were sent , and there knock'd down . about dungannon , tyrone , charlemount , hundreds were slain upon the same account . an irish quean kill'd forty five : mac crew no less then thirty in one morning slew . there were above twelve thousand knock'd at head in the high-wayes , as towards down they fled . these rogues a scotch-mans belly did divide , and having one end of his smal guts tide unto a tree , they forc'd him round about the same so long , till they were all drawn out : said they , we 'll try which is the longest size , a dogs guts , or a scotchmans ; o glad eyes ! in antrum fell nine hundred fifty four in one morn , afterwards twelve hundred more . sir phileme o neal boasted he had kill'd above six hundred at gravagh ; and fill'd whole houses with the slain ; brain'd old and young within the baronry of monterlong . in vlster province , by all sorts of deaths , one hundred fifty thousand lost their breaths . one man for saying he 'd believe the pope no sooner then the devil , stretch'd a rope . in munster , many eminent divines they hanged up . alas ! what woful signs poor children made for bread ; but they must fast or feed on grass , and then be brain'd at last . dear hearts ! in what inextricable woes are they involv'd ? inexorable foes on ev'ry side to bring them to their ends ; 't is sad to hear wives , children , servants , friends , send to the ayr their stormy sighs , and grones , their shrieks , their cries and lamentable mones ! alas ! what tongue , is able to relate the fears , and cares , of their afflicted state ? o was it , was it not enough almost to break a christians heart , to hear them boast of knocking 's down ? ( said one ) my arm 's so sore i cannot lift it up , to brain one more . another bragg'd , that he abroad had bin , and of the english rogues had kill'd sixteen : others so many kill'd , that they believ'd , that of the very grease and fat which cleav'd upon their swords , a man might undertake an irish candle ( if he list ) to make , the english are ( said they ) fit meat for dogs , their children bastards , drown them in the dogs ; the daye 's our own , we 'll wound their beasts therefore ; oh 't is a gallant thing to hear them rore ! thus have we had a tast of what befel the protestants : now they that did rebel have ever since by the just hand of god bin soundly scourg'd with his severer rod ; he so emasculates their spirits in fight , that handfuls put innum'rous foes to flight ; thousands of them have perish'd by the sword ; as many , if not more , the plague devour'd : the lord still fights for his ; and will , no doubt , utterly root up that rebellious rour . a martyrologie containing a collection of all the persecutions which have befallen the church of england , since the first plantation of the gospel , to the end of queen maries reigne . by the same author . victi sunt gentiles papistae & idololatria corum non a repugnantibus , sed morientibus christianis . august . ep. 42. quo malis presentibus durius deprimor , co de fuluris gaudiis certius presumo . gregor . in nothing be terrified by your adversaries , which to them is an evident token of perdition , but to you of salvation , and that of god , phil. 1. 28. printed by j. cottrel . 1657. to the right honourable , wroth rogers esquire ; high sheriff , and governour of the city and county of hereford : and to the reverend , mr. william voyle william low samuel smith george primrose ministers of christs gospel in hereford . grace and peace be multiplied , &c. honoured and reverend sirs , as it is the property of generous spirits , not to exact an answerable retaliation for their afforded favours from the party whom they have engag'd : so neither are they wont to slight the petty presents of a grateful heart , whose greatest ambition is to be thankful . this hath emboldened me to offer you the small fruits of my weak labours , or rather recreations , gathered at spare hours , in hope they may so rellish with your palate , as to move you to honour them with a free acceptance : i doubt not then but they will pass the better , and be entertained with more approbation . vvhhat though the wine of astonishment ( i mean the blood of martyrs ) be not so pleasant , and consequently less desirable , yet my hanging out the signes of your hononrable names ( at the frontispice of my book ) will be very effectual to make it vendible . humility in your selves , and charity towards me , will cover all faults . i know you are my honourable and reverend good friends , and amici omnia , amicè interpretantur , so will you this my good will. now if it be your pleasure to make use of me , i am here prest for your small service , till i am able to perform greater . so praying god to fill you with as much happiness both here and hereafter , as your hearts can hold , i take my leave of you ; but shall alwayes , while i have a tongue and hand , acknowledge and subscribe my self , etrolog . the second of the movnth april . mdclvi . your honours humblest servant ; and to you my worthy friends very much obliged , nicholas billingsley . to the ingenious reader . kinde reader , i call thee as i would willingly finde thee ; though , i confess , my weak performance of this part also in verse , which is so well done to thy hand in prose already , might justly occasion thee to clothe thy brow in an angry frown , and look big upon me , with a what needs this ? but i perswade my self , thou knowst a little better what belongs to humanity , then to judge too inhumanely of me ; thy self remembring that thou art also born of a woman , and art naturally proclive to slip , if need be , as well as another . mansuetude seems firstly to be attributed to beasts which were made tame , and cicurated ; but was afterwards us'd to express the minde pliable , and pulling in the reins of her passion : this vertue if thou hast , i need not advise thee ( as athenodorus did augustus ) from speaking anything rashly before thou hast orderly repeated the criss-cross-row . thus do i hope well of thee . what i have done , i leave to thy good-liking ; which , if i may be so worthy , as to obtain from thee , give god the glory , and i am abundantly rewarded for my pains . yours , n. b. the persecutions of the church of england , from the first planting of the gospel , to the end of queen maries reign . sect . i. the persecution of the british church , till the coming in of the saxons . to tell exactly who the persons were that first preach'd to the britains , in what year the gospel first took root , is past my skill , since authors cite them with a diff'ring quill . some say * zelotes preach'd here first of all ; some arimathean joseph ; others paul : fagan , and damian , did the gospel bring into great britain . lucius the king , with many of his subjects , did embrace the proffer'd gospel , as the means of grace : converted , and baptiz'd , they overturn'd th'idol'trous temples , and the altars burn'd : all superstitious rites they laid aside , advancing christ : the scripture was their guide , and onely rule ; they judged nothing fit but what had warrant from the sacred writ . two hundred sixteen years this faith did flame amongst them till the pagan saxons came . religious lucius without issue dy'd , and now the barons and the nobles vy'd for king ; and while they for the crown contended , in step'd the romans , so the quarrel ended : for they usurp'd the crown , and did o'rewhelm with misery and ruine the whole realm . sometimes th'idol'trous romans bore the sway ; sometimes the christian britans won the day : by turns they got the best , by turns they got the worst , as providence did them allot . in dioclesian's time , and in the reign of maximinian , the christians slain in britany and elsewhere , did amount to sev'nteen thousand . one of great account , alban his name , the proto-martyr was of englands isle ; and many more did pass that way he went. religion decaid , bibles were burned , and the churches laid , laid level with the ground ; disord'red orders took place ; and piety forsook our borders . but the fore-named tyrants over-tir'd with blondy butcheries , at last respir'd ; experience telling them , the more they shed the christians blood , the more the faith still spread . they both went down from the imperial seat ; constantius ; next constantine the great succeeding in the british government , the church was quiet , and enjoy'd content : which peace continu'd till the arrian sect the novelty-affectors did infect . hereat god raised up the picts and seots ( two barb'rous nations ) and to them alots the victors wreath : poor england was opprest , and did for many years enjoy no rest . which made them send embassadors to rome with sad complaints , entreating them to come to aid them ; so a roman legion came , slew some , making the rest retreat with shame , and quit these coasts ; advising us withal to raise betwixt us and the scots , a wall : a wall being builded by the english men , the roman force returned home agen . this news was brought unto the picts and scots one this side of the wall ; they landed boats , o're-ran the country , laid the corn-sields waste , and bare down all before them as they past . the britans send their legates unto rome a second time ; the sent-for souldiers come and vaequish'd them ; the rest put to disorders , enforcedly desert the british borders . which done , they told the britans flat and plain , they should expect no aid from them again ; besides , it stood not with their ease , to take so long and tedious journeys for their sake : now therefore arm your selves , and exercise in warlike feats ( said they ) if yee be wise : go , go and build you firmer walls , that so you may be able to keep out your foe , the romans having took their last farewel of britany , the picts and scots soon fell on the re-builded walls , and put to flight the trembling britains , noitrain'd up to fight . they that stood out were barb'rously destroy'd ; and all their goods the enemies enjoy'd . loan aceldama of blood ! what store of slaughtred carkasses , ev'n swim in gore ! rome b'ing again solicited to send relief , refus'd ; the britains in the end took heart to grass , when earthly comforts fail'd sought god , and ' gainst their enemies prevail'd ; gave them the total rout ; the picts began to keep their bound , save onely now and than they inroads made into the land ; the land at last became under her own command . the ground was now manur'd ; the lord did bless th' industrious britains with a large encrease of full-ear'd corn , that such abundant store scarce ever in the land was seen before . but oh! mans sinful heart ! this peace , this quiet , this plenty , led them to excess , and rior , to pride , contention , envy , and the like : god sent the plague among them , which did strike so many dead , that the alive were all unable to afford them burial . yet could the judgements that abroad were sent not melt their hearts , nor move them to repent ; the death of friends , the danger they were in themselves , but hardened them more in sin ; not work'd their reformation ; oftentimes , judgements prove shooing-horns to greater crimes . they wax still worse and worse ; the laity chose , and clergy too , to live like ranc'rons foes . gods thundring vengeance which upon them fell , my breathing muse shall in the sequel tell . sect . ii. the persecution of the british church under the heathen saxons and english , anno 429 , &c. the britains with ill-neighbours re-infested , instead of turning to the lord , requested the pagan saxons aid , for to oppose the raging fury of these northern foes ; they came , and coming , conquer'd them ; at length , the saxons knowing their sufficient strength to over-pow'r the weaker britains , they fell foul on them , exacting greater pay , and more provision , or else they would side with the picts , and do the best they could to spoil their country . this their resolution no sooner said , was put in execution : all goodly edifices they destroy'd : the ministers , the while they were employ'd in divine service , were of lives depriv'd , and rev'rend bishops with their flocks disliv'd . some left their country and beyond seas fled ; some on the mountaines tops were murthered . some pin'd with hunger , creeping from their caves , were soon dispatch'd , or made perpetual slaves . the english nobles summoned to treat concerning peace , did on a fix'd time meet at almshury ; but by the faithless train of saxons , were most treacherously slain at stomheng ; and , that they were bury'd there , the yet-remaining monuments declare . now when the britans found no other way lay open to redress , they fell to pray . a fast was call'd , and all , with one accord humbled their souls , before th' almighty lord. ambrosius aurelian , being chose to be their king , did profligate their foes ; and from that day gods hand appearing glorious . they went out prosp'rous , and return'd victorious . at last aurelian with poyson dead , uter pendragon reigned in his stead : he bidding battail to the enemy , two of their chieftains took ; who scaping fly to belgia for more aid ; and in the mean the saxons flock'd in ; conflicts past between th'english and them : now these , and sometimes they , ( as providence saw good ) did win the day , octa , and cosa , with a force renew'd came o're again ; the britans are subdu'd ; their pastors slain , churches demolished , no mercy 's shown ; king vter sick in bed , seeing his subjects fall , would needs be brought into his camp : so resolutely fought his souldiers then , they ( under god ) obtain the victors wreath : octa and cosa slain . soon ever this great victory was won , uter of poyson dy'd ; arthur his son was crowned king , who twice six victories obtain'd against the saxon enemies . his stranger acts , and unbeliev'd success , as fabulous , i leave ; but questionless much peace and safety to the british isle was in his happy reiga enjoy'd ; yet while they were at peace with others , they agin returning to their loathed wayes of sin , fell to intestine broils , embracing evil in stead of good , and worshipped the devil , under the notion of an angel bright . the priests withheld the gospels purer light from deviating souls ; which soon procur'd the wrath of god ( too great to be endur'd ) driv'n out of house and home , no ease , no rest they found ; the saxons had the land possest , and turn'd out all the christian divines . so done , they did in the usurp'd confines , the heptarchy erect : these kings did smother all peace , fell out and warr'd with one another : till disempowr'd , they could not well defend themselves , much less with enemies contend . king lncius was the first that did receive the gospel , and in jesus christ believe : from which time ( as 't in chronicles appears ) it staid in britain full four hundred years : one hundred fourty and three years gods word grew cold ; but austins comming it restor'd . some english children being brought to rome , there to be sold , gregory chanc'd to come into the market-place : when his fix'd sight saw in their lovely cheeks pure red and white contend for mastership , he much admir'd at their so sweet complexions , and enquir'd what country they were of ; then being told that they were english heathens , to be sold for slaves : here 's choice enough , if any wat 's , said he , 't is pity such inhabitants , so fair , and so angelical , should dwell as subjects to the story prince of hell . inform'd their province deira was ; said he , could wish them manu-miss'd de ira dei. and further , being given to understand , that one nam'd alle rul'd the british land ; there , there , saith he , ought praises to be given and allelujab's to the king of heaven . he also had a great desire to go to england , and there preach : but rome said , no. pelagius dy'd : he in his room assign'd romes bishop , calling his intent to minde : austin , and forty more divines , he sent to undertake this work : they land in kent , at thanets fertile isle : king ethelbert , in canterbury city , they convert , and did baptize : by whose example , many dayly came in , the king enforc'd not any , but much respected , and affected those who willingly with christ would make a close . austin sends greg'ry word , how god did bless , and crown their labours with desir'd success . the joyful bishop sendeth more divines over , for to effect those great designs were now on foot : a letter of advise he writes to austin , not to be too wise in his own eyes , not be puft up at all by those great miracles , which did befall the english church : for why ? for this intent , god onely us'd him , as an instrument . ascribe all , austin , to god's pow'r divine ; his be the glory , and the praise , not thine : and when thy heart t'ebulluate begins , o think upon thy god-offending sins , and that will humble thee : all gods elect have of themselves no power to effect a miracle like this ; and yet heav'ns book contains their names . o do not , do not look so much on thine own works ; be this thy strife , to have thy name writ in the book of life . what ever miracle the lord hath brought to pass by thee , know this , it was not wrought for thy sake ; no , 't was wrought for the salvation of the seduc'd , misguided english nation . if i might be so worthy to advise , the temples built for heath'nish sacrifice i would not have demolish'd , but th' abuse remov'd , converted to another use . god go along with you , and lest you stumble through pride , and glory , keep you alwayes humble , &c. he an epistle also did direct unto the king , which was to this effect : he first prais'd god , then did the king commend , wishing he might prove constant to the end in his professed faith ; and to his power , convert his subjects to a saviour , who holds forth life to those that will receive it freely , and in 's promises believe . and lastly , he intreats his gifts may finde acceptance , coming from a willing minde . miletus , by his preaching did convert th' east angles and the then-king sigebert ; who with his unckle ethelbert did found st. paul his church , and built it from the ground . austin a synod gath'red in this nation of bishops , to consult of reformation ; but nothing's done therein : king ethelbert having a mighty force , went to evert the chestrian city , where the monks of bangor assembling , pray'd god to divert his anger , from their friends heads , and turn it on their foes , to shield the english from approaching woes . when the king saw them so intent in pray'r , demand he did , what sort of men they were : and being credibly inform'd , they pray'd for those that were his enemies ; he said , although unarm'd , they fight against us do , and with their prayers persecute us too ; my hearts , fall bluntly on them ; upon pain of our displeasure , let them all be slain . eleven hundred monks had their blood spill'd ; which god reveng'd : the bloody tyrant's kill'd in fight by christian edwin , who obtain'd the crown , and the christ-builded faith maintain'd . the idols , and the altars he destroy'd , making all ancient ceremonies voyd . he caused brazen dishes to be tide by ev'ry fountain in the high-wayes side , that so each passenger without controul , might be refreshed with a liberal boul : he alwayes carried himself propitious unto the good , but rig'rous to the vitious : so that a woman charg'd with gold might pass from sea to sea , unquestion'd who she was . at last , by penda , and cadwalla's might , subdu'd , josiah like , he dy'd in fight : his christian subjects felt the worst of woes , nay , eruelst deaths , by those insulting foes . the * queen , her * daughter , and paulinus went , to save their lives , by water into kent ; oswald was crowned next ; whose pray'rs did gain a glorious victory , cadwalla slain . his love to piety , his fervent zeal to spread the gospel in his common-weal , was known to all . from scotland he procur'd aidanus bishop ; and the king inur'd to scoth , himself interpreted the words aidanus preach'd , unto his noble lords and subjects in their mother tongue , more known to them then the exotique scotish tone . he to the poor was so compassionate , that when on easter-day at meat they sate and serv'd in silver , he was told the poor stood flocking thick and threefold at the door he caused them for to be serv'd in state with his own food , taking a silver place , and straight-way breaking it in pieces small , distribute it he did amongst them all . aidanus seeing this , admir'd , and got him by the hand , o may this never rot that to the poor so beneficial was ( said he : ) as authors say , it came to pass . this oswald also was a means to bring kinigilsus of the west-saxons king. and quicelinus king of dorsetshire , with many of their subjects , to the clear knowledge of christ ; under the minist'ry of berinus famous for piety . thus oswald having reigned nine years space , mercian penda did his life uncase . oswic succeeded him ; oswic as glorious a prince , as pious , and no less victorious : he rais'd an army , fought , and overthrew a greater force , and impious penda slew . and now the bishops and the ministers , sequester'd from the world , and its affairs , preach'd freely to the people , until they about the celebrating easter-day ( which bone amongst them satan cast ) contended , a synod's call'd , nor was the diff'rence ended , wolferus now a license having gain'd , converted the south-saxons ; then there rain'd abundant showrs which fertiliz'd the land laine barren for three years : thus gods good hand appeared in a plenteous increase ; he sent his gospel , with his gospel-peace . thus the south-saxons , with the ifle of wight , did last of all embrace the gospels light . about this time the roman church disown'd her pristine beauty ; antichrist enthron'd , the pope did lord it over all ; he sent italian theodorus into kent with many monks , there masses must be sung , and in the latin , not the mother-tongue : bishops , and ministers he did displace at 's pleasure , so that in a little space truth turn'd to errour , piety to vainness , zeal to contempt , religion to profaness . because their iterated crimes did urge gods wrath , the pagan-danes became their scourge . sect . iii. of the heptarchy united by egbert ; and of the invasion by the danes , and of the persecution of the english church under them . king egbert after many battails fought , united first the heptarchy , and brought in monarchy , into the british land ; the whole realm his , he gave a strict command that britain should be england nam'd , and all the saxons answer to the english call . the pagan-danes invaded several times ( to plague her for her execrable crimes ) this british isle , not striving to enjoy and conquer it , but t'utterly destroy . they whosoe're they met , man , woman , child , kill'd or enslaved , and the churches spoil'd . they sacked canterbury , in which place above nine thousand souls they did uncase . throughout the land their cruelty was such , of blood they thought theycould not shed too much . this isle was subject to a forreign power , till freed by william the conquerour . who list to know the intercourse of things . the acts and the successions of kings , may if he please , ( for brevity's my mark ) read them at large in famous mr. clarke . sect . iv. the persecution of the english church under the papacy . although religion from the time this isle embrac'd grace first , retain'd not all this while its prim tive splendour , but grew more obscure , more superstitious , and no less impure ; yet in those pristine dayes , the peoples crimes were not equivalent to after-times . the church now being in the desarts hid , affraid to shew her face , th' almighty did raise bernard up , and many more beside , t' unmask and check the antichristian pride ; and superstitious disordred orders too too luxuriant in the british borders . at which the pope and his adherents urg'd , they were imprison'd , hang'd , and burnt , and scourg'd about the streets , or branded in the sorehead , with an heret'cal character : o horrid yet many did most readily embrace their doctrine , as the onely meanes of grace : that man of sin , that offspring of perdition renounc'd , and all the wayes of superstition . god still preserv'd a church unto his name , from christs time , till the time that luther came . john patrick engina , when alfred reign'd , the first reader in oxford was ordein'd : he wrote a book about the sacrament , for which a martyrs death he underwent . they branded in the face , and banish'd some divines at oxford , who declam'd ' gainst rome . one arnold there they butcher'd , who decry'd against the priests lewd lives , and prelates pride . in henry's reign the second of that name , thirty waldenses into england came , gerard their pastor ; and without all pity , were whipped publickly through oxford city ; they singing all the while , blessed are yee , when you shall hated , and misused be , &c. with want and cold , they dy'd ; none might afford them any comfort , nor at bed nor board . gualdo who ' gainst the priests invectives wrote , and also doctor gilbert foliot , who oft blam'd * thomas becket to his face , were persecuted much : to them a grace . sylvester gyrald by his writings tears such hornets up , as fall about his ears . one alexander , for his bitter stile banish'd by † langton , died in exile . ashton fellow of merton colledge went into perpetual imprisonment . one william sawtre , thorp , and swinder by . with sundry more divines condemn'd , did die under the christian banner , and their spirits pass'd into glory through christ jesus merits . and now because my muse finds nothing new but onely martyrs names , she dids adieu at present , reader , but intends to meet thy serious eye within another sheet . sect . v. the persecution of the english church after the rising of martin luther . the christian world appear'd not very clear until the fifteen hundred eighteenth year , wherein god pleased to unbosome night , the art of printing being brought to light ; which furnished the church with useful books , and made them to discerne religions looks from superstition , ( as in a mirrour ; ) substantial truth , from counterfeited errour . god also rais'd up sundry men of parts ; who by their learning and ingenious arts , most strenuously opposed barbarism , truths sunshine breaking from the clouds of schism . picus , and franciscus mirandula , laurentius valla , francis petrarcha , erasmus , doctor collet , wesalinus rhenanus grocinus , and revelinus , &c. were in gods vineyard faithful labourers ; then martin luther , and his followers , by gods appointment came into this nation , to work his church t' a fuller reformation . six persons suff'red death at coventry , onely for teaching of their family the lords pray'r , ten commandments , and the creed , i' th' english tongue . severity indeed ! one thomas harding , on an easter day , when others worship'd idols , went to pray within a silent grove ; where apprehended , condemn'd , and burnt , his soul to heaven ascended . at london one john raimond was abjur'd ; who fifteen hundred testaments procur'd of antwerp print , and brought five hundred over into this isle , the darkness to discover . one sigar nicholson was hung up by the ptivy members : and the reason why , was this : in cambridge he ( a stationer ) kep'd in his house some works , that luther's were . one thomas hitten , a divine in kent , after a tedious imprisonment , was over to the sec'lar power turn'd , and by them in the town of maidstone burn'd . cardinal woolsy persecuted sore bilny , lome , garret , barnes , and many more . one richard bayfield , was from lollards tower deliver'd over to the sec'lar power , and after bound at stake ; when with the flame his left arm burned was , he rubb'd the same with his right hand so hard , that down it fell ; he pray'd until he went in heaven to dwell . edward freese , johnstone , wylie , father bates , all shut up with their wives in fulham grates , during their hard imprisonment , were fed , o misery indeed ! with saw-dust bread . after a tedious lying in the stocks , thay let them go , but clog'd their legs with locks . james bainham , when half burned at the stake , to this effect unto the papists spake : behold , ye look for miracles ; and here a miracle indeed , doth now appear : for i am as insensible of pain , as if i on a bed of down were lain ; all 's one to me , both equally do please : o t is a rosy bed , a bed of ease ! an idol nam'd the rood of dover court , was burnt , and some in chains were hanged for 't . now suffer'd andrew howet , and john frith . one thomas bennet , who was cursed with bell , book , and candle , fastned to the stake , and fir'd a comfortable end did make . the papists to their power the truth supprest , and persecuted those that it profest : but god was pleas'd deliverance to bring to his afflicted saints ; for now the king divorc'd the lady katharine of spain , and took to wife lady anne bullen . vain were all the popes projects ; none in this nation might now ensorced be to abjuration . eliz'beth barton , th' holy maid of kent , a nun both subdolous and fraudulent , by the strange alt ' ring of her countenance gull'd silly people , lying in a trance ( as quakers do ) and then , as if sh ' had been inspir'd by god , would in reproof of sin speak much , and raile against the gospels light , calling it heresy ; her ranc'ous spight she vented to the king and queens dishonour . by satan back'd , she also took upon her t' advance rome's doctrine , praising constitutions idol ' try , pilgrimages , absolutions , &c. but doctor cranmer , with the lord cromwel , and mr. latimer , did wisely smell out all the knavery ; so that the nun and her associates hang'd , their dayes were don . though england did the popish pow'r disown , yet popery still hover'd up and down : and william tindal was betraid , arrain'd , condemn'd and burned for the truth maintain'd . anne bullen also , that religious queen , ( who now about three yeers had married been ) by false reports and sinister suggestions , had lost the kings affection ; he questions her dearest love ; which he intends to smother , by marrying himself unto another . queen anne was to the tower carried ; and , e're three weeks were over , lost her head . the vertuous lady , standing up erect upon the scaffold , spake to this effect : good christian people , if you wonder why i am come hither , know , it is to die ; having already heard my sentence strict : nor lies it in my pow'r to contradict . i come not hither for this end , to clear my self , nor tell who my accusers are : i pray god save the king his life maintain , and make you flourish in his happy reign , &c. and if among you , there be any shall presume to question my untimely fall ; anne bullen begs , anne bullen does implore , that they would judge the right , and judge no more . thus , thus vain world , i take my leave of you : dear christian friends , i bid you all adieu : i pray be fellow-feelers of my case , and put up prayers to the throne of grace in my behalf . oh lord in mercy shine upon me , take my soul , for it is thine : sweet jesu , it is thine . this oft she sed on her bent knees , until she lost her head . the king , ( no longer time then three dayes tarried , but ) to the lady jane seymer was married . about this time , ( which god to pass did bring ) lord cromwel grew in favour with the king : by whose advise , and sage deliberation , the church was brought unto a reformation . the kings injunctions all abroad made known , idol'trous images were overthrown : our ladies at walsingham , worcester , ipswich , and thomas becket's image , were cast down ; with others , which had long deceiv'd the silly people , who indeed believ'd they liv'd ; for they ( by secret engines found ) could open , shut their eyes , and roll them round . the same year ( as lord cromwel , did advise ) abbeys were ruin'd and monasteries . a little after , for opposing rome , mr. john lambert suff'red martyrdome . packington collins , leiton , puttedew , peck , doctor barnes , garret , and heirom too , two eminent divines , the lord cromwel , great essex earl , all for the truths sake fell . yea all the prisons , within london walls were fill'd , and many were enclos'd in halls , by vertue of an act for prohibition of truth , and countenancing superstition . john porter , unto new-gate dungeon sent for reading in the bible ; underwent hard usage : bolts and iron chains did check the freedom of his legs , his hands , and neck : at last , into the lowest dungeon cast , not many dayes expir'd , he breath'd his last . at lincoln bishop longland took away james morton , thomas bornard , in one day . one mr. barber , who the truth deny'd , with sorrow wore away until he dy'd . one testwood , person , filmore , tost and turn'd under afflictions hand , at last were burn'd neer windsore castle : with a cheerful face , anthony person did the stake embrace , kissing it , said , welcom mine own sweet bride , for this blest day shalt thou and i be ty'd as man and wife together , in the love and matrimonial peace of god above , of god above ; i long for to be there , &c. when all of them unto the stake bound were , said filmer then , my bretheren rejoyce in god , unto him make a joyful noise : for after this sharp breakfast , we a boon dinner shall have with christ in heaven at noon . testwood with hands and eyes to heaven up heav'd , desir'd god that his spir't might be receiv'd . person ( said thus ) tricking with straw his head , this is gods hat , now i am dress'd indeed , like a true souldier of christ , by whom this day into his joy i trust to come . and so they suffer'd with such constancy , that many with them could afford to die . the lord lisle , thomas brooks , james cock , ralph hare , james barber , mr. smith , john butler , bare the cross of christ . said rockwood , bad 's my state i can't repent , all too late , all too late . the under-marshal fell upon the floor , i' th' councel . room , and never spake word more . one richard mekins , that had scarce out-worn the fifteenth year , they did in smithfield burn . two labouring men , there was at callice martyr'd ; and mr. da●slip was hang'd , drawn and quarter'd . button , was persecuted ; mr. dod resign'd up in the flame his soul to god. one mr. saxie , to his end was brought , by gardiner's appointment , as ' cwas thought . kerby at ipswich , roger clarke at bury fry'd faggots , to appease their foemens fury . anne askew being tost from post to pillar , and cruelly misus'd , an evil-willer led her into a dungeon ; where he rack'd her body till her very bowels crack'd : nay , when her bones and joynts were pluck'd asunder , she praised god and pray'd ; ( to all a wonder ) then the lord chanc'ller sent her word that burn'd she should be , if she chang'd not : she return'd an answer back , that she would rather die , then once recant , and her true faith deny . to new-gate being sent , she penned there her faith's confession , ending with this prayer : o lord , the hairs which on my head do grow , are not so num'rous as my foes , i know : yet lord , take not thy grace and comfort from me ; so shall they not with flatt'ring words o'recome me : do thou fight for me ; so my soul shall fear no danger , for on thee i cast my care . with all the mischief that they can invent they fall upon me , and have even spent me thy poor creature . sweet lord let me slight my foes , for thou alone art my delight . and lord , i pray thee , when thy wrath begins to burn them , quench it : o forgive their sins : lord open thou their hearts , restore the blind , that they may please thee ; give them grace to minde the things that do belong unto their peace in this their day , left when they would , they cease . let not the fancies vain of sinful men destain thy truth : amen , o lord , amen . she brought to smithfield in a chair , was bound to th'stake , and with the flames besieged round . so slep'd she in the lord , and in gods eyes became an acceptable sacrifice . at that time nicholas belerrian , a shropshire min'ster ; and a gentleman , john lacels , servant to the king ; with one john adams tailour , burning undergon . the same year , bishop gardiner did bring malicious accusations to the king against queen kathrin parre ( supposing all the boughs would wither , if the stock did fall ) in that she gave her minde ( which was unfit ) to read and meditate on sacred writ . and chaplains kept seditions to rear , none b'ing deny'd the priviledge to hear : as also , that her heart was fully bent to spurn against the present government : her life was dangerous : nor could he rest , that nourish'd such a viper in his brest . the kings love turn'd to hate ; and now the queen must die the death : but prov'dence stept between ; the plot 's found out ; she wisely did behave her : the king receiv'd her to his wonted favour . now also sir george blake condemned was , for casting out some words against the mass . a pardon 's granted him ; after which thing , he being in the presence of the king ; the king said to him , ah my pig , ( for so he us'd to call him : ) yea , said he , i know , had not your majesty been more enclin'd to save my life , ( such was your royal minde ) then were your bishops to reak out their teen ; your pig , i 'm sure , e're this had rosted been . streight after , winchester , and his complices ( sworn foes to vertues , and fast friends to vices ) set forth in the kings name , a proclamation that all the english bibles in the nation , and other books which yielded any light unto the truth , should be abolish'd quite . this done , said they , so , now the gospels lain so low that it shall never rise again ; and for the greater terrour , strict inquest they made for those that verity profest : of many pricked down the names ; of whom , they some expelled , and imprison'd some : so that these varlots did in no wise doubt the bringing of their wicked ends about . but god , who careth for his truth , and those that countenanc'd the same , dispers'd their foes : a midst their vain projects the king was dead , and with him all their hopes were buried . sect . vi. the persecution of the duke of somerset in the reign of king edward the sixth now when king henery the eighth was dead , his son prince edward reigned in his stead ; during whose happy reign religion flourish'd , pop'ry decar'd , the church of god was nourish'd with the full breasts of peace , the gospel spred and superstition was abolished : onely the godly duke of somerset with persecutions , and great troubles met ; some of the nobles lab'ring most of all to raise themselves upon his suddain fall . edward , and thomas seymer were ally'd unto king edward , by his mothers side ; edward the eldest ( fit to guide the helm ) was made protector of the king , and realm : thomas the second , of this british isle was chosen lord high admiral ; the while these brethren joyned in fraternal love , nothing fell out amiss ; but when they strove , ( spur'd on by make-bates ) unto one another they prov'd destructive ; and the younger brother attainted , was condemn'd , and lost his head on tower-hill : hence insurrections bred . the lords , at london privily conjur'd against the lord protector , and immur'd him once , nay twice , yea thrice , in a short season , then charged him with felony , and treason . he 's to the tow'r hill brought , where he commended his soul to god ; his prayers being ended , he rose from off his knees , and like a man couragiously bold , he thus began : dearly beloved friends , lo , i am here to suffer death , though ( god knows ) i am clear from thinking , speaking , or from acting ought against the king , in word , in deed , or thought ; but alwayes to this realm have born a brest as faithful , and as loyal as the best . yet in obedience to the laws command , i here as a condemned person stand ; and praise my god , for his abundant grace in giving unto me both time and space , who might have justly took away my breath , had he so pleased , by a sudden death , now as for the religion which i during the time of my authority maintain'd to my power , nor do i now repent of what i did , but both to you and me agnize it as a favour great ; and do you all most heartily entreat to joyfully receiv't , and set it forth in your lives , as a thing of unknown worth ; which studiously to do , if you neglect , great misery i fear you may expect . these words no sooner out , a sudden sound as terrible as thunder , did confound the people so , that some fell down through fear , some this some that way run , but none knew where anthony brown knight came ; that he did bring , the crowd suppos'd , a pardon from the king ; with that a shout arose : but the good duke did gravely with his beck'ning hand rebuke the clam'rous throng . and silence being gain'd , he said , dear friends , pardon is not obtain'd as you conceive ; god otherwise is bent ; his will be done , and we must be content . let 's joyn in prayer , that safety may pursue the king , t' whom loyal i have bin . 't is true , the people cryed out . o heaven bless his highness with all health and happiness : i wish his counc'llours grace to rule , and then you all obedient hearts : all said , amen i ask forgiveness if i wronged any ; o lord remit my sins , for they are many . as for my foes , i freely them forgive . for christ i die , in whom i hope to live , &c. farewel , farewel , he lay him down , and spoke christ save me , thrice : the hangman gave the stroke sect . vii . the persecution of the english church under the reign of queen mary . edward the sixth ( englands josiah ) dead , lady jane grey was crowned in his stead ; the lady mary , having heard the news , sent to the lordly councel for to chuse her to be queen : and if they did withstand the execution of her just command , by force of arms she threatned to regain her wronged right , and her defrauded reign . the lords return'd this answer , there was none had such just right and title to the crown as lady jane : the ancient laws allow it hers , and place it on her princely brow ; 't was hers by letters patent from the king , and made authentick with his royal ring before his death ; and since she was invested as an apparent heiress , all protested adherence to her and no queen beside . the lady mary to rest satisfiy'd , request they did , entreating her to cease by new pretences to molest the peace the quiet realm enjoy'd ; promising her they would be nothing wanting to prefer her next the queen : if possibly they could serve her in any other thing , they would , provided that she did her self so carry , as fits a duteous subject , lady mary having receiv'd this answer , heavy hearted , from out the city's circuit streight departed . hereat the councel did set out a band of armed souldiers under the command of the northumbrian duke : mary withdrew her self into suffolk , many flocking to her : and while she in fermingham castle staid , all suffolk freely proff'red her their aid and best assistance to procure her reign , with this provisoe , that she would maintain religion established of late by her good brother , and not broach debate amongst her subjects , nor foment the seed of war : to this she easily agreed , and did to god so solemnly protest , that no man could suspect her in the least : now with this power , of those godly men , she vanquished her foes ; yet after when the self-same party spplication made unto her grace , to do , as she had said : she answer'd , forasmuch as you that are but members arrogantly seek to bear rule o're your head , i fear me to your cost you 'l once know what it was to rule the rost ; by sad experience you shall find one day , that subjects may not rule , but must obey . then in the pill'ry famous mr. dobbe , exposed was to many a bitter bobbe ; some others for presenting that request were laid up fast to terrifie the rest . the marches of the duke not over-long , the lady by his ling'ring grew more strong . so that the london councel having heard how much the commons for her aid appear'd , and that some of the nobles too , did lean that way , they presently proclaim'd her queen . the gen'ral by his souldiers forsook , at cambridge left almost alone , was took , and brought to london-tower ; in a short season on tower-hill he lost his head for treason . after his condemnation he was promis'd his life , if he would go to mass , which he assented to , his words regrest the truth he had so formerly profess'd . he to the cath'lick cause the people led to th'papists great joy : yet did he lose his head . queen mary thus possessed of the crown , began the pure religion to disown ; as soon appear'd , by her displacing all the godly bishops ; ridly , coverdale , poinet , hooper and scory , gardiner set free , was made bishop of winchester , also lord chancellour of england . bonner too undeservedly attain'd the honour of being london's bishop . to the fleet was mr. hooper manded ( o unmeet ! ) to see the queen good doct or ridly went , but on a lame jade to the tow'r was sent . a parliament was call'd , a proclamation forthwith the queen set forth throughout the nation ; wherein she shew'd , she could by no means brook to smother that religion which she took in with her infant-milk , and to her power meant to observe until her latest hour , wishing that all her subjects ( which would sleep secure in their whole skin ) the same might keep : she also did declare , whereas there were evil-disposed persons , who did dare to preach god's word misled by their own brain ; she therefore did by strict command ordain such should not henceforth preach ( as held unfit ) read or interpret any sacred writ , or other points religion concern'd , or print books by the which it might be learn'd , without a special licence from the queen on pain of stirring up her highness spleen ; requiring all her officers to see her will and pleasure executed be : if herein any wilfully offend , she authoriz'd them , them to apprehend and send them forthwith to the neighb'ring gaol , without admitting mani-prize , or bail ; till for their punishment , and the example of others , orders be procur'd more ample . also the london aldermen were will'd to send for all the ministers which fill'd the streight'ned wards , and silence them on pain of death , commanding them that none explain , or preach , or read the scripture in their stead , but such as by the queen were licensed . one william rutler , humphry palden , too , he must to prison , this to th'counter go , for speaking but against what was express'd at paul's cross by one bourn , a popish priest . good mr. rogers was t' his house confin'd ; bradford , vernon , and beacon , were assign'd close pris'ners in the tower. then did they send for coverdale , and hooper to attend the councel ; and for newgate they allot john melvine a divine , by birth a scot. mr. hugh latimer was sent to th' tower ; and so was dr. cranmer by this power . mr. simonds , sanders , horn , durhams dean , were summon'd to appear before the queen . soon after this , the parliament began ; where mr. harly , a judicious man , bishop of hereford , degraded was , for marrying a wife , and shunning mass . sir james hales justice of the common-plea , in charge against the popes supremacie producing statutes , &c. into prison cast was there so roughly dealt with , that at last recant he did ; but ( o dire consequence ! ) he felt the terrours of his conscience , and his own executioner had been , had not god's special goodness step'd between the knife and him . from prison he releas'd , ( his self-made wounds recur'd ) no inward rest enjoy'd at home : so having made his will , he drown'd himself , and 's end began his ill . at the same time , for their dis-approbation of a presented bill , the convocation by bonner was dissolv'd : from coventry , ( for their oppugning of idolatry ) baldwin , clark , careless , willcocks , all in hast sent up to london by the mayor , lay fast . bishops imprison'd were , archdeacons , deans , all beneficed men , put by their means , who closely to the truth reveal'd adher'd ; and popish parsons , in their roomes prefer'd , ( too bad supplies . ) within a little season , archbishop cranmer , for no less then treason at guild hall was araing'd ; clear'd of that charge , for 's heresy he might not live at large . one mr. thomas wotton an esquire , and doctor crome did in the fleet retire . now hymen went to joyn with nuptial bands , iberian philip's , and queen maries hands : some of the nobles , and the vulgar sort , not very well resented this report ; the duke of suffolk , labour'd to prevent the match : sir thomas as wyat rais'd in kent some sorces to oppose it ; for he fear'd the realm would be enslav'd , and popery rear'd . wyat for london march'd : queen mary then at guild hall stirred up the city-men . wyat came into southwark ; having found entrance block'd up , he went by kingstone round , and faced lud-gate , which to entertain such guests refusing , he return'd again ; and having got the worst at temple-bar , became sir clement parson's prisoner , who sent him to the tow'r : on tower-hill he and the lady jane , their dayes fulfill . bonner did in his diocess disperse injunctions to all the ministers , wherein they were required to give in the names of all whoever were agin auricular confession , the next lent encroaching on . queen mary also sent to bonner , articles , commanding streight the church-laws made by henery the eight should be in force ; that heresy abhor'd should fall , the popes supremacy restor'd : that ministers which did lead marri'd lives should be divorced from ( themselves ) their wives ; and that processions should be said , or sung , from that time forward , in the latin tongue , &c. john a lasco , peter martyr , and more protestant forr'ners , were exil'd this shore : and many godly-minded english fly to friez land , cleav●land , basil , germany ; where through god's mercy they were kept from dangers , and all found favor , in the eyes of strangers . the number of these peregrines encreas'd unto eight hundred persons , at the least . then to the tower lady elizabeth was sent , and bore afflictions worse then death . latimer , cranmer , ridly , bishops , spent much time at oxford in imprisonment . one mr. sanders crying down the mass , became close pris'ner . doctor tailour was to london sent for up . henry lord gray of suffolk duke , condemn'd , was brought to pay his sought for life ; where having open broke his sealed lips , he to the people spoke ; i have displeas'd the queen , contrair'd her laws , take notice christians , that 's the onely cause i suffer so : and seeing they are bent t' a bridge my fleeting dayes , i am content , and do beseech you all , bear me record , i die in the true faith of christ , my lord ; and for salvation on his merits rely , not on inefficacious trumpery . for me , and all true penitents beside , who in him stead fastly believe , christ dy'd . repent i do , and do desire you all to pray for me , that when my body shall resigne its breath , god will be pleas'd to take my soul unto himself , for christ his sake . forgive me yee , whom i offended have . saies dr. weston then , as he doth crave the queen hath done : him thus the throng rebuke , god send thee such forgiveness . so the duke kneel'd down and prai'd , concluding , i resigne my soul ( o lord ) into those hands of thine : then made he preparation to embrace the bloody blow ; and having veil'd his face with his own handkerchief , he kneeling said the lords pray'r over , down his head he laid venting these latest words , christ look upon me , have mercy , jesus , o have mercy on me . and now the stroke was fetch'd , he being cast at the black bar of death , breath'd out his last . divers of all degrees , who bought or sold some good religious books , were kep'd in hold . as bonner past his visitation , he charg'd all sacred sentences upon the church-walls painted should be washed out . and visitors he also sent about the universities , to bring therein all popish trash : to turn out they begin the ablest men : some of themselves forsook their fellowships , while worth-less persons took their places up , to the great hinderance of learning , and religions advance . by this 't was bruited over all the land , the queen went quick with child : upon command , thanks were returned to almighty god in ev'ry church , and after , all abroad prayers were made , that she might have e're long a male child , fair , wise , valiant , and strong . the godly min'sters before winchester in and about the city must appear ; who ask'd them , if they would recant , and so have pardon from the queen ? all answer'd , no , yea , all of them unan'mously agreed to stand to what they taught : the bishop's speed made them close prisoners , and did divorce their friends from interchangable discourse . mr. james george , one of them , there did yield his spir't up , whom they bury'd in the field ; then mr. hooper , rogers , bradford ( hated ) and sanders too , were excommunicated : and pious dr. tailour , ferrar , crome , did all of them , with them receive their doom . commissions and inquisitors were sent . throughout the realm ; great multitudes from kent , from essex , suffolk , norfolk , and elsewhere , vvere brought to london , and encloyftred there . part of them dead in prison , out were turn'd to dunghills , and the flames a many burn'd : also hanks , hunter , pigot , laurence , brought before the bishops were , for no just fault . when stephen gard'ner saw that what h'assail'd by threats , hard usage , not at all prevail'd to make men shake off truth ; he did begin ( as utterly discouraged therein ) the business in hand , for to renounce , meddling no more with condemnations ; but unto bishop bonner , them referr'd , who in that trust imposed , so bestirr'd himself , that sending for all in great hast th'above nam'd parties , he upon them past death's final sentence : dr. ferrar , quick he sent down to st. davids bishoprick within the cambrian country , there to be condemn'd and executed ( crueltie ! ) to th' queen in mr. coverdale's behalf twice wrote the king of denmark for his safe release from prison ; but with much ado to him , the queen permitted him to go , one thomas tomkins , weaver by his trade , an humble man , and one that conscience made of what he did , who would begin his labour with servent prayers ; and to his needy neighbour so charitable was , that he 'd disburse unto them , all the mony in his purse if any came to borrow of him : when his creditors would bring it home agen , he u'sd to bid them keep it longer yet , till they more able were to pay the deb . this man was kept in pris'n a half years space , by benner's means , who beat him on the face with livid blows , and plucked off a piece of his fast beard ; yet this did but increase his patience more : the bishop then affail'd ( when other tearms nothing at all prevail'd ) with gentle words to win him ; but the trial succesless prov'd : tomkins return'd denial . the bishop , having by , a flaming torch , took tomkins by the fingers and did seorch his hand therewith ; afterwards tomkins told a friend of his , that whilst bonner did hold his hand to burn , he felt no pain at all , such consolation from god's spirit did fall ; nor shrunk he in the least , until his veines the fire contracted ( fire you know constreines ) and sinewes crack'd again , and water spurt on dr. harpsfield's face ( as from a squirt . ) who was so pityful compassionate , as to beseech the bishop to abate his cruel minde : o be not so , so rough , ( said he ) have you not tryed him enough ? into the bishops consistory brought , examined he was , whether he thought christs real body in the sacrament was present yea , or no ? to which he sent this answer , that he verily believ'd , the sacrament by a true faith receiv'd , was onely its remembrance ; with the high'st the very body , and the blood of christ , in heaven is , and nowhere else : being ask'd if he 'd recant ? god hath ( said he ) unmask'd his truth to me in such corruscancy , that in it i resolve to live , and die . the bishop then , death's sentence on him past , and to the sheriffs deliv'red him , who cast him into newgate prison ; in smithfield the truth ( in fine ) with his dear blood he seal'd , and in the lord slep'd sweetly . — then william hunter , that had scarce out-worn the nineteenth , year of godly parents born , vvho him instructed in religion's truth , and plac'd him out in london ; this good youth vvas charg'd by special command to go to mass , break bread ; which he refus'd to do . hunter when threatened that this should come unto the bishop's ear , leave got , went home to burnt-wood , and did with his parents stay about six weeks . and going on a day into the chappel there , ( which pleas'd him well ) he found a bible , and to reading fell : in came a sommoner , who thus did say , vvhat dost thou meddling with the bible ? ha ? know'st thou well , what thou read'st ? canst thou unfold the sacred vvrit ? i dare not be so bold . said hunter then , nor scriptures to expound take i upon me now ; but having found the bible here , that joy might me betide i read in it . the sommoner reply'd , t was never merry world , since in our tongue the bible first came forth ; would it were hung . said hunter , oh! for godsake say not so ; 't is gods book , by it ev'ry soul may know , that hath one sparke of grace , the way which leads to lasting bliss : 't is this true comfort breeds . god grant that we may still amongst us have the blessed bible , as a means to save . o now i know your minde , y' are one of them that slight the queen , and her decrees contemn ; but you and others , must a new leaf turn , or else i fear me , you 'l go neer to burn . pray god i build my faith on his word still , and his great name confess , come what come will. confess his name ? no , no , you 'l in a mess all to the devil go , and him confess . then step't the somm'ner forth , and fetch'd a priest , the vicar of that place , a drunken beast , vvho finding william hunter at his book , rebuk'd him for 't , and ask'd if he could brook the doctrine well of transubstantiation : hunter made answer it had no relation unto the truth reveal'd : he understood those words of christ touching his flesh and blood carnal capernait-like , who thought to feed on christ his flesh , and drink his blood indeed . vvherefore to them he said , the words i speak are spirit , and life , and not as flesh so weak . ah! quoth the viear , have i found you out ? thou art an her'tick now , without all doubt , &c. vvhereas you of my faith do question make , i would we two were fastned to the stake , to prove whether of us should closest stick unto our faith , and which was heretick , &c. the vicar to complain of him did threat , flung out of doors , departing in a heat . hunter went home , and having farewel took of his dear friends , his fathers house forsook . brown , call'd old hunter , ask'd if he could tell vvhere his son was ; who said , he knew not well . brown told him , either your miss'd-son produce , or go to prison ; bring me no excuse . the old man strides his horse , and rides to look him , and after two dayes journey overtook him ; telling him all what happ'ned ; yet said he , go on , i 'll say i cannot light on thee . no , no , said william , home with you i will , and save you harmless ; me they can but kill . at his return , a constable him caught , and brought before this mr. brown , who thought vvith arguments to win him ; and enrag'd at his judicious answers , he engag'd no more to hold on the dispute , but streight sent him to bonner , bonner to the grate ; vvhere he for two dayes lay allowed just a dish of water and a brown-bread crust . at two dayes end , the bishop coming found the slender fare , he bids he be unbound , and break his fast with them , but he 's revil'd , call'd heretick , worthy to be exil'd their company : said hunter , i decline their company , as much as they do mine : the bishop sent for him , and thus did rant ; and wilt thou not , thou heretick , recant ? recant ( said he ) the faith i have profest so publikely ? i will not , i protest : no , no , i will not ; what ? shall i be whirl'd by errours wheels ? i would not for a world . then take him jailor , mand him to the stocks ; be sure you load him well with bolts and locks till i shall burn him . vvhereupon he said , great god! o let thy all-sufficient aid corroborate my soul . he 's born away ; the bishop to a half-penny a day stinted his lively-hood ; thus nine months space imprison'd , he before the bishop's face was six times brought , to th'question still propounded hunter a pertinacious no , rebounded . the bishop read his charge , and him return'd to newgate , so to burnt-wood to be burn'd . his parents see him , and petitions send to god , to make him constant till the end : his mother added this , that she was blest in bearing such a child , as could devest his life for christ's sweet sake . william reply'd , for the small pain , which i shall here abide but a short time , my christ a joyful crown hath promis'd me . his mother kneeling down said thus , i pray god strengthen thee my son to run the race thou hast so well begun ; i think thee now as well bestow'd ( my dear ) as any child that ever i did bear . vvhilst he remain'd at burnt-wood , many friends came to him , to whom he the truth commends : three dayes expir'd all things were ready made ; the sheriffs son hugg'd him in his arms , and said william , don't fear these men with bills bowes , that bring you to the place ; death as he showes is not so grim . i 've cast up mine accounts ( said he ) and know t'how much the cost amounts . with that the young man , while he went about to speak , could not , his tears so fast burst out . so hunter his way cheerfully went on , his father meeting with him , said , my son god be with thee . god be with you likewise good father , answer'd william . let your eyes smile on your son ; o be not so , so sad ; for we shall meet , and have our hearts made glad . come neer the stake , he kneeled down , and read the one and fiftieth psalm . the sheriff said , here is a pardon : if thou wilt be turn'd , thou shalt live , otherwise thou must be burn'd . no , i 'll not turn ( quoth william ) and did go to th'stake , and so was fast'ned thereunto . then spake he to the throng , good people strive by pray'r for me while i remain alive , and i 'll for you . not i , i 'll make my boon said surly brown , ( there standing by , ) assoon for a cur-dog as thee . * sir you have got what you desir'd ; i pray god it be not laid to your charge , but i forgiv'n you have . said brown , that 's more then at your hands i crave . if god forgive you not , i tell you true , this blood of mine shall be requir'd of you . o son of god shine on me ; from a cloud the sun brake out ( till then thick shades did shroud the face of day ) his eyes he turn'd aside , too weak such radiant glory to abide . a priest brought him a book to look upon . to whom he thus , false prophet thou be gon : good folk beware of them , for jesus sake ; who of their fins , shall of their plagues partake . marke what i say , as thou burn'st in this fire , so shalt thou burn in hell . hu. thou art a lyar . false prophet hence , from me away be gon : fire made , he pray'd , and breath'd his last . anon higbid , and causton , gentlemen as good as great , in essex , with their own hearts blood sealed their faith unto gods glory then , and the rejoycing of all godly men . at braintree , william pigot , for christs name endur'd the fury of the ardent flame ; at maulden , stephen knight , before the stake kneel'd down and pray'd ; sweet jesu , for whose sake i freely leave this life and rather choose thy cross , and irrecoverably loose all worldly goods , then to give audience to men in breaking thy commandements : thou seest ( o lord ) that whereas i but now vvas proffer'd great preferments , if i 'd bow to a false helpless god ; i was content my body should be burnt , and my life spent , counting all things below , but dung and dross , for thee ; happy such gain which comes by loss ! thousands of silver , and as much of gold , then death i do of lesser value hold . just as the wounded deer desires the soil , so longs my soul for thee : pour down the oil of consolation on a crumbling clod so helpless of it self : thou know'st o god , that i , who am but sinfull flesh , and blood , can of my self act nothing that is good ; and therefore , as of thine abundant love and goodness still deflowing from above on me , ( me that am lesser then the least of mercies , ) thou hast bid me to this feast , and judg'd me worthy to drinke of this cup with thine elect : even so , o bear me up great god! against this element of fire so formidable , to the sence so dire ; sweeten it by thy spirit , so asswage the heat , that i may overcome its rage , and pass into thy bosome . holy father forgive thou me , as i do all men ; gather my soul , sweet son of god , my saviour , beneath thy shady wings , a balmy bower ; o blessed holy-ghost , whose strength destroies fleshly corruptions , hasten thou my joyes , eternal joyes . lord i commend , take then my parting spirit , amen , amen , amen . john laurence legs , with bolts and irons lame , his body with hard usage out of frame , was to the stake transported in a chair , and suff'red for the saith at colchester : young children while he burn'd , cry'd out , o lord strengthen thy servant , and make good thy word , stand up , stand up , for thy poor servant's aid , as thou art just , o do as thou hast said . ferrar ( set o're st. davids bishoprick ) was apprehended for an heretick : him winchester misus'd call'd him base slave , false-hearted fellow , and a cross-grain'd knave : morgan ( a fraudulent supplanter ) turn'd him out of his place , and at carmarthen burn'd him : not long before his death , one richard jones a knights son comming , his sad pains bemones ; t'whom ferrar thus : sir if you see me move my hand or foot during the flames , do prove what mettle i am of , believe not then my doctrine oft inculcated to men . and as he said , he did : with the fire hot besieged round , he stirred not a jot , held his stumps bolt upright ; then with a pole knock'd down i' ch' fire he breathed out his soul . one rawlins white , a fisher-man in wales , of cardiffe town , when superstitions scales drop'd from his eyes , the truth he understood , and in his country aid a deal of good ; he dayly now expects to he surpriz'd by truths oppugners : his dear friends advis'd him to retire elsewhere , and be excus'd : for their good will he thank'd them , but resus'd . he 's apprehended , and in prison laid in cardiffe castle , where a year he staid ; his friends resorting to him , he would spend the time in pray'r , exhorting them to mend : at last the bishop of landaffe commands that he be brought : he threats him now , then stands on fairer terms ; but all this would not stir his unmov'd brest , a day 's appointed for his condemnation ; which being come the bishop call'd him forth and told him some heretical opinions he did hold , and had seduced others ; rawlins bold reply'd ; my lord , a christian man i am i praise god for 't , my tenents are the same with sacred writ : if from god's word i stray i would be gladly brought in the right way . the bishop said , speak , if you will be won , else i 'll proceed to condemnation . proceed , said rawlins ; but you never shall condemn me for an heretick . let 's fall to pray'r ( said landaffe ) that the lord some spark of grace would send thee , to disclose the dark ; now ( said he ) you deal well ; and if your pray'r do with god's will agree , he 'll doubtless hear . pray to your god , and i to mine will pray ; i know my god will hear , and not say nay . the bishop and his chaplains pray'd anon : rawlins pray'd by himself alone : pray'r don , the bishop said , how is it with thee now ? thine errours ( what ? ) wilt thou revoke , and bow to our true god ? no , surely no said he , rawlins you left , and rawlins you finde me ; rawlins i was , and am , and rawlins will through god continue to be rawlins still . god would have heard you , had your sute bin just , but he hath heard me , and on him i trust . the bishop being wroth , him soundly shent , so went to mass . rawlins his minde then bent shot forth these words : good people if there be amongst you any breth'ren , two , or three , or if but one , bear witness at the day of judgement , that i to no idols pray . mass don , he was condemn'd , and after thrown into a darke and loathsome dungeon . there rawlins pass'd his time in drowning wrongs with spir'tual prayers and religious songs . the night before his death t' his wife he sent to send his wedding weed ( a shirt he meant ) which he rejoycingly next morn put on ; and being led to execution , guarded he was with bills , and pike-staves too , alas ! said he , what need all this ado ? by god's grace , i will nothing start aside ; vvho is 't that gives me power to abide all this affliction for his own names sake but god ? his be the glory . at the stake he his dear wife and children having found pickled in briny tears , or rather drown'd ; his eyes let fall a tear ; but having made a recollection of himself , he said , ah flesh ! saiest thou me so ? would'st thou obtain the victor's palm ? i tell thee 't is in vain to strive ; thy pow'r is like the morning mist : then failing on the ground , the ground he kist , and spake , earth unto earth , and dust to dust , thou art my mother , and return i must to thee . with an exhilarated brow , then going to be bound to th'stake , i now ( said he t' a friend of his ) finde great contest betwixt the flesh and spirit , for the best . i pray you therefore , when you see me shrink , hold up your finger , that i may bethink my too oblivious self . b'ing bound he rais'd these words up to the height ; the lord be prais'd . unto the smith then spake he , pray good friend knock it in fast , the flesh may much contend ; but god , support me , let thy grace refresh my fainting spirits , and my trembling flesh . about him pulled he the reeds and straw , vvith such a merry look , that all that saw much wondred at it . now a priest appear'd and preached to the people : rawlins heard until he spake of transubstantiation , alledging scripture for its confirmation ; this is my body ; come you here good folk ( said rawlins ) don 't hear that false prophet's talk . ah! naughty hypocrite dar'st thou produce a scripture-proof for so profane a use ? i have heard your already-quoted text ; but look immediately what follows next ; do this for my remembrance : then streight-way the priest stood still , not knowing what to say . the fire was kindled , rawlins in the flame bathed his aged hands , till in the same the sinews shrunk , the fat drop'd out , and all that while he cried out ; lord , let my fall mount me to thee ; receive this soul of mine , o lord receiv't ; his spirit he did resign . it was observ'd of him , that whereas through infirmity of age he round did go , and with dejected countenance , he now went bolt upright t' his death , his smoother brow as clear as day ; his speeches and behaviour , of courage , vigour very well did favour . and now the queen restor'd the abbey-lands she late possess'd . a pope-sent bull commands all do the like ; but none therein was seen t' obey the pope , or imitate the queen . a popish priest at * crondale ( impious fool ! ) boasted that he had bin with card'nal pool , who cleans'd him from his sins ; the bull sent o're he prais'd , fell down , and never spake word more . some burn'd , because they on their necks did tie this motto , fear god , fly idolatry . george marsh , one william flower , john cardmaker john simpson , and john warne , were each partaker of life , by suff'ring death , climb'd heavens story : death is the ladder to immortal glory . bonner for many things john ardly accus'd , to whom john ardly such expressions us'd ; my lord , not you , nor any of your breed are of the true catholick church indeed ; your faith is false , and when you most depend upon it , it will fail you in the end . you have shed much , too much innocuous blood , and are not weary yet : can this be good ? were ev'ry hair upon my head a man , so many lives i 'd part with , rather than lose the opinion i am in ; so said , in essex burnt a joyful end he made . one thomas hauks , a courtier comly tall , vvas greatly admired and belov'd of all for his rare qualities , in edward's dayes ; but in queen maries reign religion's rayes waxing more dull , he left the court , home went and practis'd godliness , t' his great content . while thus he staid at home , a son he got , but in the popish way baptiz'd it not . by using oil , cream , spittle , salt , ( absurd ! ) nowhere enjoyned in the holy word : told bonner so : the bishop left him than a while ; and mr. darbisher began : you are too curious , and on none will look , unless your little pretty god's good book . sir , is not that sufficient to save ? yes but not to instruct : that i may have salvation to my god , i humbly sue , as for instruction , that i leave to you . shall your child be baptiz'd , you not look o're ? i had such councel given me before . why we can have it done , if we be bent , true , but you never shall , with my consent . i 'd gladly do thee good , save thee from hell ; i am thy pasture and would teach thee well . i 'll stand to what i said , you shall not finde my resolutions waver like the winde . i am the bread of life , the scripture saith , and this bread is my flesh ; is this thy faith ? 't is so , i will believe what scriptures say . well , let 's to evensong . h. there i 'll not pray , i 'm best when furthest off from such resort : and so he walked forth into the court. what thinke you of the altar's sacrament ? excuse me , for i nere knew what it meant . but we will make you know 't , when we begin , faggots shall make you do'● . h. faggots ? a pin for all your faggots , you no more can do then god permits you , and no further go . much more was said ; in prison he at last was for his bold judicious answers cast ; nor could that move him in the least to doubt : what 's bred in the bone , will not eas'ly out . being ( his sentence read ) to coxshal sent , in essex , he exhorted as he went his friends : and at the stake ( as he had spoken that he would do ) he gave to them a token by lifting up his hands all in a flame , above his head , and clapping of the same , to let them understand , that he was able to ' bide the pain not too intolerable . then gave the people an unusual shout , and so this blessed lamp ( all burnt ) went out . one thomas watts in essex who defended the truth so much oppos'd , was apprehended , condemn'd , and after sent to chilm'ford , where the little time he had , he spent in pray'r . come to his wife and his six child'ren small , he said ; wife , and my hopeful branches all , i now must leave you all ; henceforth therefore alas ! i cannot know you any more : as unto me at first , the lord did send you , so i unto the lord , do recommend you ; him i command you to obey , and fear as long as life shall last : see you beware of this loath'd papistry , which i withstood , and shall against it give my dearest blood by god's grace by and by . let not the number of bleeding saints discourage or incumber your active faith , and move you to relent , but thereby take occasion to be bent for greater service in jehovah's fight : 't is happy dying for a cause that 's right . i do not doubt , nor have you cause to fear but he which strikes , will give you strength to bear he 'll be unto the widdow , in distress husband , and father to the fatherless . farewel , ( said he ) farewel , gave each a kiss , so past he through the fi'ry blaze to bliss . one bainford , osmund , osborne , overturn'd unto the sec'lar power , in essex burn'd . mr. john bradford and john leafe did climbe up fiety stairs to heaven about this time . the next day after at maidstone in kent one mr. minge dy'd in imsprisonment . mr. john bland , god's faithful minister , was for the truth a constant sufferer . john frankish , humphry middleton , two men of admirable worth , were martyr'd then . john fettie's child , such cruel whippings feels , that the gore blood ran down about its heels ; the father put in the tormenting stocks , must see his lamb misus'd ( o hearts of rocks ! ) one nicholas sheterden being brought , him doctor harpsfield asked what he thought that passage , this my body is , should mean ; said sheterden , this cannot well be seen by carnal eyes : thus much i gather thence , it must be taken in a spirituall sence ; else when , this cup 's my blood's so understood , the substance of the cup must needs be blood . nicholas hall , christopher waide , joan beach , john harpool , marg'ry boley , who did reach at the despised truth , and popery spun'd , condemn'd at rochester in kent , were burn'd . dirick carver , a surrey gentleman call'd to the stake , unto his god began his servent pray'r , which having done he strip'd himself , and so into the barrel skip'd ; they threw his book in also but in vain ; for to the throng he flung it out again : i charge you , said the shrieffe , in the queen's name to fling that vip'rous book into the flame . then spake he with a cheerful voice , and said , dear friends , bear witness i am not affraid to seal christ's gospel with my dearest blood , knowing 't is true , and was of late your food , though now surrepted from you ; and because i 'll not deny it to obey mans laws , condemn'd i be to dy ; see that you walk in answer to the truth , of which you talk . and as for those that do the pope believe , hell 's theirs , without gods merciful reprieve . except ( said then the sheriffe ) believe thou do the pope , th' art damn'd both soul and body too : pray to thy god that he may set thee free , or strike me down . the lord forgive , said he , your temerarious words . dear lord , thou knowst how i left all , to come to thee ; thou dost draw with magnetick-love ; to thee i fly for shelter , ah! but when my serious eye darts on thy power , and on my self looks down , i fear the wrath of a condemning frown . what , shall i shrink ? no ; now the flames surround me , i 'll trust my god , although my god confound me . christ jesus help , christ jesus look upon me ; he cry'd and dy'd , with lord have mercy on me . iveson said , all the treasure in the nation should never draw him to a recantation : i to the mercy of my god appeal , and would be none of your church for a deal : yea though an heaven-sent angel came t' expound unto me other doctrine , i 'm not bound for to receive it : hereupon condemn'd and put into the fire , he death contemn'd . james abbes , a godly man did shift about from place to place for safeties sake : found out at last , they carri'd him to norwich town , vvhere , by the bishop's threats he did disown vvhat he profess'd ; the bishop seeing so , gave him some money , and dismiss'd him too : but conscience bringing him upon the rack , the bishops money he returned back , repenting e're he took it : then again the bishop strove to gain him , but in vain ; though peter-like he fail'd , now to persever resolve he did , and stood more fast then ever , even to his last-drawn breath ; the bishop's fury condemn'd him to be burn'd , he burn'd at bury . john denly , newman , partrick , packingham , dy'd constant martyrs for their saviours name , wright , coker , collier , hooper , stere , and more besides in canterbury , faggots bore . robert smith , stephen harwood , thomas fust , and william hale , dy'd for the truth their trust . eliz'beth warne , condemned to be burn'd by bonner , unto bonner soon return'd these words , do what you will with me ; for why , if christ was in an errour , so am i ; otherwise not : but christ spake true i know therefore then was she burn'd at stratford-bow . about this very time george tankerfield did at st. albanes to their rancour yield . george king , john wade , and tho. leyes , with sore usage fell sick , and dy'd in lollards tower . in suffolk mr. robert samuel of barfold min'ster , who instructed well the flock committed to his charge , was tost to norwich goal , there chained to a post , and so erect that 's body did command for some small ease induc'd his tip-toes stand . hunger and thirst ( bad helpers ) are procur'd ; vvhat tongue can tell what he poor man endur'd ! at last brought to be burn'd ( an easie pain to what he felt before ) he did detain some friends in telling them , a most strange story of what fell out , while he was us'd so sory : vvhen i much want ( said he ) had undergon , i slept , and then me thought appeared one cloath'd all in white , who whisp'red in mine ear , samuel , samuel , be of good cheer ; take heart to grass man , thou hast past the worst , henceforth thou shalt nor hunger feel , nor thirst : vvhich came to pass ; such consolation did sweeten his woes , that modesty forbid him tell the same . so as he went along to execution , amidst the throng a maid there was , ( who after scap'd ) did fall about his neck , and kissed him withall . the while his body burn'd , it shin'd as bright as new-try'd silver , or as cynthia's light . next day anne potten and joan trunch field ▪ come from ipswich prison unto martyrdome . thomas cob , william allen , roger coo death for the sake of christ did undergo . in coventry and litchfield-diocess , one mr. robert glover , did profess the gospel ; he surprized , had his doom to be confined to a narrow room , and dark withall , next to the dungeon , scarce having straw enough to lie upon . no chair nor stool to fit on ; none might look to him though sick ; pen , paper ink nor book , was not allow'd him ; yet a teftament and prayer-book , by stealth he getting , spent most of his time in pray'r , and meditation on gods great love in working mans salvation . yea , said he , health began to come ; my peace of conscience did more and more encrease god's spir't reviv'd me ; i had sometimes some glimm'ring reflections of . the life to come . all for his own son's sake : to him alwayes be glory , honour , and obedience , praise . two dayes before his death , he found his heart less lightsome then it was , and fear'd the smart would too much try his patience , for his pray'rs god heard not ; he unbosomed his fears unto a godly minister his friend , who wish'd him to be constant to the end : o play the man , your cause is just and true , god will appear anon , i 'll warrant you . the stake in fight , he said , i see him whom i call'd for , austin , oh he 's come , he 's come : and look'd so cheerful e'en as though new breath he should receive , and not a painful death . cornelius bongey , capper also came with him , and burned in the self-same flame . mr. john glover now was troubled sore , seeing his brother took for him ; therefore he would have suff'red in his brother's stead , but by his friends importunings he fled into the neighbouring woods , did there abide till he with cares and cold sickned and dy'd . his body privately was buri'd in the church-yard : they his bones dig'd up agin a twelvemonth after , threw them out ( opains ! ) for to be trampled on by horses , wains . and thus though in his life , he scaped from their rage , yet after 's death , on him they come . william the third brother , in shropshire dead , might not ( by their consent ) be buried . wolsey , and pigot , suff'red in the isle of ely. and within a little while bishop ridly , and also latimer burned at oxford . stephen gardiner that day to dine till almost night deferr'd ; ( th' old norfolk duke then with him ) having heard word of their deaths , he with a smiling brow said to the duke , let us to dinner now . the table fill'd , as merry as a buck the bishop was , but on a sudden struck : ( two bits scarce eaten ) carry'd from the table to bed he was , his pains intolerable ; nature he could not ease , for fifteen dayes , his tongue was swoln , and black , his mouth 's assaies could giv 't no house-room ; his pin'd body all sadly enflam'd , he gasp'd and gave a sprawl . and now john webbe , george roper , greg'ry parke , at canterbury burn'd , not miss'd their mark . one thomas whittle minister , accus'd by bonner , was most wickedly misus'd ; who fell upon him , beat him with his fists , and him enclos'd within a close rooms lifts : there ( said he ) though i did on the bare ground lie two nights i ( prais'd be god ) slep'd very soundly . he , joan warne , is'bel foster , thomas brown , john went iobn tudson , bartlet green , lay down their lives together did at smithfield stake , of heaven-prepared joys for to partake : the last of which going to bear the yoke , cheerfully this repeated dystich spoke ; christe deus , sine te spes est mihi nulla salutie ; te duce vera sequor , te duce falsa nego . in english thus : o christ who art my god in thee for mine abode , with thee , i onely hope : vnder thy conduct i seek the truth and deny the falsi-loquious pope . he was a man exceeding charitable unto the poor , so far as he was able . nor did he love ( his modesty was such ) pop'lar applause , though he deserved much . his beatings he conceal'd , till neer his end , when he declar'd it to a bosome-friend . anne albright , agnes snoth , joan catmer , sole , at canterbury were burnt to a coal . good doctor cranmer , then of canterbury archbishop , also past the fi'ry fury . at salsbury , on william coberly , john spicer , and john mandrel , so did die . richard and thomas spurge , tims , cavel , drake , ambrose , all essex-men , fell at the stake . master tims many godly letters sent t' his friends , not long before his life was spent : in one he us'd these passages ; i praise the lord for helping you to minde his wayes . consider i beseech you , what of late fell from my lips , so shall we meet in state : i 'm going to the bishops coal-house now , and hope to go to heaven e're long ; do you hie after me : i have a great while tarri'd for you ; but seeing y' are not yet prepared , i 'll stay no longer ; you shall finde me blest and singing , holy , holy lord of rest , at my race end ; now therefore my dear hearts make hast and loyter not , lest light departs , and yee ( who with the foolish virgins stay ) be with the foolish virgins turn'd away : and now in witness that i have not taught contrary to the truth revealed , ought , my blood-writ name i send you , for a test that i will seal my doctrine with the rest . so fare you well , and god defend you then from antichrist , and his false priests , amen . use constancy in pray'r , with faith require ; and gain the fulness of your choice desire . john hullier ( formerly an eaton sholar ) at ely , by his patience , conqu'red dolour . hugh lavrock john ap-rice , this blind , that lame , told bishop bonner , that he laws did frame to take mens lives away , making the queen his hangman : bonner burn'd them out of spleen , at stratford-bow . in litchfield , colchester , gloster , and leister , many burned were . one mr. julines palmer , and some more at newb'ry dy'd . one sharp at bristol bore the flames with joy . in darby town joan waste . ( born blind ) did in the fire breath out her last . sir john cheek for the truths sake underwent in london-tow'r a sore imprisonment . a new commission from the king and queen ( like dracoes laws ) came forth , that they which lean t' his holiness the pope , should raise the fire of persecution yet a little higher : by means where of , throughout the kingdoms quarters prisons were stuff'd with saints , fires grac'd with martyrs . first to begin with colchester , where they apprended three and twenty in one day , and burnt the major part . margaret hyde , with agnes standly , stak'd at smithfield dy'd . they stephen gratwick william moraunt , king , iato st. georges field , in southwark bring , and burn together . in the diocess of canterbury , many did profess the truth and suffered . in lewis town ten faithful servants in one fire laid down their lives for christ ; one of them richard woodman betraid was b'his father and brother , ( good man ! ) eliz'beth cooper , simon millar too , at norwich fir'd ; eliz'beth cry'd ho , ho , and shrunk a little : simon millar said , reaching his hand out to her , what ? affraid ? raise up your spirits , in the lord be strong and cheerful ; for these pains are of no long continuance ( good sister ) by and by we 'll take our supper with alacrity : this so becalm'd her heart , she through-stitch run the work she had so happily begun , and so committing their blest souls to god , they clim'd to heaven , death being under trod mrs. joyce lewis a gentlewoman born , accuted , and condemn'd , contemn'd with scorn death's rigid brow : my christ is fair , when him i see ( said she ) death looks not half so grim . urg'd to confess before her end begins , she said , to god she had confess'd her sins , and he had pardon'd them : the priest befool'd told her e're long her courage would be cool'd . at stake the mass she pray'd against , cry'd then the crowd , and sheriffe himself aloud , amen . taking a cup of drink , here here 's to all that love the truth , and wish proud babel's fall ; her friends do pledge her , and some others too ; for which fact penance many undergo . bound at the stake , her smiling ruddy face made all spectators ( pitying her case ) go with wet eyes , much grieving for her woes inflicted on her by tyran'cal foes : she striv'd nor strugled when the fire rag'd most , but with her lift-up hands , gave up the ghost . ralph allerton , and richard roth , with james astoo , and his wife , dyed in the flames at islington ; as did at colchester margaret thurstone , and agnes bongier . john noyes a godly shoo-maker , who liv'd at laxfield in suffolk , sentence receiv'd there to burn'd : the people in the town put out their fiers , and no house but one ( and that discov'red by the chimnies smoak ) had some : the sheriffe and 's officers in broke , so got a coal . john noys fell down and pray'd , and being bound unto the stake , he said , fear not the bodies killer , but him , who can kill thee , damne thee , soul and body too . seeing his sister weep , he thus begins , weep not for me , but weep you for your sins . he took a faggot up , gave it a kiss , and said , did i e're think to come to this ? blessed be god that ever i was born ; then spake he to the people , of bread-corn they tell you they can make god , but beleive them not at all , nor their false truths receive : pray bear me witness i expect salvation not by mine own good works but christ his passion . the fire was kindled , and his last-spoke word was christ have mercy , o have mercy lord. within the diocess of chichester , many accus'd , condemn'd and burned were . hillingdal , sparrow , and one gibson dy'd in smithfield flames . john rough minister try'd with marg'ret mearing , neer about this time , were also burned for the self-same crime . one cuthbert sympson , deacon , in one day though rack'd no less then thrice , would not betray the congregation , lying in the stocks , at midnight one ( whom he well heard ) unlocks the coal-house doors , and though no candles light nor fire's he saw , yet his amazed sight splendour beheld ; he that came in said ha! and after that , soon vanished away : this much rejoyc'd his soul ; upon the morrow he , hugh fox , and one devnish ▪ fire went thorough . one thomas hudson , thomas carman too , and william seaman , norfolk-men , did go through tribulation to heavenly bliss , to have the crown their own , the cross they kiss . there was one mother bennet of the town wetherset , who was driven up and down for jesus sake ; returning home , she dy'd , her corps b'ing buri'd by the high-wayes side . she was exceeding lib'ral to the poor ; her mate once told her merrily , their store if she had bin but sparing , had bin much to what it was : said she , i cannot grutch the poor : alas ! good husband , be content , let us be thankful , god enough hath sent ; wee still ( sweet heart ) have good competent fare : content's a fear although the feast be bare : i cannot see the needie's wants , and hoard , least in so doing i displease the lord : but husband let 's be rich in good works still , so pleasing god , we shall have all at will. one cicely orms b'ing ask'd , over his head what 't was the priest held up ? she answ'red , bread bread at the best ; and if you do endeavour to make it better , 't will be worse then ever . brought to the stake , she kiss'd it , and respir'd welcome christs cross , his sweet cross so desir'd my soul doth magnify the lord , my spirit in god rejoyceth , and my saviours merit . so casting up her head , on heaven she fix'd her eyes , and in the flames her hands commix'd she yielded up the ghost . thomas spurdance of norwich suff'red for the truths advance . george eagles , tailour , travell'd up and down in sev'ral countries , went from town to town confirming weaker saints : in a short season at chelmsford he condemned was for treason . and hang'd up with two theevs , the one where of with tears sought christ , the orher with this scoffe put off george eagle's exhortation , our captain leads , we shall to heaven anon . the pen'tent thiese did call upon the lord. the mockers fhtt'ring tongue spake not one word upon the ladder . eagles was cut down half dead , his heart pull'd out , his members strown . george eagles sister , and a man call'd fryer , at rochester did in the fire expire . a proclamation was sent about , that all good books within this realm set out , or from beyond seas brought , should all be turn'd to ashes ; if not so , their owners burn'd . soon after this dire proclamation , twice twenty persons met neer i slington were caught , some scap'd , some burn'd with faggot-sticks in smithfield thirteen , and in brainford six . amongst these godly persons there was one nam'd roger holland , ( who had boldly done his duty in reproving bloody bonner ) spake thus : at last , god will redeem his honour with your destruction , and will soon asswage ( his spir't so tells me ) your unbridled rage against his church ; he heareth the complaints his servants make , for the afflicted saints , whom you so dayly persecuted have as us you do now : christ will shortly save his spotless spouse ; in god i dare be bold to tell you that you are too fierce to hold . and my dear breth'ren , know that in this place after this day , not any shall embrace the fire and faggot by this means procur'd : mark what i say , and be thereof assur'd . which came to pass ; for , for the lord christ's sake none after them suff'red at smithfield stake . said bonner then , what ? roger i perceive here thou art as bad an heretick as ever ; and in thine anger thou wouldst now become a railing proph't , but th'hadst as good be dumbe : though thou , and all like thee , would see me turn'd over the ladder , yet to see thee burn'd i shall live ; yea , and ( before god i vow ) i 'll make you rue it , ev'ry one of you that comes within my clutches ; so he went. roger call'd on the people to repent , and to think well of all the saints , that past the fiery tryal , which not long should last , for god intended to abridge straightwayes for his elect's sake , those sanguineous dayes . roger embrac'd the stake , and said , o lord i praise thee for affording me thy word , and fellowship with saints , which in heavens coasts sing , holy , holy , holy , lord of hosts : o god receive my soul , preserve thy flock , save them from idols , o be thou their rock . so with his fellowes praising god above , they all reposed in the arms of love there was one william pikes amongst the six ( vvhich dy'd at brainford ) false-nam'd hereticks : vvho ( while that he his liberty enjoy'd ) i' th' summer , at noon-day , ( of cares devoyd ) his bible with him in t' his garden took , sate down to read upon it ; on his book four drops of blood fell suddenly , he knows not whence it came ; t' his call'd-wife it he showes , saying , i well perceive god will have blood ; it cannot , no , it must not be withstood : his will be done ; god help me to abide the trial , for without him i shall slide . and so they went to pray'r , and in short space burned he was , in the aforenam'd place , one thomas hinshaw , like a dog was us'd by harpsfield first , by bonner next abus'd , who in an arbour pulled down his breeches , vvhip'd him with willow-rods , and with sharp speeches returned him to prison : there was one john willis the like usage undergone ; t' whom bonner thus , me bloody bonner call ye do , a plague of god upon you all : i 'd fain be rid of you , but you delight in burning sure i think ; but if i might have my desires , o then i'faith i 'd stitch your mouths up , sack you , throw you in a ditch or down the stream , this would i do with speed ; my fingers itch to do this pious deed . upon a time bonner came to the stocks vvhere this john willis lay , and spake with mocks , how like you ( john ) your lodging and your fare ? willis said , vvell , had i a straw-pad here . vvhile thus they commun'd , in the good man's wife came ( great with child ) to beg her husbands life ; told bonner she within his house would stay , and there ( her count neer out ) her belly lay , unless her ( loving ) husband might be sreed , and pack along with her . indeed , indeed , said bonner then , that were a handsom trick : how say'st thou john , thou damned heretick ; suppose thy wife should with her brat mscarry , and perish man , art thou not accessary to both their deaths ? what thinkst thou ? to be short , the woman would not go ( ' cwas pretty sport to hear these parly ) bonner lest in 's house she should cry out , did let her husband loose on easie tearms . a godly minister nam'd mr. richard yeomans , much did bear : at last ( he finding how his foes were bent to take away his life ) went down to kent , selling pins , needles , points , thred , white and black , and some odd trifiles , to supply the lack of himself , his poor wife and childeren : he was imprison'd but releas'd agen : he went to hadly to his wife , and there hiring a chamber , they abode a year ; carding of wool he sets himself about , she spins ; thus pick they a poor living out . at length the parson having understood how this good old man liv'd , he took a brood of officers with him , at night , rebound he made the doors , search'd diligently , found old father yeomans and his family laid in bed together ; whereupon he said , ne're trust me if i did not think a knave i with a whore should finde , and so i have ; and would have pull'd the bed-cloaths off withall : but father yeomans held them fast : call , call us what you please , here 's neither knave nor whore , but a cojugal pair in god ( though poor ) i bless god for it ; you in darkness grope , and i defie ( with all his trash ) the pope . then in the cage they carri'd him away ; there to the stocks with one john dale he lay , ( vvho shortly after dy'd ) he told's faith , for which degraded and condemn'd he burnt at norwich . john alcock a young man , by trade a shear-man in hadly-parish said , i do not fear man , but god if for my god i suffer may , 't will be a happy and a joyful day : as for the pope i will not be forgiven by him forgive me thou great god of heaven . he was a newgate pris'ner hereupon , and thrust into the lower dungeon , where he with cruel handling , and beside ill keeping , suddenly fell sick and dy'd . one mr. thomas benbridge though estate enough he had , yet through the narrow gate of persecution did he chuse to enter into heaven's kingdom ; manfully adventure his life and limb for christ , truth he defended against the pope till he was apprehended , condemn'd therefore ; at the place unappal'd , his rich apparel he put off , and call'd upon his god ; then fastned to the stake , said dr. seaton to him , do but make a recantation , and thou shalt be freed ; said mr. benbridge , shall i so , indeed ? i thank you , but i will not , christ's my guerdon ; i don't regard you man , no , nor your pardon . the doctor said , in troth it is a sin good folk , to pray for such a dog ; begin benbridge , begin a new leaf wilt thou ? say ? away thou babylonian , away , benbridge reply'd ; they kindled then the wood vvhich burnt his beard , yet he unmoved stood : fire seiz'd on 's legs ; unable to abide so grievous pains , i do recant he cry'd : the fire 's removed and his life is granted ; but he his recantation recanted , ( it pleasing god his conscience to awake ) and six dayes after suff'red at the stake . john cook , james ashly , alexander lane , and robert miles , because they did abstain from going to the church , did pass the fury of corm'rant vulcan at st. edmunds bury . one philip humphry , john and henry david , two brothers , were destroy'd , and yet were saved . green wilmot , williams , cotton , collingborow , and harris , whip'd run through a deal of sorrow . one alexander gouge , alice driver , by mr. noon a suffolk-justice were so hunted after , that a while they lay , for safety sake , hid in a mow of hay : the justice with his men searching about , thrust pitch-forks in the mow , and found them out , sent them to melton goal , where being prov'd a certain time , they were to bury mov'd ; at the assizes , they christ crucifi'd boldly confessed , and the pope defi'd . alce driver did compare ( exceeding well ) queen mary , in her rage , to jesabel ; her ears to be cut off the judge procur'd , hereat , which she rejoycingly endur'd . both are to ipswieh sent examin'd there by dr. spencer , norwich chanceller , and others ; the main matter was intent about christs presence in the sacrament . alce driver did so baffle them herein , that they had nothing to reply agin : thus she concluded then , the lord be blest you are ( though learn'd ) not able in the least t' oppose god's spirit in me a silly woman of low degree , and tutoured by no man ; i am no academick , nor was i e're brought up in the university , as ye have been ; yet in the truths defence , and in the cause of christ my master , whence i power derive , i will set foot to foot to any of you , if you put me to 't , for to maintain the same ; and if i had a thousand lives to lose , i should be glad to let all go for it . the chancellour condemn'd , and sent her to the sec'lar power . gouge also was condemn'd for christ his name , and so both sweetly dy'd in ipswich flame . alce driver's neck being chain'd , o said she ( heed ) here is a goodly handkerchief indeed ! vvell , god be praised for it . as they stand at stake , some came to take them by the hand : the sheriffe bids they be caught : the crowd forbid : the sheriffe bids let alone , and so they did . there liv'd in cornwall a religious dame , her husband a recusant , often came to hear mass read , nor would he ever lin till his forc'd-wife did joyn with him therein , which was no little trouble to her soul ; she thereupon did seek the lord , and roul her self upon him , and by earnest prayer crav'd his direction ; god was pleas'd to hear , and one night fill'd her with such spir'tual mirth , that she enjoy'd a little heaven on earth ; from husband , children , and from all she run for conscience sake , and for her living spun : yet to her husband she return'd at last , where ( but a very little time being past ) her neighbours apprehending , carry'd her to th'bishop of the town of exeter ; she was condemned , and the reason why , vvas that she spake against idolatry . the bishop said to her , vvoman do y'hear ? minde your good husband , and your children dear . she answered , remembred and forgot they 're soon ; i have them and i have them not : while i enjoy'd my ease , i them enjoy'd , but now ( all such relations are voyd ) standing here , as i do , in christ his cause , where i must either frangifie the laws of grace , or nature ; either christ forsake , or else my husband ; i 'm content to take christ as my heavenly spouse , and to renounce the other with my children all at once . the bishop after much argumentation , gave her a months time for consideration . seeing a dutch-man who new noses made for images defac'd when edward swaid ; she said , mad-man , what meanst thou to compose new noses for such images as those , which will so shortly loose their heads ? for this she was close pris'ner kep'd , nor did she miss threatnings , taunts scoffes , call'd anabaptist , whore , mad-woman , drunkard , vagabond , and more . then many specious promises were us'd , of liberty , of wealth ; which she refus'd . with husband , goods , and children they affail to win her but yet nothing would prevail , her heart was fixed trusting in the lord ; she had cast anchor , and renounc'd , abhor'd the sin-involved world , with all the wiles which satan uses when he souls beguiles . she was devoyd of learning , yet so vers'd i' th' scriptures , that not onely she rehers'd apposite proofs , quotations , but could tell the book and chapter also very well . condemn'd and given to the sec'lar power , the country gentlemen came flocking to her bidding her , yet to call on god for grace , and cease her fond opinions to embrace , so got'her husband , and her children dear ; thou art a woman ignorant ( we fear ) and these things are too far above thy reach ( said they ) the shrub is lower then the beach . i am , said she , indeed , and yet my breath i 'll give in witness , of my saviours death . o do not put me off with longer stay , for ah! i am impatient of delay ; my love hath wings , it hovers up and down , nor can it rest , till glory is her own . my heart is fixed , i will never go from what i said , nor do as others do . then said the bishop , there 's no hopes to win her , the devil leadeth her , the devil is in her . not so my lord ( quoth she ) christ is my guide , his spirit upholds me , that i cannot slide . she , when she heard deaths sentence past upon her , advanc'd her voice , and said , unmated honour ! the proverb 's true . long look'd for , comes at last ; my lord , my god , i thank thee , that thou hast granted to me this day , my hearts desire in listing me with thy celestial quire. woman , said one , be thou a happy wife by thy recanting ; o the sweets of life ! no , said she , by no means ; my life is hid with christ in god , now the good lord forbid that for this life , at best but transitory , i should lose heaven and eternal glory : i have two husbands , but will onely cleave unto my heavenly , and my earthly leave ; the fellowship of saints in heaven i trow exceeds the having children here below : and if my husband and my children prove faithful , then am i theirs , they have my love ; god my good father is , god is my mother , god is my sister , and god is my brother , god is my kinsman , god 's my faithful friend who will stick close unto me , till the end . to execution then led along , she was attended with a num'rous throng . bound to the stake , she by the popish priests was set upon again ( unwelcom guests ! ) to whom she thus : for god's sake now give o're your bibble babble , trouble me no more with empty sounds fain would i , oh! divorce my self from your impertinent discourse . o god be merciful to sinful me , for ah! i onely do depend on thee . she stood with admirable patience amidst the flames , and so her soul flew hence . sh 'had such a cheerful look , that one would say it was her wedding , not her burning day . she had been alwayes sober in her diet , neat in apparel , peaceable and quiet ; alwayes a doing , never fitting still , during her health and limbs , by her good will ; chain'd to her house ; she ever would refuse to gad abroad , as most ill-houswives use . to all that came to her , her gracious heart would streams of consolation impart . gods word was her delight , she gave good heed ther husband in the lord , a wife indeed ! according to her power , she at her door , and at their sev'ral homes , reliev'd the poor ; and in the time of her calamity would take no proff'red coyne ; for , said she , i am going now to ( heaven ) a city , where no mony any mastery doth bear ; and whilst i here remain , the lord will feed my craving stomack , and supply my need ; it is his promise , and full sure i be , that he which feeds the ravens , will feed m● . one richard sharp , a weaver by his trade in bristel city apprehended , made a large confession of his faith before one dr. dalby the there-chancellour , who by perswasive arguments so wrought upon his weakness , that he soon was brought to make a promise , that he would appear and publickely recan , and when , and where . but after this apostacy , sharp felt his conscience gall'd , hell's horrour so indwelt his soul , that he his calling could not minde , his colour went away , his body pin'd : next sabbath day going to church , he made to the quire-door , and with a loud voice said , that altar , neighbours , pray bear me record , is the great idol : i deny'd my lord , but from the bottom of my heart am sorry for what i don , in hazarding my glory . he caught , condemn'd , and burn'd , with thomas hale climb'd up to heaven from this tearful vale . one thomas benson of the same town went to pris'n , for saying , that the sacrament was as they us'd it , nothing else but bread , and not the body of the lord indeed ; as for the sacraments , which you call seven , five were ordain'd by men , but two by heaven : give me the two , which i acknowledge true , and all the other five i 'll leave to you . soon after this he did receive death's sentence ; and executed , to his god he sent hence his blessed soul , which left its bodie 's jail for paradise , death having put in bail . now to conclude , the last that did maintain the gospel with their hearts-blood in the raign of mary queen , that hell-begotten fury , were these five citizens of canterbury , john hurst john cornford , ( captains in the fight ) christopher brown , alice swoth , and kath'rine knight the things imputed to their charge were , that christs real presence they denyed flat , affirming onely those that do believe , not wicked men , christs body do receive . the pope they said was antichrist , the mass abominable ; that a sin it was to pray to saints ; that cringing to a cross was meer idol'try and an errour gross , &c. sentence of condemnation being heard , forthwith john cornford , was in spirit stirr'd , and with an ardent zeal for god , express'd in the name of himself , and all the rest this doom : i'th'name of christ our saviour , the son of god , the high'st , and by the power of his most holy-ghost , as also by the holy and divine authority of the apostolick and cath'lick church ( never yet totally left in the lurch ) we here turn over to the prince of hell as slaves eternally to howle and yell in sulph'ry flames , the bodies of all those blasphemers , hereticks , who do oppose the living god , and bolster up their errours against the truth , hence to the king of terrours ; so that by this thy righteous judgement shown against thy foes great god , thou mayst make known thy true religion to thy greater glory and our souls comfort when we read the story of thy great power , and to th'edification of all our well-nigh ruinated nation . good lord , so be it , be it so , amen . and this his excommunication then took great effect against truth's enemies . queen mary within six dayes after dies , and tyrannie with her ; there is no hope of any longer footing for the pope ; in england now great joy betides to all the faith-ey'd saints , who wish'd proud babels fall : yet the archdeacon , and 's associates quick ( knowing the queen was dangerously sick ) condemn'd those pious persons to the flame , and hurri'd them away . when there they came , in christ his name they offer'd up their prayers , as holocausis to the almighties ears . to god they pray'd , to god for ever blest , preferring this request amongst the rest ; that if it were his will , their blood might be the last that should be shed , so lord pray we . no sooner had they pray'd , but heaven return'd a gracious answer , they the last that burn'd . great god ( said they ) we cheerfully resign our souls into those blessed hands of thine amidst these flames ; their spirits did ascend to glory , which shall never have an end . gloria deo in excelsis . sect . vlt. god's judgements upon the persecutors of hic church and children . since first the gospel in the ears did ring , of england under lucius the king ; never did king or queen the land so stain with christian blood as in her four years reign queen mary did : she burned in her fury an arch-bishop , ( and he of canterbury ) four bishops , twenty one divines or more , eight gentlemen , artis'cers eighty soure , husbandmen , servants , and poor labouring men five score ; wives twenty six , widdowes twice ten ; to nine maids , two boyes , and two young babes heaven vvere sent ) in all two hundred seventy seven . sixty four more for jesus christ his sake vvere persecuted sore ; which could not shake their heaven-built faith ; seven whereof were strip'd stark naked , and most mercilesly whip'd . sixteen in prison perishing , had dung ( after the nabathoean custom ) flung upon their outcast bodies : some did lie in captivated chains , condemn'd to die , but were deliv'red from approaching death by th' happy entrance of elizabeth , our glorious queen , our pallas and astraea : of grace and virtue the divine idea , many did spend , by reason of exile , their dayes in trouble , and their years in toile . but as queen mary lavished the blood of her best subjects , and the truth withstood unto the utmost of her power ; so god scourged her soundly with his flaming rod , both in her life and death ; for whilst she liv'd , what did she prosper in which she atchiev'd ? to instance in a few particulars , and first , her fair'st and greatest man of war unmatch'd i' th' christian world , cal'd the great harry was burnt by heavenly flames . then would she marry spanish king philip , so expose to dangers poor england under barb'rous foes and strangers . she labour'd much , but never could attain to joyn the english to the spanish raign . then did she set about the restauration of abbey-lands throughout the british nation : her self began according to the popes directions , yet frustrate were all her hopes . god o're her land then such a famine spred , that her poor subjects upon acorns fed , then calice where the english did remain during eleven kings reigns from her was ta'in ; which loss so griev'd her , as she did impart , that calice was engraven in her heart . again in child-birth never woman had s'unfortunate success as she , so bad : for if she was with child , and had e're been in travel , why ? why was it never seen ? if not , why was the kingdom so beguild ? some in the pulpit for her new-born child returning thanks : thus her desires b'ing crost , she then th' affections of her husband lost : she could not him enjoy , nor might she smother this her first love , by marrying another , although she did so many judgements feel , yet would she not her bloody laws repeal : she had no minde to stop the opened vain , or close the bleeding orifice again of dying saints . at last the lord did please to strike her with a languishing disease , vvhereof she dy'd ; and having held the crown five years , and five months onely laid it down . horrible tempests , mortal sicknesses , plagues , famines , burning fevers , did perpess the grieved land , ( the fourth year she did sway ) and swept a multitude of folks away : so that in six weeks space in london there dy'd seven aldermen . vvheat that same year yielded four marks the quarter : mault a peck fourty four shillings ; as much pease did make two pound six shillings eight pence : to a crown the following year a peck of vvheat came down : four shillings eight pence mault ; of ry a strike take for a groat you may , if it you like . in her fifth year , a thundring tempest came and batt'red down two towns neer notingham , flung sheets of lead abroad , bells from the steeple , tore trees up by the roots , slew divers people , &c. also a great mortality was known in autumn then ; corn stood unreap'd , unmown , and rotted in the fields , hence did ensue great scarcity , the lab'rours being few . so much of her ; nor must my muse pass by her chiefest instruments of cruelty , first to begin with stephen gard'ner then bishop of winchester , whose end my pen disdains to mention twice : i will therefore add onely this , that lying at the door of merc'less death , and being put in minde of peter his denying christ , he whin'd this answer out , vvith peter i deny'd the lord , but there is somewhat else beside vvanting in me : alas ! i never spent a tear , nor can ( as peter did ) repent . morgan st. davids bishop , who ( high base ) condemned ferrar , and usurp'd his place , did vomit up his meat through mouth and nose ( o horrible ) until his life did close . then mr. leyson high sheriffe , set away this martyrs cattel int'his own ground : they no meant would eat , nor touch a blade of grass , but bellowed and roar'd till death ( alas ! ) one justice morgan who condemned had lady jane grey , within a while fell mad : nothing but lady jane , his voice did sound ; the lady jane , ( oh! how her name did wound ! ) the lady jane , the lady jane ; o take the lady jane away ; no more he spake . dunnings the norwich chancellour for 's hate to the truth , dy'd as in his chair he sate . berry of norfolk commissary , one burn'd harmless saints , fell with an heavy groan down to the ground , and never did recover . one bishop thornton suffragan of dover , a cruel man , while on a sabbath-day he looked o're his men , to see them play at bowles , on him did the dead palsey fall ; carry'd to bed , he was defir'd to call the lord to minde : yea , said he , so i do , not onely so , but my lord card'nal too : so desperately dy'd . another tool of hell at greenwich went to card'nal pool to get his blessing ; but returning fast , he fell down stairs , and brake his neck for hast . grimwood a wretch , who had himself forsworn , being in harvest stacking of his corn , his bowels suddenly fell out . these two capon and jeff'ry doctors , undergo at salsbury sudden deaths . mr. woodroffe sheriffe of london dyed soon enough . one clerk who did the godly saints devour . hanged himself , at last in london-tower . cox a promoter , going well t' his bed , when the next morn arose , was found stone dead . dale dy'd of lice . one troling smith , a great foe to the truth , dy'd suddenly ●'th'street . paul , london town-clerk , an accursed wretch did voluntarily an halter stretch . a lightning stroke did robert baldwin kill . cardinal pool of an italian pill dy'd as 't was thought . dr. foxford , blomefield , and leland too , to sudden deaths did yield . one dr. williams chanc'llour of glocester , died the death before he was a ware . one lever said he had at oxford been , and that ill-favour'd knave , latimer seen , tooth'd like an horse : but mark we what did follow . his son soon hang'd himself . one william swallow lost all his hair ; off all his nails did pill ; and 's wife was taken with the falling ill . brown , lardin , potto , en'mies of george eagles , d'yd a dogs shameful death ( three pretty beagles ! ) a sheriffes man , who cruelty had acted against james abbes , despair'd & dy'd distracted . in lincolnshire , burton who bayliffe was of crowland , labour'd to set up the mass ; but the parishioners with wise delay still put him off ; upon a sabbath-day this burton went to church , ( when all men fail'd ) and on the service-reading curate rail'd : sirrah ( said he , ) a mass , ( what ? ) may'nt we have ? buckle your self to it , you whorson knave , or by gods-blood i 'll sheath , i that i will , my dagger in your shoulder ; vex me still do ? you had best . th' affrighted curate made no more ado , but mass in latin said . soon after this , as burton with one more , rode on the road , a cro●king crow flew o're his head , and dung'd ; which falling on his nose , ran down his slab'ring beard , but in the close burton was so perfum'd , that one would think no jakes could yield so horrible a stink as he good man ! sweet burton go thy way contented , th' hast enough ; such luck they say as thine is good : if the best luck betide to fools , thou art not on the wiser side . hast burton , hast what need i bid thee hast whom mischance drives ? oh , oh , cries he , at last , my very bowels up such reachings make , my head even breake , ough , ough , and heart-strings ake : a plague upon , a vengance take the crow that poyson'd him , and made him vomit so : and so he dy'd . the black-ey'd night inters bonners corps amongst thieves and murtherers . is not destruction to the wicked , and strange judgements to the workers of iniquity ? it 's a righteous thing with god , to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you ; and to you that are troubled , rest with us . roma diu titubans , varijs erroribus acta , corruet , & mundi desinet esse caput . rome tot'ring long laden with errours store , at last shall fall , and head the world no more . amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a28159-e220 aelian . var hist . l. 12. p. 343. aeneas syl. com : lib. de gestis alphonsi . notes for div a28159-e1240 gen. 3. 5. gen. 4. 8. gen. 9. 22. gen. 19. 9. gen. 21. 9. gen. 27. 41. gen. 37. 4. exo. 1. 11 , &c. exo. 1. 15 , 16. exo. 1. 22. exo. 2. 15. exo. 2. 14. iudg. 3. 8. judg. 6. 3 , 4. 1 sam . 13. 6 , 7. judg. 6. 2. judg. 10. 8. judg. 13. 1. 1 sam . 4. 2. 10 , 11. 1 sam . 13. ves . 19. 20. 1 sam . 19 &c. 2 sam 16. 5 , 6 , 1 king. 14. 25 , 26. 2 chr. 16. 10. 2 chro. 18. 25 , 26. 2 chron. 20. 23. 1 king. 19. 2. 1 king. 18. 13. 2 king. 6. 31. 2 chro. 21. 16 , 17. 2 chro. 24. 21. 2 chro. 28. 8. 2 chro. 28. 17 , 18 , 20. josephus . jer. 18. 18. jer. 20. 2. jer. 37. 15. jer. 38. 6. jer. 43. 6 , 7. dan. 3. 23. dan. 6. 26. esther . 3. 13. ezra 4. 4. neh. 6. 2. vers . 6 , &c. * * eleazer . * * bulimia . mat. 14. 10 act. 4. 1 , 17. act. 5. 18 , 19. vers . 26 , 27 vers . 40. act. 6. 11. cha. 7. 58. act. 9. 23. act. 12. 2. act. 14. 19. notes for div a28159-e9290 anno 97 * * plinius secundus . tertullian . vere magnus deus christansrum . psa . 125. 3. * * de martyrio . quid faciam vobis ? pati timetis , exire nolitis beati pauperes . notes for div a28159-e24960 anno 1198 anno 1260. anno 1550. anno 1560. † † anabaptists first rising . anno 1543. anno 1555 an. chr. 1631. an. chr. 1634. anno 1618. anno 1619. an. chr. 1619. an. chr. 1621. an. chr. 1622. an. chr. 1624. an. chr. 1625. an. chr. 1631. anno a 1633. an. chr. 1635. anno 1544. anno 1545. anno 1546. * * 1547. anno 1548. anno 1549. anno 1551. an. chr. 1553. an. chr. 1554. anno 1557. an. chr. 1558. anno 1562. anno 1574. anno 1628. * * the prices of things . dominico ●ert● . anno 1543. anno 1546. anno 1550. anno 1553. anno 1650. notes for div a28159-e48560 * * simon zelotes . anno 180. anno 598 , anno 590. anno 186. * * edelburg . * * eufled . above 255 years . anno 1518. anno 884. anno 960. anno 1126. anno 1160. anno 1170. * * archbishop of canterbury . anno 1200. † † anno 1207. archbishop of canterbury . anno 1382. anno 1518. anno 1519. anno 1523. anno 1528. anno 1529. anno 1530. anno 1531. anno 1532. a. 1530. anno 1533. aano 1534. anno 1536. anno 1538. anno 1541. anno 1544. anno 1541. anno 1546. anno 1546. anno 1549. a. 1552. anno 1553. anno 1554. anno 1554. anno 1555. sommoner . hunter . sommoner . hunter . * * hunter . brown. hunter . brown. anno 1554. anno 1554. * * in kent neer canterbury . deum tim idolum fug hauks . bishop . h. b. h. b. h. b. h. b. h. b. b. h. b. an. chr. 1555. an. chr. one 1556 : anno 1557. an. chr. 1558. job 313. 2 thess . 1. 6 , 7. the abridgment of eusebius pamphilius's ecclesiastical history in two parts ... whereunto is added a catalogue of the synods and councels which were after the days of the apostles : together with a hint of what was decreed in the same / by william caton. ecclesiastical history. english eusebius, of caesarea, bishop of caesarea, ca. 260-ca. 340. 1698 approx. 404 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 135 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-05 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a38744 wing e3420 estc r1923 08740654 ocm 08740654 41717 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a38744) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 41717) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1259:25) the abridgment of eusebius pamphilius's ecclesiastical history in two parts ... whereunto is added a catalogue of the synods and councels which were after the days of the apostles : together with a hint of what was decreed in the same / by william caton. ecclesiastical history. english eusebius, of caesarea, bishop of caesarea, ca. 260-ca. 340. caton, william, 1636-1665. the second ed. with larg editions by another hand. 32, [4], 130 [i.e. 230] p. printed for francis holden, london : 1698. "part i. a compendious commemoration of the remarkablest chronologies which are contained in that famous history. part ii. a summary or brief hint of the twelve persecutions sustained by the antient christians with a compendious paraphrase upon the same." "some passages out of a letter of a person of quality : giving a true relation in general concerning the heavenly lives of the primitive christians"--p. 209-130 [i.e. 230] reproduction of original in the harvard university library. includes bibliographical references and index. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church history -primitive and early church, ca. 30-600. persecution -history -early church, ca. 30-600. 2003-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-02 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-03 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2003-03 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an abridgment of eusebius pamphilius's ecclesiastical history , in two parts . part i. a compendious commemoration of the remarkablest chronologies which are contained in that famous history . part ii. a summary or brief hint of the twelve persecutions sustained by the antient christians , with a compendious paraphrase upon the same : whereunto is added a catalogue of the synods and councels , which were after the days of the apostles ; together with a hint of what was decreed in the same . by william caton . wickedness proceedeth from the wicked , as saith the proverb of the antients , 1 sam. 24. 13. the second ed. with larg editions by another hand . london : printed for francis holden , in the passage going into white-hart-yard , in lombard-street , 1698. to his well beloved friends the christian quakers , in england , or else where : william caton , your dear brother in the truth ; wisheth that , mercy and peace , with every good and perfect gift , necessary for your salvation , and consolation , may be plenteously multiplied among you , from god the father of our lord jesus-christ . my beloved , since i have heard of your manifold tribulations and frequent sufferings , which of late have befallen you , in your native country ; my heart hath often been filled with heaviness , not only ●hrough the report which plenteously have had thereof , but much rather ●hrough the sensible feeling which i have ●ad of the same : well , my friends , this the day which we have looked for , having foreseen its coming in the light the lord ; and therefore did some of th●… brethren often put you in mind of it , 〈◊〉 ( i believe ) many of you can testifie : a●… since this gloomy and dark day came upo●… the nation , i know your tryals have bee●… sharp , your burthens many , your tribulations great , and your temptations no●… a sew : yet nevertheless many of our ancestors , who have striven for the same fait●… and suffer for the same truth , for whic●… you suffer at present , have endured a gre●…ter fight of torments , exilements , and m●… terrible afflictions , then as yet you hav●… sustained , as may in part appear by this fo●…lowing treatise : yet in their days the fir●… had a time to kindle , before it brok o●… into such a vehement and consuming flame in which many of the antient believing christians were tryed , and their faith and patience thereby exercised , and when th●… lord had sufficiently proved and trye●… his jewels , as in a fiery furnace , then the vigor of the fire ceased , the flame came to be quenched , and then the jewels they were gathered , spared , and treasured up , in th●… closset of the lord's sanctuary : where neither moth , rust , nor thief could in any wise enter . this seems to be a day of your eternal trouble ( my dearly beloved ) wherein your faith and patience must be yet tryed , as in a furnace of hot persecution , and surely the flames thereof have lowed , and blazed already about you , though as yet it doth not appear that the vehemency thereof hath so much as scorched that vesture wherewith the lord had adorned you ; although the fury of man's wrath and indignation hath been greater against you ( that would not fall down to worship ) then against many malefactors and truce-breakers : but o will not the lord open their eyes , that they may see , that through the fiery indignation of their wrath and jealousie were kindled seventy times hotter than ever it hath been against any others , yet shall it not be able to consume your faith , nor to burn that garment wherewith your god hath arrayed you ; would they but see this , i know they would stand astonished ; yea and fall down in submission to the power of god , in the light of his son ; to worship him with you , o ye worshippers of the only true god , who can bow to no imag●… that is formed in the likeness of the true faith , true worship , true religion , but is it not that which it resembleth , neither conform to , or obey any decree , which enjoyneth you to act contrary to the righteous and royal law , which god the father hath put in your hearts , neither can purchase any freedom or liberty by fraud , guile , treachery , falshood or deceit ; surely your liberty shall be glorious , your reward shall be great , and your fame and renown shall spread among the godly and upright , who when they hear of your constancy and fidelity will be glad and rejoyce therein , and offer sacrifice of praise unto the highest on your behalf with me . wherefore my dearly beloved lift up the heads that droop , and the hands that hang down , yea strengthen the mind that is fee ble , and cheer up the heart that is heavy and sad , for your redeemer is at hand , and his salvation is very nigh , yet not withstanding his pleasure may be farther to try you that for the future you may be more precious in his sight , and his delight may be more and more in you ; who above many of the children of this world have obtained great favour in his sight , o loose not , loose not the same , but rather grow and increase therein ; to the enriching of your souls , with the coelestial or heavenly treasure which will remain when that which is uncertain is vanished and gone . i have here , composed a little treatise which consisteth chiefly of a cloud of witnesses who have been ingaged in the same case , for which you now suffer spoyling of your goods , the external ruin of some of your families & estates , the deprivation of your liberties , and what not ? and now through perusing of the same you may behold ( as in a glass ) what the antient christians have suffered ; first by the jews , secondly by the gentiles or heathen and finally by false christians ; yet i do believe that the notion of these things to some will be but as the shell to the kernel , or as the chaff to the wheat in comparison of that internal , sweet joy , comfort , and living refreshment which ( i do not doubt , but that ) many of you plentiously injoy , yea even in the heat of these troublesome and perilous times . this same abridgment of remarkable things which i have found upon record , i have thought good to dedicate unto you , in as much as you above many in the nation , are aquainted with the christian suffering state and condition , who heretofore have been men of sorrows and well acquainted with grief , as by that which followeth will more palpably and evidently appear . let not the innocent and simple be offended at it , because it is extracted out of some ecclesiastical histories ; for this i say , that many frivolous histories which frequently are perused by such as are prone and inclining to that wisdom and knowledge which is from below , are not to be compared to this ; for they being oft-times stuffed with forged fables , and lying tales , they stir up the vain , light , frothy minds in people : but the perusing of this which i have here collected , will rather stir up zeal , love and tenderness to the truth , and such as now suffer for it , as the antient christians heretofore have done . moreover through the viewing over of this , a litteral knowledge may in part be obtained , of the fruits , doctrines , principles and practises , of the apostatized christians , after their degeneration , of their synods and counsels , and what they decreed ; of the temptations , and provocations , which they had ( who retained their integrity ) both from the heathen and from the false christians , and how sad and lamentable their conditions were that did not continue faithful : which may serve for examples , to such among you ( beloved ) as are inconstant and of a doubtful mind , let them look upon origen and hear what he saith in his lamentation after his fall : and let them consider the faith and patience of such as chuseth rather to die than they would swear , or sacrifice , renounce the faith , or deny their lord and master , and therefore were some torn in pieces of wild beasts , some crucified , some beheaded , some stoned to death , some stifled , some fryed or rosted , some burned to ashes , some hanged , some brained , some had their eyes pulled out , and the empty place seared with a hot iron , some were drowned in the sea , some fettered and famished to death , in noysome prisons and dungeons : oh the torments that they endured are hard to be uttered , and that about the exercise of their conscience and the worship of their god. and truly i must tell you ( o beloved ) that i was constrained to lay those things before you , that if peradventure they might in any wise tend to the confirming and strengthening of the faith of some , to the forewarning of others of shrinking in the time of tryal , and to the strengthening of the hands of the weak and feeble against their persecutors ; who also hereby may see what judgment and misery came upon sundry of their persecuting fore-fathers : so that in my judgment it may be of use not only to you who are persecuted , but also to your oppressors and persecutors ; who now persist in their wickedness and impiety as if they should never come to judgment for the same : well my dearly beloved , be not you discomforted and cast down in your spirits , because the wicked is set up , and the ungodly prospers in his ways , and the workers of iniquity they are counted happy yet it was not thus in the beginning , neither shall it allways so continue ; for the lord our god in his due time , will strik the hook into the jaw of the leviathan , so that he shall be restrained , and the pure and upright in heart shall be delivered out of his paw , and snare , into the glorious liberty of the children of god : wherefore let none be afraid who are called to follow the lamb in this notable day , for i am perswaded , that tribulation , nor persecution , exilment nor banishment , fire nor sword , things present nor things to come ( though all these do come ) shall not be able to seperate us from that love which we are made partakers of , in christ jesus our lord , in whom i bid you farewel ; my dearly beloved . a general epistle for young schoollars and little children . dear children , remember your creator , and the end wherefore you were created , now in the day , of your youth , before you grow old in sin , and take rooting in corrupt ground of unighteousness , incline your hearts to holiness and to the fear of the lord , that you may abound in wisdom and knowledge ; learn you to know a tender principle in your hearts , to teach and instruct you to withhold and restrain you from folly and wantonness , from frivolous or vain gaming , and sporting your selves with idle toyes , and unprofitable playes , which do not only strengthen that which is thereunto addicted in your selves , but doth toyle and weary your tender bodies ; and when you sit down at night some times hungry , and often weary , consider then what you have reaped by your playes , sports and pastimes , have you not thereby some time provoked your tutors , to wrath and anger against you for neglecting of your books and learning ; have you not also offended and grieved your parents , by your neglect of your business and imployment , and then you being sencible of your fault and transgression , the shew of your countenance that witnesseth against you , and inwardly you are perplexed and terrified , partly through fear of your tutors and partly through fear of your parents , when through your folly you have procured their displeasure , and then are you afraid of chastisement ; now if for the time to come you would be freed from this fear , do that which is good , by being diligent and keeping in the fear of the lord , and then shall you obtain praise and commendation both of your parents and tutors . again ( o children ) when you are together , whether in families schools , or else where , be not wild , rude , brutish , nor provoke not one another to folly , and wantonness , but be sober , gentle , meek and civil , and let the fear of the lord be before your eyes , least you sall into condemnation . and you that are of a mild , gentle and tender nature , who seel something in your hearts restraining you from the evil , which abounds among your fellows ; if you cannot get dominion over it while you are with them , then separate your selves from them at convenient seasons , and pertake not with them in their wantonness in their . folly , plays , sports and pastimes , but rather betake your selves to your books ; or in some retired place , to wait upon the lord : and if they that be wild and wanton through their play and wantonness do get recreation to their bodies , you through your stillness and waiting upon the lord shall get refreshment to their souls , in which you shall have joy and pleasure , when they shall be ashamed of their folly and have trouble and sorrow for the same . when i was a school boy , i was for many years as much inclined to wantonness , and play , as my fellows , though sometime i was enticed and drawn by them into things which i knew then certainly , to be evil , and contrary to the tender principle of god in my conscience , yet rather than i would be behind them in their wonton childish follies , ( and thereby have come to have been jeered and derided by them ) i chused rather at that time to run with them to the same excess of vanity , though i knew for certain i ought not to have done it , and when for the same i came to be corrected by my tutor , and judged of the lord , i was made to confess , that it was just , and that i had justly deserved the same . afterwards through the mercy and goodness of the lord i came to be farther illuminated or enlightned before i left the school ; and come to have a perfect sense of true judgment being set up in my heart , and then i came to be filled with sorrow and heaviness , for the loss of my mispent pretious time , and the sins of my youth , ( even while i was yet a youth ) were brought exceeding fresh into my remembrance , and became in those daies my great burthen , and withal in those daies my study and learning became also burthensome , and not these alone , but especially the wantonness and rudness , folly and naughtiness of my school fellows , that also became grievous unto me at times , and a dread and fear was upon me , ( when i minded the lord ) that i durst not run with them to folly and wantonness as i had done before ; so that when they have gone to play , i have retired my self into some private place to ponder upon the things which the lord put into my heart . and when with a retired mind and upright heart , i came in sincerity to wait upon the lord , then came my soul to feel some secret communion with him , and to receive some crummes of living refreshment from him ; and then was i joyful in him at night , whereas formerly i had sorrow and heaviness by reason of my folly and wantonness . but then again at other times , when i neglected waiting upon the lord in the light of his son in my heart , and that i came to be enti●…ed by my school-fellows or some of them to go with them too , or to joyn with them in , or partake with them of one vanity , or another ; and some time rather ▪ then i would displease them ( or one especially unto whom i was then obliged ) i have consen●…ed to their request , and some time i have seemed to be cheerful and merry among them in the time of our pastime , when it was more in appearance than in my heart , that being smitten , and i inwardly wounded , for my folly and vanity , unto which i had condescended , yet i allowed not of it , nevertheless that which i ( the light ) hated and would not , that i ( that was born in sin ) did , and ●…mbraced ; and even then a good desire was present with me in my heart , but how to perform it , knew not otherwise then through the cross ; yet on these daies when i did well through keeping in the fear of the lord , then was it well with me ; but when i condescended to evil , and was thereby overcome inwardly and outwardly , then was my troubles and sorrow great , and my stripes many , and that in the daies of my youth ; but since , i have seen it to be the everlasting love of god to me . these things i rehearse unto you whereby you may understand how the lord dealt with me , and how it was with me , while i was yet a scholar ; to the end that you may somewhat the better know how to behave your selves ( i mean you that are tender , among them that are wild and rude ) in schools where you are appointed to learn and to be instructed . moreover ( dear children ) i have considered , how that many of you are naturally inclining to knowledge and understanding in the things which are laudable , or worthy of praise , among juditious men : and these things which i have here composed , being worthy not only of recording , but also of perusing , i have thought them very fit for you to learn or read at home and at schools , yea fitter then other writings which are hard to be understood , and beyond your weak childish capacity to comprehend : for the much reading of such deep things , which you can not perceive nor comprehend , doth rather dull your understanding , then enliven your senses , and rather mitigates your desires , then kindles your inclinations to reading and learning : but as for many of those things which i have here published , they are so worthy to be looked into , and the knowledge of them may be so good and profitable , that after you are entred into the reading of them , your desires may be augmented or enlarged , not only to look over part of them , but even to see the end and conclusion of them ; that henceforth they may be retained by you , in your minds , that when you see things fall out of the same nature in this your age , then you may remember h●…w that many of our ancestors have suffered and sustained a great fight of sore afflictions , and that the same you may communicate to your children , that they also may hear of them and learn them : for irenaeus in his epistle to florinus said , i remember better the things of old , then the affairs of late ; for the things we learn in our childhood , sink farther into our minds and grow together with us : euseb. lib. 5. ch. 18. now for your furtherance and profit ( o little children ) have i in part taken some what the more time in this matter , that so i might explain and interpret the most hard words i met withal , in this abridgment ; and that as i found them ; that you might understand them even as you read them ; for i believe there are but few of the school-masters that do teach those children that do only read english , rightly to understand such hard words when they meet with them in their lessons , as you may find in this following treatise explained : and thus may you know my interpretation of them which i have commonly written in a parenthesis as for example . let the whole clergy mourn ( i. e. bishops , priests , deacons , or the whole number of them that take upon them the ministry ) again the antient christians were forbidden formerly to hold conventicles ( i. e. private assemblies ) or meetings that are small in which there is plotting and conspiring against the powers ; or that are for other evil ends , such are commonly called conventicles ; these two letters ( i. e. ) serve for id est , which is as much as to say , that is , likewise , in the margent of the first part of my book you may often find lib. and a certain figure with it as lib. 4. know ye ( o little children ) that lib. serves for liber , which by interpretation is a book as lib. 4. the forth book ; and ch. serves for chapter ; and such as the figure is , that followes ch such is the chapter , as lib. 4. ch. 15. that is the fourth book and fifteenth chapter . moreover the use of the index or table is this : suppose you would know something concerning the christians formerly , whether of their prosperity , or sufferings ; then turn to the table , which i have placed in the begining of the first part of my book , and see for the letter c , which when you have found , then see in what book or chapter that is to be found which you desire to see . and then , and there , with very little trouble , ( when you come to understand my directions aright ) may you find the thing : so that the choicest things in the first part of my book , may you soon find out , by the help of the index , if your time will not permit you to look through the whole . yet this ought you to note , that the aforesaid index serves only to the former part of my book in which some of the things contained in the latter part , are to be found more at large . and as concerning the twelve persecutions which i have here inserted ; they are so exceeding largly treated on in the book of martyrs , that there are but few that will take the pains to look them through , nor not many of the vulgar or common sort of people that will , or can well buy them , they being of such high prices : and again they being locked up in chaines in steeple-houses , and so in the custody often times of persecutors , where you can have little bénefit by them ; therefore was there the more necessity of such an abridgment as this , which will neither cost much mony to buy it , nor yet very much paines to reàd it . as for the martyers that have suffered in our own nation formerly , i have scarce medled with them , their sufferings being yet fresh in the remembrance of many , and may yet be brought up fresher into the remembrance of many through the * present lingering martyrdom , which may become more sharp and bloody if a high hand prevent it not . wherefore record , record , as with a pen of iron , and as with a point of a diamond , the noble observations and transactions of this age , which your eyes ( o ye little children ) shall see and behold ; let them be told to your childrens children . in the mean time ( o you little ones ) mind you the fear of the lord , and be not you intangled in , or with the snare of satan , though he would give you all the glory of the world , yea and all that which your eyes in the world can behold , which may as truly now be accounted vanity of vanitis , yea , and all to be concluded to be vanity , as in the daies of solomon ; who said that all things under the sun were vanity , and vexation of spirit . one thing more must i add , as a very testimony indeed of truth unto you , ( towards whom my bowels yearnes ) and that is this , the sooner that you take up the cross , the lighter will it be for you , the sooner that you stoop under the yoak , the easier it will be for you , the sooner you imbrace the truth , the more natural it will become unto you , and the sooner that you forsake the divel and all his works , together with the world , and the pomp and vanity thereof , the easier it will be for you , and the more blessed and happy will you become : these things as my own experience do i commit unto you , in as much as in the daies of my youth , i obtained great mercy from the hand of my god , through whose unspeakable love i am at times constrained to intreat , and perswade them that yet are young to learn the fear of the lord , and the perfect knowledge of his way , into which god almighty of his infinit love , bring all you whose eyes may see , and hands handle this same book , that every one of you , in your generation , may become faithful and true witnesses , in your generation , unto him , who is your creator , and who created you to serve him in righteousness and true holiness , in the creation ; therefore , i say again , remember him in the days of your youth , and love him with all your hearts , ( who gives you life and breath , and thorugh whose blessing you obtain food and raiment ) that when your parents have finished their testimony , and sealed it with their blood ; that then you ( their off spring ) may stand up in the name , strength and power of our god , to the bearing of your faithful testimony to , and for the same blessed cause , for which many of your dear parents at this day do suffer ; and if it be the good will and pleasure of our god , to honour any of them with banishment , or to crown any of them with martyrdom ( as he hath done many of his pretious saints before them ) be you therewith content , without murmuring against the lord , or entertaining a revengful spirit in your hearts , and peradventer that you shall ( in your days ) see him repay , to whom vengeance belongs , who hath said unto his seed and off-spring , i will never leave thee , nor forsake thee ; this faithful creator is he unto whom you must look , and unto whom you must come , then will he not leave you comfortless , though you be deprived of many external comforts , yet behold ( o ye dear little ones ) he hath enough reserved in store for to comfort and refresh you withal ( if you love him and keep his commandments ) yea and all the comfortless that come unto him , who is said to be a father to the fatherless , a comforter of the comfortless , with whom there is mercy that he may be feared to whose disposing , and protection i commend you , wishing your good success and prosperity in all vertue , and in every goodwork , farewel dear children ; your real and entire friend w. c. rotterdam in holland the 6 of the 3 mo. 1661. a father's advise to his child , or the maidens best adorning ; being a directory for youth , setting forth the greatest beauty by a holy conversation . dear child these words which briefly i declare let them not hang like jewels in thine ear . but in the secret closet of thy heart safe lock 'em up that they may n'er depart . give first to god the flower of thy youth take for thy guide the blessed word of truth . adorn thy self with grace , prize wisdom more than all the pearls upon the indian shore . think not to live still free from grief and sorrow the man that laughs to day may weep to morrow . nor dream on joys unmixed ; here below the fragrant roses on the thorn do grow . scorn the deluding world , that most bewitches and place thy hope in everlasting riches . make room for christ , let not so base a guess as earth have any lodging in thy breast . bad company as deadly poyson shun ; thousands by that are ruin'd and undone . the giddy multitude still go a stray turn from the broad and chuse the narrow way . keep death and judgment always in thine eye non's sit to live , but who are fit to dye . make use of present time because thou must shortly take up thy lodging in the dust . 't is dreadful to behold a settin sun , and night appearing e're our work be done . let not thy winged days be spent in vain when gone no gold will call 'em back again . strive to subdue thy sin when first beginning custom when once confin'd is strangly winning . be much at prayer , it is the begging trade by which true christians are the richest made . of meditation get the blessed art and often search thy own deceitful heart . fret not , nor envy at thy neighbours wealth , preferment , beauty , learning , strength or health . abhor the lying tongue , vile fraud detest , plain hearted men by providence are blest . take heed of idleness , that cursed nurse and mother of all vice ; ther 's nothing worse . and fly from pride , high hills are barren found but lowly vallies with christ fruits are crownd . short sinful pleasures and delights eschue , eternal torments are their wages due . i' th race of temperance run and always keep a mean in eating , drinking , and in sleep . nor costly garments weare , let men admire thy person most , and not thy rich attire . lay treasures that are good up in thy heart which by discourse , thou wisely mayst impart . to profit others , holy thoughts within will guide thy tongue , and guard thy lips from sin , learn to distinguish between faithful friends , and fauning flatterers , who for base ends will speak thee fair , whose words are soft and oylie and make a shew of friendship to beguile thee . the secrets of thy friend do not disclose , left in so doing thou resemble those whose ears are leaking vessels , which contain nothing , but what 's pour'd in runs out again at the mouth , these fools proclaim themselves unfit for any trust , and to be voyd of wit. if thou resolve to change a single life and hast proposed to become a wife , c●…use then thy husband not for worldly gain , not for his shape or air ; these things disdain . if money draw , or thou by lust art lead , expect no blessing of thy marrage bed . but if the fear of god most excellent , be thy chief end , then look for true content . cast off all needless and distrustful care , a little is enough , o're much a snare . our journey from our cradles to our grave can be but short , no large provision crave . for such conveniences as must be had confide to god who hath so richly clad the fragrant meadows , with fresh ' silver show'rs send down to nurse up tender plants and flowers . he for the chirping birds provides a nest , and gives each creature that which feeds 'em best . to him give thanks for mercys which before thou hadst receiv'd , and that makes way for more , for faults before his face , reprove thy friend but all good deeds behind his back commend . labour for peace , chuse to contend with none let reason , with sweet clamours , keep the throne , treading fierce wrath , and lawless passions down the grace of meekness is the womans crown . be loving , patient , courteous and kind , in doing these thou'lt praise and honour find , here on the earth ; and when all conquering death thy body shall desoul , and stop thy breath ; upon the golden wings , of faith and love thy soul shall fly to paradise above ; when sin , and sorrow shall for ever cease , and there be crown'd with endless joys and peace . greshon boate. catonis disticha . rumores fugè , ne incipias novus autor haberi : nam nulli tacuisse nocet , nocet esse locutam . shun rumors , least thou beest as th' author nam'd ; silence hurts none , but some for words are blamed . cum rectè vivas , ne cures verha malorum arbitrii nostri non est quid quisque loquatur . when thou livest well , mind not what lewd folks say : it is not in our power their tongues to sway . dilige non oegrâ charos pietate parentes nec matrem offendas , dum vis bonus esse parenti . thy parents love , the one as well as th' other ; to please thy father , doe not cross thy mother . tranquillis rebus quoe sunt adversa cave to : rursus in adversis melius sperare memento , when things go well adversity beware ; again , when things go ill , do not dispair . veritati adhaereto . stick to the truth . this historiographer eusebius is accounted by many , to be a witness unto whom credit may be given ; he was a bishop of caesarea , and one that was said to be very studious in the holy scripture ; he flourished chiefly under the emperour constantinus magnus , and his son constantius , about the year 316. the index , or table . a. adrian the emperours remarkable epistle in the christians behalf . lib. 4. chap. 23. agbarus epistle unto iesus . l. 1. c. 1●… . antioch citizens stirred up against the christians . l. 9. c. 2. antonius pius epistle in the behalf of the christans . l. 4. c. 13. apphianus zeal and boldness . l. 8. c. 22. apollonarius touching montanus and the false prophets that then were entred , l. 5. c. 14. 16. 19. attalus revelation . l. 5. c. 3. b. basilides courtesie to a virgin martyr , how he would not swear , and so was beheaded . l. 6. c. 4. biblis restored again to the faith in the time of torment . l. 5. c. 1. bishops bribed with presents and sums of money . l. 10. c. 1. bishops divided about a lay-mans preaching . l. 6. c. 19. blandina refreshed in her suffering and torments . l. 5. c. 3. c. christians name , dwelling , and foundation . l. 2. c. 17. christians suffering by proclamations , or edicts . l. 4. c. 25. christians terribly threatned , and some converted by beholding their innocent sufferings . l. 4. c. 8. christians prosperity , & also calamity . l. 8. c. 1. christians were generally summoned to appear at the idols temple . l. 8. c. 22. clements and of his epistle . l. 3. c. 14. clements bishop of alexandria touching the scriptures . l. 6. c. 13. clergy freed from paying tax or tribute . l. 1●… . c. 7. d. definition of a christian . l. 1. c. 5. doctrine of christ approved of by tiberius , l2 . c. 2. dioclesians proclamations against the christians . l. 8. c. 3. dionysius epistle concerning the martyrs . l. 6. c. 40. dionysius epistle to the romans . l. 4. c. 22. dionysius epistle to novatus . l. 6. c. 44. dionysius vision . l. 7. c. 9. dionysius fidelity and constancy in the time of tryal . l. 7. c. 10. e. easter and the controversie about that fast. l. 5. c. 23. emperors begun to favour the christians . l. 10. c. 2. emperours proclamation concerning christian religion . l. 10. c. 2. the emperour refered the bishop to the judges , for them to take acours●… with troublesome persons . l. 10. c. 6. the encratits and their heresie . l. 4. c. 27. f. the frenchman's epistle unto the church l. 5. c. 1. g. the gospel of the evangelists . l. 3. c. 21. vide l. 3. c. 35. h. how heresie crept into the church , when persecution ceased . l. 4. c. 6. hereticks were a slander unto christian religion . l. 4. c. 7. hereticks and false prophets among the christians . l. 4. c. 21. herod was smitten of an angel. l. 2. c. 10. i. james was slain with a sword l. 2. c. 9. the martyrdom of james the brother of jesus . l. 2. c. 9. a history of john the apostle , and a young man. l. 3. c. 20. ignatius his valourous courage . l. 3. c. 32. josephus testimony of christ. l. 1. c. 12. justinus the martyr . l. 4. c. 16 , 17 , 18. the jews would not allow of carved images . l. 2. c. 6. what irenaeus wrote concerning the holy scriptures . l. 5. c. 8. l. law against the christians l. 5. c. 19. licinnius cruelty towards the christians . l. 10. c. 8. m. why mark wrote his gospel . l. 2. c. 15. see. l. 3. c. 35. maximinus impiety , & proclamations . l. 6. 8. c. 16 , 17 , 18. maximinius conquered , his proclamation and iudgment . l. 9. c. 2. money given to ministers . l. 10. c. 6. n. nero's persecutions l. 2. c. 25. nicolas and his sect. l. 3. c. 26. novatus beresie and impietie . l. 6. c. 24. o. origen's zeale while he was young his l●…vs to the martyrs , how he sold his philosophy books . l. 6. c. 2. origen's tryall , fall , and bitter lamentation . l. 7. c. 1. p. paulus samosatenus's heresie . l. 7. c. 19. persecutions against the christians . l. 8. c. 6. persecution suddenly revived againe against the christians . l. 8. c. 27. pilate became his own murtherer . l. 2. c. 7. plinus secundus the christians great friend . l. 3. c. 30. polycarpus's nobility , and , constancy untill death l. 4. c. 15. pothinus dyed in prison . l. 5. c. 1. polycrates of the death of john , and philip the apostles . l. 3. c. 28. a proclamation against the christians . l. 6. c. 40. priests sedition among themselves about tythes . l. 2. c. 20. r. roman empire prosperous wh●…le the christians injoyed their liberty in it . l. 8. c. 14. s. sanctus's constancy and martyrdom . l. 5. c. 1 concerning the scriptures . l. 5. c. 28. sects among the jews . l. 4. 21. simeon the bishops martyrdom . l. 3. 29. simon magus the 〈◊〉 . l. 2. c. 13. the church of s●…yrna's epistle to other churches . l. 4. c. 15. a synod summoned to rome . l. 10. c. 5. t. thaddaeus cured king agbarus but would receive no money for his cure , nor for his preaching . l. 1. c. 14. theodisia a virgins suffering . l. 8. c. 25. theudas the soycerer beheaded . l. 2. c. 11. v. valerianus was at the first mild and gentle towards the christians , but afterwards he became exceeding cruell . l. 7. c. 6. urbanus a cauel persecutor fell into great misery . l. 8. c. 25. y. young and old were injoynd to sacrifice unto the gods of the heathens . l. 8. c. 27. hoc genus literarum non cum credendi necessitate , sed cum judicandi libertate legendum est . this kind of writings is to be read , not with a necessity of believing them , but with a liberty to judge of them . the first book of eusebius pamphilus . the definition of a christian. eusebius saith , in his first book of his ecclesiastical history , in the fifth chapter , that he that will express the name of a christian , must be such a man as excelleth through the knowledge of christ and his doctrine , in modesty and righteousness of mind , in continency ( i. e. chastity ) of life , in vertuous fortitude ( i. e. srength ) and in confession of sincere piety ( i. e. godliness ) towards the one and the only universal god. of the martyrdom of john baptist ; and the testimony of josephus touching christ. in the 12th chap. of the aforesaid book , euseb. speaking of iohn baptist , relates how that when divers flocked together , ( for many greatly delighted in hearing of him ) herod fearing least that so forcible a power of persuading , which was with him , should lead the people into a certain rebellion , he supposed it far better to bereave him of his life , before any novelty were by him put in use , than that change , with danger , being come in place , he should repent him and say ; had i wist . thus iohn because of herod's suspicion was sent toward , and there beheaded . in the same chapter he repeats what iosephus wrote of christ ; saying , there was at that time one jesus , a wise man ( if it be lawful to call him a man ) a worker of miracles , a teacher of them that received the truth with gladness ; he drew after him many , as well of the jews as gentiles . this same was christ ; and though pilate by the judgment of the chief rulers amongst us , delivered him to be crucified , yet there wanted not them , which from the beginning loved him . of him the christian people borrow their name . the epistle of king agbarus unto iesus christ. agbarus governour of edessa , unto jesus the good saviour shewing himself in ierusalem , sendeth greeting ; i have heard of thee and thy cures which thou hast done , without medicines & herbes . for as the report goeth , thou makest the blind to see , the lame to go , the lepers thou cleansest , foul spirits and devils thou castest out ; the long diseased thou restorest to health , and raisest the dead to life . when that i heard these things of thee , i imagined with my self one of these two things , either that thou art god come from heaven , and dost these things , or the son of god that bringest such things to pass ; wherefore by these my letters i beseech thee to take the pains to come unto me , and that thou wilt cure this my grievous malady ( i. e. disease or sickness ) wherewith i am sore vexed : i have heard moreover , that the jews murmur against thee , and go about to mischief thee , i have here a little city and an honest , which will suffice us both . the epistle of christ unto agbarus . agbarus , blest art thou , because thou hast believed in me , when thou sawest me not ; for it is written of me , that they which see me shall not believe in me , that they which see me not , may believe and be saved . concerning that that thou wrotest unto me , that i should come unto thee ; i let thee understand that all things touching my message are here to be fulfilled , and after the fulfilling thereof , i am to return again unto him that sent me ; but after my assumption ( i. e. taking up ) i will send one of my disciples unto thee , which shall cure thy malady , and restore life to thee , and them that be with thee . unto these epistles there was a narration added in the syrian tongue , which sheweth how that after jesus ascention , there was one of his disciples sent to the city where agbarus resided , and when the king heard of him , he sent for him ; and when thaddaeus the disciple , and one of the 70 heard the message , he said , i go , for it is for his sake that i am sent thus mightily to work : and when he was come to the king , he asked him , saying , art thou of truth a disciple of jesus the son of god , which made me this promise ; i will send unto thee one of my disciples , which shall cure thy disease , and shall shew life unto thee and all thine ? to whom thaddaeus made answer , because thou hast greatly believed in the lord jesus which sent me , therefore am i sent unto thee ; but in case that thou believest in him as yet , thy hearty petitions according unto thy faith thou shalt obtain . to whom agbarus said , i have continued so believing in him , that i could have found in my heart , mightily to destroy the jews which crucified him , were not the roman empire a lett unto my purpose . thad . said again , our lord and god jesus christ , fulfilled the will of his father , which being finished he is ascended unto him . agb. answered , and i have believed in him and in his father : to whom thad . replies ; therefore in the name of the same lord ●…esu i lay my hand upon thee , which when he had done he was forthwith cured of his malady , and delivered of the pain that pressed him sore . agbarus marvelled at this , that even as it was reported to him of jesu , so in truth by his disciple and apostle thad . without apothecary stuff , and vertue of herbs , he was cured with many more : so afterwards agb , being desirous to know many things concerning christ , he commanded his citizens to be gathered together to hear the sermon of thaddaeus , which being ended the king charged that gold coined , and uncoined should be given him ; but he received it not , saying , in so much that we have forsaken our own ; how can we receive other mens ? the second book of eusebius . tiberius approved of the doctrine of christ , but so did not the senate . the emperour tiberus , would have had christ canonized in the number of the gods , in whose time the christian name was spread abroad in the world ; and when this doctrine was signified to him , he communicated the same unto the senate , declaring withal that this doctrine pleased him right well ; but the senate rejected it , because they had not allowed the same ; but he persevered in his opinion , threatning them death that would accuse the christians . the jews would not allow of carved images . the jews formerly judged it an hainous offence , that any carved image should be erected in the city , yea so great was their indignation against pictures , that upon a certain time when the pictures of caesar were conveyed by night into jerusalem , they that were nearest unto them , at the sight thereof , when the day appeared , stamped them with their feet , as if they had been abrogated laws ( i. e. laws abolished or disannulled ) . the death of pilate . pilate that was president in the time of christ under cajus , fell into such misery , that necessity constrained him to use violence upon himself , so that he became his own murtherer . of the martyrdom of james the apostle . when king herod stretched forth his hand to vex certain of the church , he slew james the brother of john with the sword ; and it is recorded , that he which drew him before the tribunal-seat , when he saw that he would willingly suffer martyrdom , was therewith moved , and voluntarily confessed himself to be a christian ; then were they both brought together , but he in the way requested james the apostle to pardon him , which after he had paused a little upon the matter , turning unto him , answered , peace be unto thee , and kissed him ; and so they were both beheaded together . how herod was smitten . upon a certain time king herod put on a silver robe wonderfully wrought , which yielded so gorgeous a glistering to the eye , that the shining thereof seemed terrible , and intollerable ( almost ) to the beholders : flatterers forthwith , one one thing , and another another thing , bolt out such sentences , as turned , in the end , to his confusion , and saluting him as god , they added therewith all , be gracious ; for though hitherto we have feared thee as man , yet henceforth we confess thee to be above all mortal nature . these things the king rebuked not , neither repelled this impious flattery ; but after he was smote of an angel , and then he said , i which seemed to you a god , and was saluted immortal , am now constrained to end the race of this life : for we have lived not miserably , but in that prosperous estate , which is termed blessed . of theudas the sorcorer . there was a certain sorcerer named theudas ( of whom the scripture makes mention acts 5. ) who perswaded a great multitude to follow him unto the river jordan , bringing with them their whole substance ; for he reported himself to be a prophet , and that at his commandment the rivers should divide it self , parting in the midst , yielding unto them free passage through ; and in so saying , he seduced many who afterwards were suppressed , and theudas being taken was beheaded , and his head was brought to jerusalem . of simon magus . simon magus , was esteemed and accounted in the city of rome for a god , and honoured as a god , with a picture between two bridges upon the river tibris , having this roman superscription , simoni deo sancto ; to simon the holy god ; and in manner all the samaritans , and certain also of other nations did worship him , acknowledging him for the chief god ; he is said to have been the first author of heresie ; they that have followed his heresie , have much overflowed in filthiness , and obscenity ( i. e. silthy talk ) for it is said of them , that whatsoever may be imagined more foul than any filthiness , the same hath their damnable heresie surpassed , and poor wretched women they have deluded , with a heap of all kind of evils . of the gospel written by s. mark. it is said that the romans were not satisfied with hearing peter once , nor yet sufficed with the unwritten doctrine that he had delivered ; and therefore did they injoyn s. mark ( whose gospel is now spread abroad ) that he would leave in writing unto them the doctrine , which they had received by preaching , neither ceased they until they had perswaded him , and so given an occasion of the gospel to be written , which is now after mark. what the christians were called . the christians were called worshippers , either because like cunning physitians they cured and heald such as came unto them of their malicious passions , or that religiously they worshipped the celestial god-head with pure and sincere worship ; it is said they renounced their substance , and that they which professed philosophy abandoned ( that is , forsook or cast of ) their own proper goods , and severed themselves from all the cares of this life : and forsook the cities , and lived solitary in fields and gardens . further ( he saith ) they did contemplate ( that is , behold in their minds , or think upon ) not only divine things , but they made grave canticles , or songs and hymns unto god , &c. moreover , saith he , they placed continency ( that is , chastity ) in the mind , as a certain foundation ; next they built there upon other vertues . and among them there were divers elderly virgins to be found , who despised corporal lust , &c. what sedition was among the priests about tythes . the aforesaid eusebius relates something out of josephus concerning a dissention that was between the high-priests and the inferior-priests , and chief of the people at jerusalem ; they skirmished among themselves , saith he , they vexed one another , they slinged one at another ; yea so impudent and past all shame , saith he , were the high-priests become , that they stuck not to send and take away from the barn-floors the tythes due unto the inferior-priests ; so that in the end it fell out , that the priests were seen to perish for poverty . of the martyrdom of james , who was called the brother of jesus . james the brother of christ , was termed a just and perfect man ; it is said that he took in hand the government of the church after the apostles ; and when many of the princes were perswaded , there arose a tumult of the jews , scribes and pharisees , saying , it is very dangerous least the whole people look after this jesus , as though he were christ. and being gathered together , they said to james , we pray thee stay this people , for they err in jesu , as though he were the true christ ; we pray thee perswade this people concerning jesu , for we all obey thee , yea we and all the people testifie of thee , that thou art just , and respectest not the person of any man ; stand therefore upon the ●…innacle of the temple , that thou mayest be seen aloft , and that thy word may be heard plainly of all the people . the aforesaid scribes and pharisees placed james upon the pinnacle of the temple , and shouted to him and said , thou just man , at whose commandment we are all here : in somuch as this people is seduced after jesus who was crucified , declare unto us which is the door , or way of jesus crucified ? and he answered , with a loud voice , why ask ye me of jesus the son of man , when as he sitteth at the right hand in the great power in heaven , &c. when as he had perswaded many , so that they glorified god at the testimony of james , and said hosanna , ( i. e. save now i beseech thee ) in the highest to the son of david . then the scribes and pharise●…s said among themselves , we have done very ill in causing such a testimony of jesus to be brought forth ; but let us climb up and take him , to the end that the people may be stricken with fear , and so may be brought to renounce his faith ; and they shouted , saying , o , o! and the just also is seduced ; so they climbed up , and threw justus down headlong , saying , let us stone james justus ; and they begun to throw stones at him ; for after his fall he was not fully dead . and he fell upon his knees , saying , i beseech thee lord god and father , forgive them for they wote not what they do . and as they were a stoning of him , one of the priests , the son of rechab , the son of charabim , whose testimony is in ieremy the prophet , cryed out , cease , wh●…t do you , this just man prayeth for you ? and one of them that were present , taking a fullers ●…b , stroke iustus on the head and brained him , and so he suffered martyrdom . of nero's persecution and wickedness . it is recorded of nero the emperor , before whom paul appeared , that he was so wicked that he tormented his own mother with divers kinds of death , his bretheren , his wife , and many of his nearest kinsfolks , as if they had been enemies , and deadly foes unto him . he was counted the first enemy , of all the emperors , unto the service of god ; yea some boasted and said , they which knew him , may easily perceive that this our doctrine had never been condemned by nero , had it not been passing good : it is written that paul was beheaded , and peter crucified of him at rome . the third book of eusebius . of clemens and his epistle which was read in churches . when anacletus had been bishop of rome twelve years , clemens succeeded , whom paul , writing to the philippians , calleth his fellow labourer , when he saith : with clemens and the rest of my fellow labourers , whose names are written in the book of life ; one undoubted epistle there is of his extant , both worthy and notable , the which he wrote from rome unto corinth , when sedition was raised among the corinthians ; the same epistle we have known to have been read publickly in many churches , both of old , and among us also ; at that time there was raised a sedition among the corinthians . an history of john the apostle and a young-man . ensebius hath a certain relation of a passage concerning the apostle iohn , in the 20 ch. of his third book there he sheweth ; how that when iohn was come unto a certain city , and among other things he having recreated the brethren ; he beheld a young man of a goodly body , gracious face , fervent mind , whom he committed unto him that was appointed chief over all the bishops , saying , i commend this young man unto thy custody , with an earnest desire as christ and the church can bear me witness ; so iohn returned to ephesus . but in process of time , this young man became very dissolute ( i. e. wanton , loose , or given to much vain pleasure ) and perniciously accompanyed himself with them of his own years , that were idle , dissolute , and acquainted with ill behaviour ; first , they brought him to sumptuous banquets , next they guided him in the night to steal and to rob , so after he forsook the right way , he brought himselfe unto a bottomeless pit of all misorder and outrage : and a rout of thieves being gathered together he became a most violent captain of thieves wholly bent to slaughter , and murther , and extreame cruelty . in the mean while ( necessity so constraining ) the bishop sent for iohn ; he , when he had ended and finished the cause of his coming ; go to ( saith he ) o bishop restore unto us thy charge which i and christ have committed unto thy custody , the church whereof thou art head bearing witness . the bishop at the first was amazed , supposing some deceit to be wrought touching money , which he had not received , yet was he not able to answer them for that he had it not ; but when iohn had said , i require the young man and the soul of our brother ; then the elder looking down with a heavy countenance sobbing and sighing said : he is dead . to whom iohn said ; how ? and by what kind of death ? he answered he is dead to god , for he is become wicked , and pernicious , and to be short a thief for he keepeth this mountain together with his associates ; the apostle then rending his garment , and beating his head with sorrow , said , i have left a wise keeper of our brothers soul ; prepare me a horse and let me have a guide . he hastened and rode in post , being come unto the place appointed he is straight wayes taken of the thievish watch , he neither fled nor resisted , but exclaimed : for this purpose came i hither , ( said he ) bring me unto your captain ; who in the mean time as he was armed beheld him coming , but as soon as he saw his face and knew it was iohn , he was stricken with shame , and fled away : the old man with might pursued him , and cryed , my son why flyest thou from thy father unarmed and old ? o son tender my cause , be not afraid , as yet there remaineth hope of salvation : i will undertake for thee with christ , i will die for thee , if need be , as christ did for us , i will hazard my soul for thine ; trust to me , christ sent me . but he hearing this , first stood still casting his countenance to the ground , next shook of his armour , anon trembled for fear , and wept bitterly . he embraced the old man , and coming unto him , answered as well as he could for weeping : so afterwards the apostle brought him unto the church again . concerning the writing of the gospel . it is reported that matthew and john were constrained to write their gospels , for matthew when he had preached unto the hebrews , and passing unto other people , wrote his gospel in his country language , supplying by writing in his absence , that which was desired in his presence . when mark and luke had published their gospels , john ( say they ) in all that space , preached without writing , but at length was moved to write for this cause . it is reported , that when the books of the three evangelists were much spread , and coming unto iohns hands he allowed of them , and yielded of them a true testimony , wishing that the declaration of such things had been printed in their books which were done at the first preaching of christ. iohn passeth over with silence the genealogy ( i. e. of the birth or pedigree ) of our saviour according unto the flesh , being before amply laid down by matthew and luke , and beginning with his divinity reserved of the holy ghost for him as the mightier : the cause why mark wrote his gospel we have declared before : and luke in the beginning of his history , sheweth the occasion of his writing , signifying , that divers now had already imployed their diligent care , to the setting forth of such things as he was fully perswaded of , necessarily delivering us from the doubtful opinion of others , when by his gospel he declareth unto us , the sure and certain narration of such things , whereof he had received the truth sufficiently . concerning the books of the new testament . it shall also be convenient ( saith easebins ) if in this place we collect briefly the books of the new testament ; in the first place must be set the fourfold writings of the evangelists , next the acts of the apostles ; then the epistles of paul are to be added , after these the first of iohn and that of peter , which are authentick ( that is , undeniable or approved of all ) lastly , if you please , the revelation of iohn , all these are received for undoubted . the books which are gainsaid , though well known unto many are these , the epistle of iames , the epistle of iude , the later of peter , the second and third of iohn : whether they were iohn the evangelists , or some others of the same name . divers do number the gospel to the hebrews among them that were disallowed , which was used especially of them , which received christ of the hebrews . of nicolas and his sect. concerning nieolas of whom the revelation of iohn makes mention , it is written of him , that he was one of the d●…acons ordained , together with stephen , by the apostles to minister unto the poor , but thus it is written of him ; this nicolas having a beautiful woman to his wife , after the ascention of our saviour , was accused of jealousie , and to clear himself of that crime , he brought forth his wife and permitted him that listed to marry her . but his followers say that their doing is agreeable with that saying ; that is , the flesh is to be bridled : and so following that doing and saying without all discretion , they sin without all shame , in filthy fornication . concerning iohn , and philip with his daughters , it was wrote thus by policrates unto the bishop of rome , for in asia ( said he ) the great founders of christian religion died , who shall rise the last day , at the coming of the lord when he shall come from heaven with glory to gather all the saints ; philip , one of the twelve apostles was buryed at hierapolis , and two of his daughters , which led their lives in virginity ; and iohn who leaned on the breast of our saviour rested at ephesus . the martyrdom of simeon the bishop . simeon the second bishop of ierusalem , being accused for being a christian , was scourged several days , and when he was a hundred and twenty years old , he suffered martyrdom , anno dom. 110. it is reported , that unto those times the church of god remained a pure and uncorrupted virgin , for such as endeavoured to corrupt the perfect rule , and the sound preaching of the word ( if then there were any such ) hid themselves unto that time in some secret and obscure place , but after that the sacred company of the apostles , was worn out and come to an end , and that generation was wholly spent , which by special favour had heard with their ears , the heavenly wisdom of the son of god , then the conspiracy of detestable error through deceipt of such as delivered strange doctrine , took rooting . and because that not one of the apostles survived , they published boldly with all might possible , the doctrine of falsehood , and impugned , ( that is , resisted or assaulted ) the open , manifest , known truth . how. plinius secundus wrote to the emperour in the christians behalf . under trajan the emperour there was a grievous persecution of the christians , and it seems that plinius secundus , a notable president , was stirred up to write unto the emperour in the christians behalf , who wrote as followeth , saying , that he found nothing in them that was impious or wicked , but that they refused the worship ing of images , signifying this withal , that the manner of the christians was to rise before day , to celebrate christ as god , and to the end their discipline might strictly be observed , they forbid sheding of blood , adultery , fraud , trayterous dealing , and such like . and for answer hereunto , the emperour wrote again , that there should be no inquisition for christians , but if they were met with , they should be punished . through which meanes the grievous persecution was somewhat qualified , yet nevertheless there was scope enough left for such as were willing to afflict them . concerning ignatius his valour and courage . it is reported that one ignatius , bishop of antioch , was sent from syria to rome ( for the confession of his faith ) to be food for wild beasts , who passing through asia , curiously guarded with a great troop of keepers , confirmed the congregations throughout every city where he came , with preaching the word of god , and wholsome exhortations , and specially giving charge to avoid the heresies lately sprung and at that time overflowing , &c. and in his journey he wrot unto several churches ; saying i strive with beasts by sea , by land , nights and days , fettered among ten i eopards , ( that is a band of souldiers ) and the more they receive , the worse they become . i thus exercised with their injuryes , am the more instructed , yet hereby am i not justified . now do i begin to be a diciple , i weigh neither visible nor invisible things , so that i gaine christ , let fire , gallowes , violence of beasts , bruising of the bones , racking of the members , stamping of the whole body , and all the plagues invented by the mischief of satan light upon me , so that i win christ-jesus : this he wrot from syria to the churches . concerning mark the evangelist . eusebius rehearseth one thing touching mark the evangelist , as followeth : the elder ( meaning iohn ) said : mark the interpreter of peter , look what he remembred , that diligently he wrot , not in that order , in which the lord spake and did them , neither was he the hearer , and follower of the lord , but of peter , who delivered his doctrine , not by way of exposition , but as necessity constrained ; so that mark offended nothing in that he wrote , as he had before committed to memory . of this one thing was he fearful , in omitting nothing of that he had heard , and in delivering that was false . concerning matthew it is thus written ; matthew wrote his book in the hebrew tongue , which every one after his skili interpreted by allegations . the fourth book of eusebius . when heresie crept into the church . when persecution ceased then heresie begun to spring apace among the christians , among whom iuglers and imp●…stors crept in as euseb. relates , who bear the same name and title , and in shew professed the same doctrine with them , thereby the sooner to insnare the faithful in the slippery way of perdition , and under pretence of reducing them to the faith , over-whelmed them in the whirl-pool , and deep dungeon of damnation . what a slander hereticks were unto christian religion . eusebius shews , how that some hereticks taught , how that they that would attain unto the perfection of their mysteries , or rather abominable devices , they were to work such facts though they were never so filthy , otherwise they could not overcome the secular ( i. e. worldly potentates ) unless every one played his part after the secret operation . and through the subtilty of satan came many thereby to be seduced , and great occasion was given to the infidels to blaspheme against the divine doctrine , and a great slander came to be spread , in that the fame of them was bruted abroad throughout christendom ; and by this means it fell out often , that the infidels of those times conceived a wicked , absurd , and shameful opinion of the christians , saying , that they used the unlawful company of mothers and sisters , and that they fed upon the tender infants and sucklings . how the christians were threatned , and how some were converted by beholding their innocent sufferings . in the judaical wars it was commanded that the christians should be grievously punished , except they would renounce christ and blaspheme god , but some were converted , by beholding the patient and innocent suffering of the christians , from paganism to piety , as one said ; for my self , saith he , delighted with the doctrine of plato , hearing that the christians were led captive , neither fearing death , nor any torments which are accounted terrible . i thought it could not be , that this kind of men were subject unto malice , and set on pleasure ; for what voluptuous person , or intemperate , or delighted with devouring of man's flesh , can so imbrace death , that he be deprived of his desire , and not rather endeavour that this may always last , that he be able to deceive princes , and not betray himself to death . moreover iustinus writeth how that adrianus receiving letters from a noble president , signifying in the behalf of the christians , that it was very injurious , that for no crime but only at the cut-cry of the people , they should be brought and executed . an epistle of adrian the emperor , who ordered that no christians should be accused neither suffer without just cause . unto m. f. proconsul of asia , adrian sendeth greeting ; i received an epistle from s. g ▪ thy predecessor ; the occasion whereof i cannot with silence leave untouched , least that thereby men be troubled , and a gap left open to the malice of sycophants ( that is , talebearers ) wherefore , if your provincials can prove ought against the christians , whereof they charge them , and justifie it before the bar , let them proceed on , and not appeach ( that is , accuse or bewray ) them only for the name , with making out-cryes against them : for it is very expedient that if any be disposed to accuse , the accusation be thoroughly known of you and siftod ; therefore if any accuse the christians , that they transgress the laws , see that you judge and punish according to the quality of the offence : but in plain words , if any upon spite or malice in way of cavillation complain against them , see you chastise him for his malice , and punish him with revengment . antoninus pius epistle in the behalf of the christians . the emperor caesar marcus , &c. sendeth greeting unto the commons of asia ; i know , saith he , the gods are careful to discover hurtful persons ; for they punish such as will not worship them more grievously than ye do those whom ye bring in trouble , confirming that opinion which they conceive of you to be wicked and ungodly men. it is their desire in gods quarrel rather to die than to live ; so that they become conquerors , yielding their lives unto the death rather than to obey your edicts : it shall seem very necessary to admonish you of the earth-quake , which have and do happen among us , that being therewith moved , you may compare our estate with theirs . they have more confidence to god-wards than you have : you during the time of your ignorance , despise other gods , contemn the religion of the immortal god , banish the christians which worship him and persecute them unto death ; in the behalf of these men , many of the provincial presidents have written heretofore unto our father of famous memory , whom he answered in writing again ▪ that they were not to be longer molested , unless they had practised treason aganst the roman empire . and many have given notice unto us of the same matter , whom we answered as our father did before us ; if any therefore hereafter be found thus busied in other mens affairs , we command that the accused be absolute and free , tho he be found such an one , i mean faulty , and that the accuser be grievously punished . this edi●…t was proclaimed at ephesus in the hearing of that great assembly of asia . an extract out of the epistle of the church of smyrna , unto all the congregations of the holy catholick church throughout pontus ; mercy peace and the love of god the father , and of our lord jesus christ be multiplied . we have written unto you brethren , of such as suffered martyrdom ; the beholders of them were amazed , seeing their flesh rent with scourges , even unto the inner veins and sinews , so that the most secret entrails of their bodies , their bowels and inward privities were piteously to be seen ; beholding again the sharp shells of sea-fish , and pibble stones strowed under the martyrs backs and bruised bodies , with every kind of torment that could be devised ; last of all they were thrown to be torn in pieces , and devoured of wild beasts . but there was a certain phrygian , by name quintus , that trembled at the fierce rage of the terrible beasts , and shrinked at the sight of their grim visage , and betrayed his own safety with slackness of courage ; for the same epistle testifieth of him , that he personally appeared , together with the rest before the bar , more of rashness than of any religion ; and being taken he publickly professed , that none ought to intrude himself among such men without good devotion , neither to intermeddle in matters wherewith he hath not to do . the same chapters sheweth how that after polycarpus was apprehended , he was brought to the city upon an ass on the great sabbath day : and a justice of peace , with his father , meeting him , they received him into their chariot , and perswaded him , saying , what harm is it to say , lord caesar , to sacrifice and so be saved ? at the first he answered nothing ; but when they urged him he said , i will not condescend unto your counsel . they perceiving he would not be perswaded , gave him very rough language , and tumbled him down out of the wagon , and afterwards he was brought upon the theatre , or stage ; and when the multitude saw him they were in a great rage : the proconsul , or deputy-counsel , demanded of him whether he were that polycarpus , beckning that he should deny it , and saying , tender thy years , with such like perswasions , swear by the fortune of caesar ; repent thee of that is past , say , remove the wicked . but polycarpus beholding with unmoveable countenance the multitude round about the stage , pointing with the hand sighing , and looking up to heaven , said , remove o lord these wicked : when the proconsul urged and said , swear , and i will let thee go ; blaspheme and defie christ : polycarpus answered , fourscore and six years have i served him , neither hath he ever offended me in any thing ; and how can i revile my king which hath thus kept me ? the proconsul still urged him , and said , swear by the fortune of caesar. to whom polycarpus said , if thou requirest this vain glory , that i protest the fortune of caesar , as thou sayest , feigning thou knowest me not who i am , hear freely , i am a christian ; and if thou desire to know the doctrine of christianity , appoint the day and thou shalt hear it . afterwards the proconsul said , i have wild beasts to devour thee , unless thou repent ; polycarpus answered , bring them forth , for it is determined among us not to pass from the better unto the worse by repentance ; but we count it a thing commendable to turn from the thing that is evil , to that which is good and just . again the proconsul said , i will quiet thee with fire , if thou regard not the beasts nor repent : to whom polycarpus answered , thou threatnest fire for an hour , which lasteth a while and quickly is quenched ; but thou art ignorant of the everlasting fire at the day of iudgment , and endless torments reserved for the wicked : but what lingerest thou ? dispatch as it pleaseth thee . so the proconsul being amazed , commanded the beadle , in the midst of the theatre , thrice to cry , polycarpus confesseth himself a christian. at which saying , the multitude both of the jews and gentiles inhabiting smyrna , shouted with a great rage , this is that doctor of asia , the father of the christians , the overthrower of our gods , who hath taught many that our gods are not to be adored : and they craved of the president , that he would let loose a lion to devour him ; and when he would not do that , then they cryed with one voice , that polycarpus should be burned quick . and in a short while all things necessarily required for the execution were applyed . and when as they would have nailed him to the stake , he said , nay suffer me even as i am , for he that gave me patience to abide this fire , will give me also an unmoveable mind to persevere within the fiery pale , without your provision in fastning my body with nails . cencerning the expressions of justinus the martyr . iustinus ( who reprehended , or reproved the philosophers , as gluttonous and deceiptful persons ) was by the malicious means of crescens the philosopher martyred , which he foresaw and signified in his apology ( i. e. defence , or speech ) in these words : i look for no other thing then this ( said he ) that i be betrayed by some one of them called philosophers : it is not indeed requisite to call him a philosopher , which ignorantly reporteth that the christians are impicus and irregulous , to the end he may please and flatter such , as are overshadowed with the mist of errour and darkness , for if he impugne or resist the doctrine of the christians , having neither read nor known the same , then is he full of malice , and far worse than idiots ( i. e. fools ) that sometime beware they reason not of unknown matters , least they speak falsly : or if he hath read them , he understandeth not the mistery and majestical meaning thereof : or if he do understand them , he doth this , that he be not taken for such an one , and then is he again far more wicked and spiteful , the bondslave of vain glory and brutish fear . what justinus reehearsed in his apology . the aforesaid iustinus makes mention of a certain woman , that had been given unto lasciviousness and lewdness , but when she learned the doctrine of christ , she repented of her former life , and imbraced chastity , and she exhorted her husband likewise to repent , but he continuing still in his former lewdness by his unlawful actions alienated his wife from him : for she said that it was thence forth unlawful for her to use company at bed and board with that man , who contrary to the law of nature , beyond all right and reason sought means to satisfie his filthy lusts , and therefore would she have been divorced from him : but through the perswasion of her friends , who counselled her , a little while quietly to live together , that there was yet hope at length of his repentance , she revoked her sentence , changed her mind , refrained her self , and continued with him in wedlock ; but he accused her for being a christian ; but having no other colour nor cloak to accuse her , his malice turned against ptolomaeus who instructed his wife in the christian faith ; and after he had suffered much in prison , he was examined whether he was a christian , or no ? whose conscience bearing him witness of no crime , but in a just cause , confessed that he had preached the true and heavenly doctrine of christ. for he which denieth himself to be that he is , either condemneth that which is in him , by denial , or knowing himself unworthy and estranged from the matter , refuseth to confess ; whereof neither is found in a true christian ; and when urbitius commanded that he should be brought forth : one lucius ( that was also a christian ) seeing the sentence given contrary to all reason , said to urbitius , what reason is it ( o urbitius ) that thou shouldst condemn this man for confessing the name of christ , which hath comitted neither adultery , neither fornication , neither man-slaughter , neither theft , neither robbery neither any wicked offence , that he may justly be charged withal ? urbitius answered nothing to these things , but said to lucius , and thou seemest to me to be such a one : lucius answered , i am so ; and he commanded him to be brought forthwith to the place of execution . of the spite that was in the jews . the aforementioned iustinus wrote a dialogue ( i. e. a communication betwixt two or more ) against the jews , wherein he declared their spite against the doctrine of christ , saying , you have not only hardned your selves from repentance , but have sent chosen men from ierusalem , which should pass throughout the world , and pronounce that there was a certain christian heresie sprung up ▪ slandering us , as the rest do which know us not , so that hereby you proved your selves authors of falshood ; not only to your own people , but to all other nations : he writeth also that unto his time the gift of prophecy flourished in the church . of hereticks among the christians , and sects among the jews . egesippus wrote , how that after iacobus iustus was martyred , in such sort as christ himself was put to death : his uncle simon cleophas was chosen bishop , and then they called the church a pure virgin ; for , as yet ( saith he ) the devil had not sown there any corrupt seed of false doctrine . but thebulis , because that he was not chosen bishop , went about to corrupt the same , being one of the seven hereticks among the people : he writes of many more hereticks , as of simon , ●…cobius , dosithaeus , gortaeus , machotaei , menend●…anises , carpocratians , valetinians , basilidians , and saturnians , whereof every one ( saith he ) hath set abroach a proper and a several opinion . of these ( saith he further ) sprang the false christs , the false prophets , the false apostles , rending asunder the church with their false doctrine , directed against god and christ ; the same author describeth likewise the old heresies of the jews , saying , there were in the time of the circumcision sundry sects among the children of israel , varying in opinions , and set opposite against the tribe of iudah and christ ; namely these , the esseans , the galileans , the hemerobaptists , the masbotheans , the samaritans , the sadducees , and pharisees . and by occasion the aforesaid egesippus reasoning of the scriptures called apocrypha , that is , hidden , doubtful , or unknown , he said that in his time , divers of them were published by hereticks , that is , such as make choice , of themselves , what points of religion they will believe , and what they will not . of dionysius epistle to the romans . moreover there remaineth an epistle of dionysius , bishop of corinth , unto the romans , as eusebius saith , wherein it is thus written ; it hath been your accustomed manner , saith he , even from the beginning , diversly to benefit all the brethren , and to send relief throughout the city , supplying the want of the poor , by refreshing them in this sort , and especially the want of the brethren appointed for slavish drudgery and digging of metals . the same author reporteth of his own epistles , that they were patched and corrupted ; in these words , when i was entreated of the brethren to write , i wrote certain epistles , but the messengers of satan have sown them with tares , pulling away some things , and putting to other some . for whom condemnation is laid up . no marvel then ( saith he ) though some endeavour to corrupt the sacred scriptures of god , whenas they went about to counterfeit such writings of so small authority . concerning the christians sufferings . melito , the bishop of sardis , in his apology to the emperour , reporteth some of the things practised against the christians , writing thus ; the godly people were grieved by reason of new edicts , which were published throughout asia , and never before practised , now suffer persecution . for impudent sycophants , ( that is , tale-bearers or slanderers , ) and greedy gapers after other mens goods , having gotten occasion , through these proclamations , openly to rob and spoil , day and night , such as commit no trespass at all . and after a few lines , he saith , the emperour that is just never putteth in practice any unjust thing , and we willingly will bear away the honour of this death ; yet this only we will crave of you , that you ( after notice and tryal had of the authors of this contention ) do justly give sentence , whether they are worthy of death and punishment , or life and quietness . of the encratits and their heresie . out of the school of syternius and marcion sprang the hereticks whom they call encratits , ( that is te say , contient or chast persons ) who taught that marriage was to be aborred , contemning the ancient shape and mould of man framed of god ; and so , by sequel ( or consequently ) reprehending him that made the generation of mankind ; again they have commanded abstinence from living creatures , for so they call them ; shewing themselves ungrateful towards god , who made all things for the use of man. after that iustinus was martyred , tatianus fell from the chureh , and being puffed up with presumptuous estimation and self-opinion of doctrineship , as though he passed all other , invented a new form of doctrine . he dreamed of certain invisible worlds with the valentinians : some report that he presumed metaphrastically ( i. e. by a metaphor to change one word from its natural sence into another sence like unto it ) to alter the words of the apostle , correcting , as it were , the order of the phrase . the fifth book of eusebius . the servants of christ inhabiting vienna , and lions , cities of france , unto the brethren throughout asia and phrygia , having with us the same faith and hope of redemption , peace , grace , and glory from god the father and iesus christ our lord be multiplied . when they had premised certain things by way of preamble , they pr●…ceed in these words : the greatness of this our tribulation , the fury of the gentiles against the saints , and what things the blessed martyrs had suffered , we are not able exactly to express by word , or comprehend in writing ; for we are not only banished our houses , baths , and common market-places , but altogether every one one of us are straitly charged not to shew our faces . and many have born all the vexations that the multitude have laid upon them , as examinations , scourgings , draggings , spoiling , stoning , fettering , and the like whatsoever the heady savage multitude accustomed to practise against their professed enemies . next , being had unto the open market-place , and examination had , they were condemned in the presence of the people , by the tribune ( that was , a certain officer that ought to have defended their liberty ) and the other chief potentates of the city , and were cast into prison until the presidents coming : after that , when they were brought before the president which had exercised all kind of extream cruelty against us : vetius epagathus , one of the brethren , ( whose conversation was so perfect , that he was thought comparable with zachary the priest ) allowed not of the sentence unjustly pronounced against us , but with vehement motion required that audience might be given him , to plead for the brethren , alledging that we had committed no impiety , which being denied him , of such as compassed the tribunal ( that is , the iudgment-seat ) and the president rejecting this just petition , only demand whether he was a christian ? which he confessed with a loud voice , and so he was received unto the fellowship of the martyrs : and was called the advocate ( that is , one which pleadeth for another in a consistory , or in a iudgment place ) of the ghristians . there was certain found unready and as yet weak , not of abillity to bear the burthen of so weighty a combate ( in number ten ) which fell through the frailty of the flesh , to our great heaviness , , and sorrowful lamentation , quailing the chearfulness of others , which were not as yet aprehended , but accompanied the martyrs , what torments soever befell them , and severed not themselves from them ; then trembled we all for fear , and that greatly , because of the uncertainty of confessions ; being not terrified with any torments , but careful for the end , least any should fall from the faith , daily there were apprehended such as were worthy to fulfil the number of the faln weaklings , so that out of both these churches , as many as ruled and bore the greatest sway were taken and executed , and also certain of the ethnicks ( i. e. heathens ) being our servants were taken ( for the president had commanded publickly a general inquisition to be made for us ) who being overcome by the subtil slights of satan , and terrified with the sights of the torments which the saints suffered , through the perswasion of the souldiers , feigned against us , and reported that we used the feastings of thiestes and the incest of oedinus , with divers other crimes , which may neither godlyly be thought upon , neither with modesty be uttered , neither without impiety be believed . these things now being bruited , ( or reported ) abroad , every body ( almost ) was moved and incensed against us , insomuch that they which for familiarity sake , used moderation before , now were exceedingly moved and mad with us , great then was the rage both of people , president and souldiers against the martyrs : and among the rest there was a woman called blandina , by whom christ shewed , that those things which in the sight of men appear vile , base and contemptible , deserve great glory with god , for the true love they bear to him indeed without boasting in shew . for when as we all quaked for fear , yea and her carnall mistress ( which also was one of the persecuted martyrs ) was very careful least that peradventure , at the time of her answer , by reason of the frailty of the flesh , she would not persevere constant : yet she was so replenished from above with grace , that the executioners , which tormented her by turns from morning to night fainted for weariness and ceased , confessing themselves overcome : and that they were no longer able to plague her with any more punishments , &c. for she like a noble wrestler , was nenewed at her confession , for ( as it is reported of her ) as oft as she pronounced : i am a christian , neither have we committed any evil : she was recreated , refreshed , and felt not pain of her punishment . sanctus also bare nobly and valliantly ; yea above the nature of man , all such vexations as man could devise ; his constancy was so great , that he uttered neither his own name , neither his kindred , neither the country whence he was : nor whether he were bond or free , but unto every question , he answered in the roman tongue , i am a christian. this confessed he often instead of all other things , of his name , and city and kindred ; neither could the gentiles get any other language of him ; wherefore the president and the tormentors were feircely set against him ; and when as now there remained scarce any punishment unpractised , at length they applyed unto the tenderest parts of his body , plates of brass glowing hot , which ●…ryed , scared and scoarched his body , yet he remained unmovable , nothing amazed , and constant in his confession , being strengthened and moistened with the dew which fell from the celestial ( that is , heavenly ) fountain of the water of life . over all his body his flesh was wounded , his members bescarred , his sinews shrunk , so that the natural shape , and outward hew was quite changed . and when as the wicked tormentors a few days after had brought him to the place of torment , and well hoped , that if they punished him now they should overcome him and prevail : or if that he dyed in torment , they should terrifie the rest , and so warn them to take heed : none of all these things happned unto him , but beyond all mens expectation in the latter torments his body was released of the pain , recovered the former shape ( as it is recorded of him ) and the members were restored to their former use ; so that the second plague through the grace of christ , was no grievous malady ( i. e. disease ) but present medicine , again , satan going about blasphemously to slander us , procured biblis a woman ( one of them which had fainted before ) to be brought forth , supposing her frail and fearful mind , now to be quite altered from the christian opinion , consequently through her blasphemous denial to be in danger of damnation . but she at the very hour of torment , returned unto her self , and waking as it were out of a dead sleep , by means of these punishments temporal , considered of the pains of eternal fire , and unlooked for , cryed out unto the tormentors , and said , how could they devour infants , which were not suffered to touch the blood of bruite beasts ? therefore when she confessed her self a christian , she was appointed to take her chance among the martyrs . afterwards the saints were imprisoned in deep and dark dungeons , and were fettered in the stocks , and their feet stretched unto the fifth boord chink , with other punishments , which furious ministers or goa●…ers , full of devilish rage are wont to put in ure ( i. e. use ) and practise upon poor prisoners : so that many were stifled , and strangled in prison . and when many of the saints were so weakned with grievous torments , that life seemed unto them unpossible , they remaining shut up in close prisons , destitute of all mans aid ; yet even then were they comforted of the lord , and confirmed in body and mind , so that they stirred up and comsorted the rest , several of the younger sort that were newly apprehended , whose bodys had not before tasted of the lash of the whip , loathed the closeness of the prison , and were choked up with stinch : and pothinus bishop of lyons being above four score and ten years old , weak of body , scarce able to draw breath , because of the imbecillity ( i. e. feebleness or weakness ) of nature ; he was carried of the souldiers and laid before the tribunal ( i. e. iudgment ) seat accompanied with the potentates ( i. e. princes or great rulers ) of the city , and the whole multitude diversly shouting , as if he had been christ ; he hath given a good testimony : and being asked of the president who was the god of the christians ; he answered , if thou become worthy , thou sholt understand . after this answer , he was cruelly handled , and suffered many stripes ; for such as were nearest to him , struck at him both with hand and foot , and such as stood afar off , look what each one had in his hand , that was thrown at his head ; and such as ceased from pouring out their poisoned malice , thought themselves to have grievously offended ; supposing by this means to avenge the ruine of their rotten gods. afterwards he was cast into prison , where after two days he departed this life . moreover , as many as fainted in the first persecution were all alike imprisoned , and partakers of the affliction , neither did they prevail , or the denial profit them ; it was thought sufficient fault , that they confessed to have been such ; but these as murtherers and hainous trespassers , were twice more grievously plagued . the joy of martyrdom , the hoped promises , the love towards christ , and the fatherly spirit , comforted the one company ; the other were vexed in conscience , so that their outward countenance bewrayed their inward apostacy , i. e. their revolting or falling from the true religion ; for the former went cheerfully with great majesty and grace , their fetters becoming them as the skirts of the new-married spouse , garnished with sundry colours , and laid over with gold , and withal yielding a christian fragrant , ( i. e. sweet-smelling ) smell , so that many supposed their bodies to have been outwardly perfumed : but the other all sad and mournful , as vile ond abject caitified i. e. base , naughty , mis-shapen creatures , full of all deformity , derided of the gentiles themselves , deserving death as degenerating cowards , destiture of the most precious , glorious , and lively name of christianity ; with the sight hereof many are confirmed , so that suddenly being apprehended , without stay they professed their faith. a little after , in the same epistle , it is shewn , how that maturus , sanctus , and blandina , were led unto the brute beasts in the popular and publick spectacle of the heathenish inhumanity , even at the day appointed of set purpose , where maturus and sanctus were diversly tormented with sundry sorts of punishment , as if they had suffered nothing before ; and whatsoever the outragious multitude craved and commanded , that they suffered ; but above all , they patiently suffered the iron chair , wherein their bodies boiled as in a frying-pan ; yet could they get no other sentence of sanctus , save that confession which he cried at the first . and because caesar had commanded that such as confessed themselves christians should be executed , and such as renounced should depart the frequented solemnity ( which by reason of the concourse of the gentiles from every country was at the beginning very populous ) he brought forth from prison the blessed confessors ( for so it seems the christians were sometimes called ) into the open spectacle , or view , and presence of the people , to be scornfully gazed upon , and when he had again made inquisition them , as many as he ( to wit , the president ) found to be priviledged persons of rome , those he beheaded , the rest he threw to be torn asunder of wild beasts . but attalus was burned in the iron chair ; and being demanded what name god had , he answered , god is not called after the manner of men. and after these things , blandina , together with ponticus ( a young man of fifteen years of age ) was brought forth , and compelled to swear by their idols names : but they constantly persevered in their opinion , and contemning their idols , set the multitude in such a rage against them , that they neither pitied the years of the young man , nor spared the womankind , but plagued them with many torments used in their theaters ( i. e. certain places made for people to sit and behold solemn games and plays ) urging them now and then to swear ; which when they could not bring to pass , ponticus , being encouraged of the sister in presence of pagans ( i. e. heathens or infidels ) who then beheld how she exhorted and confirmed the young man , after he had suffered many torments , yielded up the ghost . and blandina was afterwards wrapped in a net , and tumbled before a wild bull , who fanned and tossed her with his horns to and fro , yet , it is said , she had no feeling of these things ; her mind being fixed and wholly set upon the conference which she had with christ ; and finally she was beheaded . the rage and cruelty of the gentiles did not herewith cease against the christians ; for as many as were choaked up with the noisome stink of the prisons , were thrown to be devoured of dogs , and a continual watch set day and night , that none of them should be buried ; and some fretted and fumed at them , with the gnashing of their teeth , seeking further revengement of them ; others derided and scoffed them , magnifying their idols , as causers of the chrishians calamity . and such as were of a milder nature , and somewhat sorrowed at our sufferings upbraided us ( i. e. cast them in the teeth ) and said , where is their god ? and what profited them this religion , which they preferred before their lives ? and after they had kept the dead bodies six days unburied , at length were burned to ashes ; the ashes also they gathered and scattered in the river rhoanus , ) which passed by , so that no jot or relick thereof should longer remain upon earth . this they did , to the end they might overcome god , and hinder the reviving of the saints , lest that , as they said , there should be any further hope of the resurrection , whereof , say they , the christians being fully perswaded , bring among us a strange and new religion : they contemn ( i. e. despise ) punishment , and hasten themselves cheerfully unto death : now let us see whether they can arise , and whether their god can help and deliver them from our hands . of attalus's revelation . in the aforesaid epistle , there was a certain narration contained , concerning one alcibiades , who lived miserably , feeding only on bread and water , when he had determined with himself to live in prison : it was revealed to attalus , after his first conflict on the theater , that alcibiades did not well , in that he used not the lawful creatures of god , and also gave an occasion of doubting unto others . hereof when alcibiades was perswaded , he used all things indifferently , and praised god : for they were not destitute of the grace of god , but had the holy ghost for their director . what irenaeus wrote concerning the holy scriptures . eusebius relates what irenaeus hath writ concerning the four evangelists ( i. e. the bringers of good tidings ) saying , matthew delivered unto the hebrews the history of the gospel , written in their own tongue . when peter and paul had preached at rome , and planted the church , aftheir departure , mark the disciple and interpreter of peter also , delivered us in writing such things as he had heard peter preach . and luke accompanying paul , comprised in one volume the gospel preached of him . after these , iohn the disciple of our lord , which also leaned on his breast , published a gospel unto the posterity remaining at ephesus . moreover , in the same chapter it is said , that in the captivity of the iews under nebuchadnezzar , the scriptures were perished ( the iews returning into their own region , i. e. country , after seventy years , in the time of artaxerxes king of persia ) he inspired esdras the priest , of the tribe of levi , that he restored again all the sayings of the former prophets , and delivered unto the people the law given by moses . apollinarius concerning montanus . it is now a great while ago , well-beloved a. m. since thou didst enjoin me this task , that i should publish some book against the followers of the heretick montanus , whereupon i doubted unto this day what was best to be done : not because i was not able to confure their falshood , and give testimony unto the truth , but that i feared greatly , lest by writing i should seem to add something to the doctrine of the new testament , whereto nothing may be added , and wherefrom nothing may be taken away , by him that will lead a life agreeable to the gospel . i being of late at ancira in galatia , found the church through pontus , not with prophets , as they call them , but rather , as it shall be proproved , with fal●…e prophets ; where through the lord , as much as in me lay , i disputed in the chuhch , the space of many days , against them and their several objections , so that the church rejoiced , and was thereby confirmed in the truth ; but the contrary part yet repined , and the gainsayers were very sorrowful . it is written of montanus , that he was puffed up with an immoderate desire of primacy , i. e. chief authority , opened a gap for the adversary to enter into him ; and being mad and estranged suddenly , and bereft of his wits , waxed furious , and published strange doctrine , contrary to the tradition and ancient custom of ancient succession , now received , under the name of prophecy ; they which then were auditors of this unlawful preaching , some chastised and checked him for a lunatick ( i. e. one possed with lunacy , who at certain times of the moon is distracted in his wits ) and one that was possessed with the spirit of errours , and forbad him to preach , being mindful of the forewarnings and threatnings of our saviour tending to this end , that we should take diligent heed of false prophets . others waxed insolent ( i. e. proud ) and boasted and bragged of him not a little , as if he had been endued with the holy ghost and gift of prophecy ; so that through disobedient persons , he came to be more honoured than his merit did require : and two women being possessed of a foul spirit , spoke fond , foolish , and fantastical things , even as he had before , and they gloried and rejoiced in that spirit which pronounced them happy , and puffed them up with infinite fair promises ; yet sometimes by signs and tokens he rebuked them to their faces , so that he seemed a chastising spirit . there were few of the phrygians seduced , notwithstanding that bold and blind spirit instructed them to blaspheme and revile generally every church under heaven , because they neither did homage ( i. e. a servile ceremony of some tenants , which by duty they owe to their lords ) neither courteously received among them that false spirit of prophecy . those things he wrote in his first book ; and in his second book he writeth thus of their ends : these , say they , are the prophets which the lord promised to send his people . let them answer me : i charge them in the name of the living god , o ye good people , is there any of the sect of montanus , and these women which have been persecuted by the jews , or put to death by any tyrant ? not one of them bearing the name was either apprehended or crucified , neither was their any woman of them in the synagogues of the jews either scourged or stoned at all , but montanus and maximilla are said to die ' another kind of death . moreover , when the bishops went about to rebuke the spirit which spoke in maximilla , they were hindred by others that wrought by the same spirit , saying , let not the spirit of maximilla say , i am chased as a wolf from the sheep : i am no wolf , i am the word , the spirit and power ; but let him manifestly express the power by the spirit , and prevail . apollonius against the montanists . he wrote in this manner , saying , but what kind of new doctrine this is , his works and doctrine do declare . this is he which taught the breaking of wedlock , i. e. marriage ; this is he which prescribed laws of fasting : this is he which called p●…puza and tymium ( pelting parishes of phrygia ) jerusalem , to the end he might entice all men from every where to frequent thither . this is he which first ordained tollgatherers and taxers of money ; this is he which under pretence and colour of oblations , hath cunningly invented the art of bribing ; this is he who giveth great hire unto the preachers of his doctrine , that by feeding of the paunch his prophecies may prevail . moreover , he addeth , saying , doth not the whole scripture forbid that a prophet should receive rewards and money ? when i see a prophetess receive gold and silver , and goodly garments , how can i chuse but detest her ? again , of another he saith , and besides these , themison also , inflamed with the burning thirst of covetousness , tasted not of the tart cognisance of confession before the tyrant ; but shuffled himself out of fetters with much money . and whenas therefore he should have humbled himself , yet he all in bragery as if he were a martyr , i. e. one that died for righteousness sake , after the example of the apostle , wrote a catholick , i. e. universal or general , epistle very presumptuously , to instruct them which believed better than himself , and to exhort them to strive with him for this new doctrine , and to revile the lord and his apostles , and his holy church . again , speaking of one of their highly esteemed martyrs , he writes in this sort : and that we trouble not our selves with many , let the prophetess tell us touching alexander , who called himself a martyr , with whom she hath banqueted , whom also many do adore , i. e. worship , whose thefts and other heinous crimes , which he suffered for , i will not presently rehearse , for they are publickly known and registred , whose sins hath he pardoned ? whether doth a prophet yield theft unto a martyr , or a martyr an immoderate desire of gathering unto a prophet ? for as when christ commanded , you shall not possess gold , neither silver , neither two goats ; these , on the contrary , seek after the possession of unlawful substance ; for they whom they call prophets and martyrs , have extorted money , i. e. wrested it from people per force , not only of the rich , but of the poor , the fatherless and widows . but if they plead innocency , let them stay and join with us in the issue in the matter , upon this condition , that if they be overthrown , at leastwise from henceforth they will cease to commit the like sin again . the fruits of the prophets are to be tried ; the tree is to be known by its fruit. and that the case of alexander may be known of such as desire it , he was condemned at ephesus by aemilius frontinus , not for his profession , but for his presumptuous and bold enterprised theft , being a lewd person : and then with a false pretence of christian profession , seducing the faithful of that place , he was pardoned and set at liberty . again , in another place , he writeth of their prophets thus . if they deny their prophets to have been bribers , let them affirm it conditionally that if it be proved , they be no longer prophets . for all the works of a prophet are necessarily to be proved . tell me , i beseech ye , is it seemly for a prophet to painthimself in colours ? is it seemly for a prophet to smooth himself with the white glittering stibi●… ? i. e. a certain stone which maketh the skin look very fair , when it is rubbed with it . is it seemly for a prophet to pinch and gingerly to set forth himself ? is it seemly for a prophet to dice and cards ? is it seemly for a prophet to be a usurer ? let them answer me . of apollonius's apology before the senate . apollonius , who was said to be a christian philosopher , i. e. a lover of wisdom and learning , was brought before the tribunal , i. e. judgment-seat , at rome ; and being earnestly intreated of the judge to render an account of his faith before the noble senate , i. e. the council , he exhibited , i. e. gave , or presented , in the presence of them all , a notable apology , i. e. defence or speech , of his faith , in which he suffered martyrdom , i. e. a suffering of grievous torment unto death , for constant perseverance in true religion . for the antient deeree was of force , and prevailed among them , that the christians which were once presented before the tribunal-seat , and not revoked , i. e. called back again , their opinions should no more be set a liberty . a controversie among the bistops about celebrating easter . immediately upon this , victor bishop of rome goeth about to sever from the unity in the communion , all the churches of asia , together with the adjoining congregations , as savouring not aright , and inveighing , i. e. speaks bitterly , against them in his epistles , and pronounceth flatly all the brethren there for excommunicated persons . but this not pleasing all the bishops , they exhorted him to seek after those things which concerned peace , and unity , and love between brethren . and one amongst the rest wrote to him , saying , neither is this controversie only of the day , but also of the kind or manner of fasting ; some think they ought to fast one day , some two , some forty ; and telling the hours throughout day and night , they count a day . moreover , he added how that they that were bishops before soter , of the see which thou governest , neither did so observe it themselves , neither left they any such commandment unto their posterity ; and yet they ( though not observing the same custom ) were at unity with them , which resorted to them from other churches , and did observe the same , although their observation was contrary to the minds of such as observed it not . the sixth book of eusebius . concerning origen . this origen , when he was yet young , bear in his mind fervent desire of martyrdom . he exhorted his father not to faint , when he was in close prison . he was of a child trained up in the holy scriptures , and he contented not himself with the bare and casual ( i. e. that which happened by chance , or uncertain ) reading of the words , but sought farther , searching the perfect profound understanding thereof . when his father died a martyr , he was left an orphan , i. e. one that wanteth father or mother ; of the years of seventeen , he was also afterwards received of a certain matron , i. e. a grave motherly woman , who was very rich , and also religious . he was one that detested the doctrine of hereticks he purchased unto himself a famous opinion among the faithful , in that he cheerfully embraced , in the heat of persecution , all the martyrs , not only of his acquaintance , but such as were unto him unknown : he visited not only such as were fettered in deep dungeons and close imprisonment , neither only such as looked for the last sentence of execution , but after judgment given and sentence pronounced . he was present with the martyrs , boldly accompanying them to the place of execution , putting himself in great peril oftentimes , boldly embracing them ; so that once the furious rage of the fond multitude of the gentiles ( i. e. such as did not profess the faith of christ , or heathen ) had stoned him to death , if the divine power of god had not marvelously delivered him . souldiers were commanded to watch about his house , because of the multitude that came to be instructed of him in the christian faith. it is said of him , that as he taught , so he lived ; that as he lived , so he taught . when he perceived many disciples to frequent unto him , and that the charge of the school was now by demetrius the bishop committed unto him alone , he supposed the reading of humanity ( i. e. courtesie or pleasant manners ) to be out of season , and transformed the school , as altogether ●…nprofitable , by reason of prophane literature , to the exercise of godly discipline ( i. e. instruction . ) after good advice taken for necessary provision , he sold the prophane writers , which he had diligently perused , and laid by him , enjoing the buyer ●…ay by day four half penny of the set price , wherewith he contented himself . of the martyrdom of potamaiaena a virgin , marcella her mother , and basilides a souldier . it is said that potamaiaena for the chastity of her body , and purity of mind , strove very stoutly with her lovers ; and that after she had suffered very much for the faith of christ , with her mother marcella , she was burnt with fire , and consumed to ashes ; after sentence pronounced , potamaiaena was taken and led to basilidos , a souldier of authority among the host , to execution . and when the multitude molested her fore , spitefully handling her with opprobrious , i. e. repro●…chful , terms ; basilides repressed and rebuked their raging speeches , pitying her very much , and practising great courtesie towards her : and , on the other side , she approved and acknowledged his courteous dealings towards her , and bade him be of good cheer , &c. when she had done speaking to him , pitch scalding hot was poured by little and little over all her body . and such was the suffering that this worthy virgin sustained . but not long after , basilides being required by his fellow-souldiers to swoar for some occasion or other , he refused , and said that it did not become him , or it was n●…t lawful for him to swear , for h●… was a christian. at the first he was thought to dally ; but when he constantly a vouched it , i. e. affirmed it boldly , he was brought before the judge , and there confessing the same , was clapt in prison , afterwards he was beheaded and suffered martyrdom . clemens bishop of alexandria , of the canonical scripture . the epistle unto the hebrews he affirmeth to be paul's for undoubted , and therefore written in the hebrew tongues for the hebrews sakes , but faithfully translated by luke , and preached unto the gentiles . it is not to be misliked at all , saith he , that paul an apostle is not prefixed to this epistle ; for , saith he , writing unto the hebrews , because of the ill opinion they conceived of him , very wisely concealed his name , lest that at first he should dismay them , i. e. astonish them . afterwards of the order of the evangelists , according unto the tradition of the elders , he writeth thus : the gospels which contain the genealogies ( i. e. a description of stocks , lineages , or pedigrees ) are placed and counted , first , the gospel after mark was written upon this occasion : when peter preached openly at rome , and published the gospel by rote , many of the auditors intreated mark , being the hearer and follower of the apostle a long while , and one that well remembred his words , to deliver them in writing such things as he had heard peter preach before ; which thing when he had signified to peter , he neither forbad him , nor commanded him to do it . iohn last of all , seeing in the other evangelists the humanity of christ set forth at large , being intreated of his friends , and moved by the holy ghost , wrote chiefly of his divinity . bishops were divided about a lay-man's preaching . origen was intreated of the bishops to dispute in the open church , and to expound the holy scripture , before he was called to the ministry : which may evidently appear , by that which they wrote in defence of the fact unto demetrius concerning him , after this manner : ( he laid this down in his letters , that there was never such a practice heard of : that there could no where the like president be found , that lay-men , i. e. such as are not of the clergy ) in presence of bishops have taught in the church . we know not for what cause he reporteth a manifest untruth , whenas there may be found such as in open assemblies have taught the people ; yea , whenas they were present learned men that could profit the people : and moreover , holy bishops at that time also exhorting them to preach ; as several might be instanced . dionysius bistop of alexandria reporteth in his epistle , the constancy of such as were martyred at alexandria , under decius ; as followeth . dionysius unto rabius bishop of antioch . this persecution was not begun by the emperour's edict ( i. e. proclamation or decree ) but one whole year before : for there came unto this city a certain southsayer , and inventer of mischief , who moved and stirred up the whole multitude of the heathen against us , and excited ( i. e. stirred up ) them to defend the superstition of their native soil : by whom they being thus provoked , and having won to their side such as were of power and authority , to perpetrate ( i. e. to commit any unlawful thing ) all impious acts , they perswaded themselves , that the only worship of devils and our slaughter was piety ( i. e. godliness ) it self . first then , they apprehended a certain minister , and commanded him to utter blaspemy ; who for disobedience therein , was beaten with clubs , his face and eyes they pricked with sharp quills ; afterwards they led him forth , and stoned him to death . again , they brought into the temple of idols , a faithful woman named quinta , and constrained her to worship ; who contrarying and abhorrying their idols , had her feet bound together , and by them trailed and lugged all along the streets . which were paved with sharp stones ; and withal being beaten against mill-stones , and sore scourged , she was brought forth to the place and executed . which being done , they all almost with one accord violently rushed into the houses of the religious , and and the wicked led the heady multitude unto their neighbours houses , whom they knew to be godly and well-disposed , and they destroyed , spoiled , stole , and bore away the precious jewels ; but the vile , the base , and the wooden stuff they threw out into the street , and burned it to ashes ; shewing forth thereby a resemblance , or spectacle of a city taken and ransacked by the enemy . but the brethren took it in good part , and very cheerfully suffered they the loss of their goods ; much like unto them of whom paul hath testified , so great was the rage of the heathen , that there was no way left for us to pass , no not the common high-way , nor any by passages either by day or night ; they cried out all , and exclaimed every where ; there was no other choice , but either to utter blasphemy , or to be drawn and burnt at a stake . but in the end , this sedition and civil war overtook the seditious persons themselves , and turned upon them the self-same cruely , which they before had practised upon us ; so that for a little season we refreshed our selves , their fury wherewith they raged against us being somewhat abated . but a while after , the alteration of the imperial scepter was made known unto us , which before-time had been very favourable unto us , but now threatned great mischief to ensue , and the emperours edict or proclamation was proclaimed ; and that most dreadful saying of our saviour prognosticated ( i. e. foretold ) long before , then took place , that if it had been possible , the very elect themselves should have been offended .. then did all tremble and quake for fear ; some forthwith of the mightier sort fled away , doubting what would befall them ; some of their own accord were carried away with their worldly affairs , some were perswaded by their neighbours , and being called by their names , were present at their profane and impious sacrifices : some waxed pale and trembled , not as though they would sacrifice , but like to become sacrifices and oblations ( i. e. offerings ) to the idols , so that the whole multitude derided them ; for they seemed manifestly to be timerous both to die , and also to sacrifice ; some went stoutly to their altars , and affirmed boldly that they never were christians ; some other there were that held with both sides ; some fled , and some were taken , whereof divers endured fetters and imprisonments : othersome after long imprisonment , before they came unto the tribunal ( i. e. judgment ) seat , renounced ( i. e. forsook or denied ) their faith ; yea , some denied christ , after they had endured torments . but iulianus and cronion ( who confessed and acknowledged the lord with a sound faith ) were burned to ashes in the presence of the people , which compassed them round about . whenas they were brought forth , a certain souldier rebuked such as reviled them , wherefore they exclaimed against him , so that he was brought forth in that great skirmish for the christian faith , and was beheaded . dioscorus , a young man of fifteen years old ( with others ) were committed : first of all the judge took the young man in hand with fair speeches , as though he were easie to be intreated ; afterwards with torments , as though he were soon terrified ; but he for all his perswasion , would neither bow at his flatteries , or break at his threats . the rest , after they had endured cruel rending and dis-jointing of their bodily members , he commanded to be burned with fire : but dioscorus he set at liberty , wondring at his gracious countenance ( which gave a glittering shine ) and the wise answers which proceeded out of his mouth , saying he would grant him longer space to repent and remember himself , for his tender years sake . moreover , nemesion an egyptian was accused of theft , whereof , after he had openly purged and cleared himself before the centursion ( i. e. captain of 100 men ) again he was accused of christianity , wherefore he was bound and brought before the president ( i. e. a ruler or judge . ) but the most cruel and unjust judge delivered him among the thieves , to be twice more grievously tormented and vexed . there stood before the tribunal-seat certain souldiers , and together with them old theophilus , who ( when any of the christians came to hear the sentence or judgment , and then was ready to shrink ) so strugled , that they were ready to burst within themselves ; they nodded with their countenance , and beckned with their hands , exhorting them to constancy , with many signs and gestures of the body ; the which when the multitude in compass had perceived , before that any laid hands on them preventing their doings , they stept forth before the bar , and proclaimed themselves to be christians ; so that the president and his assistants were amazed , and the christians upon whom the sentence had past , were thereby emboldened to suffer , and the judges marvellously afraid . these therefore departed from the tribunal ( i. e. judgment ) seat cheerfully , and rejoyced in the testimony of their faith , god gloriously triumphing in them . ischyrion martyred by his master . many others ( saith dionysius ) throughout the cities and villages , were quartered and dismembred by the ethnicks ( i. e. heathens ) whereof for example sake i will rehearse one . isohrion , being a noble-man's hired servant , and by office his stoward , was commanded by his master to do sacrifice , and when he obeyed not , he was contumeliously ( i. e. reproachfully ) reviled . the heathen master seeing his christian servant so constant , p●…rsisting in his former opinions , taketh a great cudgel in his hand , and beat his body and bowels till breath departed . what shall i say of the multitude of them which wander in the desart , and waste mountains , consumed with famine and hunger , and cold and diseases , spoiled by thieves , and devoured by beasts , whose blessedness and victories , they that remain alive are able to testifie . these things ( brother ) i write not in vain , but that thou mayest understand , what and how great evils and mischiefs have happened among us , whereof they know more , which among all others have felt most . of novatus his heresie and impiety . there was a certain priest of rome that was puffed up with pride , became himself the author and ringleader of his own heretical sect ( to wit ) of such as through their swelling pride did call themselves kathrous ( i. e. puritans ) whereof there was a synod ( i. e. a general or universal assembly ) gathered together at rome , of threescore bishops , besides many ministers and deacons : and it was decreed , that novatus , together with such as swelled and consented unto his unnatural opinion , repugnant , i. e. disagreeing , or contrary , to brotherly love , should be excommunicated and banished the church , &c. it is said , that this novatus longed of old after a bishoprick ; and to the end he might conceal his own peevish desire , he used the cloak of arrogancy , i. e. pride or loftiness , who chose two men of a desperate condition to be partakers of his heresie : these being simple men , not knowing their crafty and malicious fetches , they were unclosed by such lewd persons as were suborned , i. e. were brought in for false witnesses , for the purpose ; and a●…ut ten a clock when they were somewhat tipsie , i. e. wanton , or somewhat drunk with wine , and well crammed with victuals , were constrained to create him bishop , with imaginative , or devised and frivolous , i. e. vain laying on of hands , the which craftily and subtilly , not compatible for his person , he challenged unto himself . it is said of him , that he being loth to die , and desirous of life , in the time of persecution , denied himself to be a priest : and when he was intreated by the deacons , and admonished to come forth of the house ( wherein he had enclosed himself ) and to minister unto the necessity of the brethren which wanted ; he was so far from yielding to the deacons , that he went away , and departed in a chafe , saying , that he would playno longer the priest , but addict himself unto another trade of phylosophy . it is said of him , that when he distributed the oblation to people , that he caused them to swear unto him , by the body and blood of our lord iesus christ , that they would never forsake him . an epistle of dionysius bishop of alexandria , unto novatus . dionysius unto the brother novatus , sendeth greeting : if thou wast constrained against thy will , as thou saist , thou wilt declare the same , if thou return willingly . thou shouldst have suffered rather any thing , than to have rent asunder the church of god ; neither is this martyrdom which is suffered for not severing and dividing the church of less glory than that which is tolerated , i. e. suffered , for denial of sacrifice unto devils , yea , in iudgment , it is of far greater glory . for in the one martyrdom is suffered for one soul , in the other for the universal church ; i. e. the church in general , or the whole church . for if thou either perswade the brethren , or constrain them to return to unity , this notable act will be far greater than the fault that went before ; and the one will be imputed , i. e. laid to his charge , the other will be commended : if thou canst not perswade the rebellious and disobedient , save at leastwise thy own soul. i desire thy health in the lord , and thy embracing peace and unity . the seventh book of eusebius . concerning origen . origen is said to have suffered much affliction for christ's sake , being famous , eloquent , trained in the church even from his youth up ; but through envy he was brought before the rulers and magistrates , and through the despiteful subtilty and crafty invention of satan , he was brought into great slander and blemish of infamy . they say , that the authors of iniquity devised that a man should work the feat ; that is , they prepared an ethiopian , or foul black-moor , beastly to abuse his body ; but he not being willing to away with , neither willing to hear of so horrible an act , brake out into loud speeches , and exclaimed at both the things which were given him in choice : rather than the one , he would do the other . the choice was , that either a black-moor should play the sodomite with him ; or he himself should sacrifice unto idols : and in the end he consented to sacrifice ; whereof when they had put frankincense crifice in his hand , they threw it into the fire upon the altar . by this means he was by the judge put from martyrdom , and also banished the church . after that , he was intreated by the priests of jerusalem , to bestow a sermon upon the people in the church ; after great intreaty , and in a manner constrained by the priests , he rose up , took the bible , opened it , and happened upon this parcel of scripture : unto the ungodly , said god , why dost thou preach my laws , and takest my covenant in thy mouth ? when he had thus read , he clasped the book , sate down , and burst out into tears , together with all the audience , i. e. the assembly of people , which wept with him . he lived till he was threescore and nine years old : and after his fall , he wrote his lamentation , out of which i have drawn this following extract . o ye saints and blessed of god , with waterish eyes and wet cheeks soaked in d●…lour ( i. e. sorrow ) and pain ; i beseech you to fall down before the mercy-seat of god for me , miserable sinner : wo is me , because of the sorrow of my heart : wo is me that my soul is thus afflicted ; wo is me that i am compassed thus on every side , and shut up in my sin , and that there is no health in me : wo is me , o mother , that ever thou broughtest me forth for a skilful lawyer , to be overthrown in his unrighteous dealing ; for a religious man to fall into extream impiety ( i. e. ungodliness . ) wo is me , o mother , which broughtest me forth a righteous man to be conversant in unrighteousness ; an heir of the kingdom of god , but now an inheritor of the kingdom of the devil ; a perfect man , yet a priest found wallowing in impiety ; a man beautified with honour and dignity , yet in the end blemished with shame and ignominy ( i. e. infamy ) a man beset with many evils , and choaked with infamous doings : wo is me , o mother , which broughtest me forth as an high and lofty turret ( i. e. tower ) yet suddenly turned down to the ground ; as a fruitful tree , yet quickly withered ; as a burning light , yet forthwith darkened ; as a running fountain , yet by and by dried up . wo is me that ever i was bedecked with all gifts and graces , and now seem pitifully deprived of all . but who will minister moisture unto the temples of my head , and who will give streams of tears unto my eyes , that i may bewail my self in this my sorrowful plight ( i. e. estate . ) alas , o priesthood , how shall i bewail thee ? alas , o ministry , how shall i lament thee ? o all you my friends tender you my case , pity my person , in that i am dangerously wounded . pity me , all ye my friends , in that i am now become an abject person ( i. e. a cast-away , or one cast down in mind , almost desperate : ) pity me , o ye my friends , in that i have now trodden under-foot the seal and cognisance ( i. e. notable token ) of my profession , and joined in league ( i. e. peace , truce , or friendship ) with the devil : pity me , o ye my friends , in that i am rejected and cast away from the face of god : it is for my lewd life that i am thus polluted , and noted with open shame : bewail me whom the angels have bewailed ; bewail me whom the saints have bewailed ; bewail me , o all ye nations under heaven , in that i am fallen from my glory . the lord hath made and engrafted me a fruitful vine , but instead of pleasant clustered grapes , i have brought forth pricking thorns : bewail me also , for that instead of grapes i have brought forth brambles . alas , what have i felt , and how am i fallen ? alas , how am i thus come to naught ? there is no sorrow comparable unto my sorrow ; there is no affliction that exceedeth my affliction ; there is no bitterness that passeth my bitterness ; there is no lamentation more lamentable than mine , neither is there any sin greater than my sin , and there is no salve for me . alas that ever i was doctor , and now occupy not the room of a discipl●… : thou knowest , o lord , that i fell against my will , whenas i went about to enlighten others , i darkened my self ; when i endeavoured to bring others from death to life , i brought my self from life to death : when i minded to present others before god , i presented my self before the devil ; when i desired to be found a friend and a favourer of godliness , i was found a foe , and a furtherer of iniquity : when that i set my self against the assemblies of the wicked , and reproved their doings , there found i shame and the most pestilent wound of the devil : when that i was ignorant and unskilful in the divers slights of strivers which commonly entrap men ; i allured and exhorted them to the knowledge of the son of god ; wherefore after much sifting , they promised me , unhappy man , crafty conveyances to avoid the subtilty of satan . but after that i departed from them , the devil in the same night transformed himself into an angel of light , and reasoned with me , saying , when thou art up in the morning , go on , and perswade them , and bring them to god ; if they demand ought of thee , if in case they condescend and hearken unto thee , do it , and cease not , staggering nothing at the matter , to the end many may be saved . and again , the devil going before to prepare the way , whetted their wits to devise mischief against me silly wretch , and sowed in their minds hypocrisie , dissimulation , and deceit . but i , o unhappy creature , skipping out of my bed at the dawning of the day , could not finish my wonted devotion , neither accomplish my usual prayer , but wishing that all men might be saved , and come unto the knowledge of the truth , folded and wrapped my self in the snares of the devil . i got me unto the wicked ; i required of them to perform the covenant made the night before . o blinded heart , how didst thou not remember ? o foolish mind , how didst thou not bethink thy self ? o witless brain , how didst thou not understand ? o thou sense of understanding , where didst thou sleep ? but it was the devil which provoked thee to slumber and sleep , and in the end slew thy unhappy and wretched soul. he bound my power and might , and spoiled me of my knowledge ; he bound my power and might , and wounded me . i answered but in word , and became reproachfully defamed : i spake without malice , yet felt a spight . the devil raised an assembly about me , and pronounced against me that unjust sentence : origen hath sacrificed . o thou devil , what hast thou done unto me ? how hast thou wounded me ? i bewailed sometime the fall of sampson , but now have i felt a far worse my self ; i bewailed heretofore the fall of solomon , yet now am i fallen far worse my self ; i have bewailed heretofore the state of all sinners , yet now have i plunged in them all . sampson had the hair of his head clipped and cropped off , but the crown of glory is fallen off from my head : samson lost the carnal eyes of his body , but my spiritual eyes are digged out . it was the wiliness of a womon that brought him to his confession , but it was my own tongue that brought me to this sinful fall : and even as he wanted after that the loss of his earthly possession ; so my tongue having bolted out this wicked saying , deprived me of the spiritual gifts , which sometimes have flowed with heavenly riches . and even as he being severed from the israelites , and cleaving unto foreigners , endured these things ; so i going about to save notorious sinners , brought my self captive unto captives , and the bond-slave of sin. alas , my church liveth , yet am i a widdower ; alas , my sons be alive , yet am i barren : alas , every creature rejoiceth , and i alone am forsaken and sorrowful : alas , o church , wherein i was gladsome : alas , o seat , wherein i sate full merry : alas , o spirit , which heretofore camest down upon me , why hast thou forsaken me ? i am forsaken , and become desolate , because of the corruption and filth of mine iniquity . bewail me that am deprived of all godliness ; bewail me , o ye blessed people of god , who am banished from god ; bewail him who is bereaved of the holy ghost ; bewail me that am thrust out of the wedding-chamber of christ : bewail me who once was thought worthy the kingdom of god , but now altogether unworthy : bewail me that am abhorred of the angels , and severed from the saints of god : bewail me for that i am condemned to eternal punishments : bewail me , for that i am here on earth , and now tormented with the prick of conscience : and what shall i do i wot not , being thus on every side beset with misery . if there be any man that can , i beseech him now to help me with his earnest prayers , and with his sorrowful tears ; for now it behoveth me to shed infinite tears for me great sin. who knoweth whether the lord will have mercy upon me , whether he will pity my fall , whether he will tender my person , whether he will be moved with my desolation , whether he will have respect unto my humility , and encline his tender compassion towards me , who have no taste nor relish of him , but am as the unsavoury salt. now let the elders mourn , for that the staff whereto they leaned is broken : now let the young men mourn , for that their school-master is fallen : now let the virgins mourn , for that the advancer thereof is defiled : now let the priests mourn , for that their patron ( i. e. a great friend ) and defender is shamefully fallen : now let all the clergy ( i. e. bishop , priests , deacons , &c. ) mourn , for that their priest is fallen from the faith : wo is me that i sell so lewdly ; who is me that i fell most dangerously , and cannot rise again . now all ye which behold my wound tremble for fear , and take heed that ye slumber not , neither fall into the like crime ( i. e. fault or offence ; ) but come jointly which have the same measure of faith , let us assemble together and rend our hearts , and provoke streams of tears to gush out of the temples of our heads : i mourn and am sorry from the heart root , o ye my friends , that ever i fell from aloft ; i have fallen , and am bruised , there is no health in me . let the angels lament over me , because of this my dangerous fall : let the garlands and crowns of the saints lament over me , for that i am severed from among their blessed assemblies : let the holy-church lament over me , for that i am ruinously decayed : let all the people lament over me , for that i have my deaths wound . i was constrained of the holy bishops to break out into some words of exhortation , and taking the book of psalms in my hand , i prayed and opened ; and i lighted upon that sentence , the which i am ashamed to repeat , yet compelled to pronounce , unto the ungodly said god , why dost thou preach my laws , and takest my covenant in thy mouth ? but bewail me , and lament this my bitter sorrow ; bewail me who am in like case with the reprobate jews ( i. e. cast-aways ) for that which was said unto them by the prophet , now soundeth alike in my ears ; what shall i do that am thus beset with many mischief . alas , o death , why dost thou linger , to wit , that thou mayst spite and bear me malice ? o satan , what mischief hast thou wrought unto me ? how hast thou pierced my breast with thy poisonous dart ! thinkest thou that my ruine will avail thee any thing at all ? thinkest thou to procure unto thy self ease and rest , while that i am grievously tormented ? who is able to signifie unto me whether my sins be wiped and done away ? whether that i have escaped the pains which greatly i feared ? who is able to signifie to me whether again i shall be coupled , and made a companion of the saints ? alas , o the bosom of the father which i am deprived of ! alas , that i became partaker with the rich man of his condemnation in the horrible pit , and partner of his thirst , in the bitter place full of sorrow and heaviness ; why hast thou broke down my hedge and strong hold ? the wild boar out of the wood hath destroyed me , and the wild beast of the field hath eaten me up ; rid me , o lord , from the roaring lion. the whole assembly of saints do make intercession unto thee for me , which am an unprofitable servant ; have me , o lord , out of the mouth of the ravenous wolf , and suffer me not to become the sacrifice of sin , but let down upon me thy holy spirit , that with his fiery countenance he might put to flight the crooked fiend of the devil , that i may be brought home again unto thy bosom ; that the bill of sin written against me may be blotted out ; that my lamentation may cease in the evening , and receive joy in the morning : let my sack-cloth be rent asunder , and gird me with joy and gladness ; let me be received again into the joy of my god ; let me be thought worthy of his kingdom , through the prayers and intercession of the saints , through the earnest petition of the church , which sorroweth over me , and humbleth her self unto jesus christ , to whom with the father and the holy ghost , be all glory and honour for ever , amen . dionysius professed that he was profited by reading the books of the heretick . dionysius writeth thus unto philemon a roman minister , i have read over the traditions and commentaries ( i. e. registers , or records ) of he eticks , not infecting my mind with their impure cogitations , ( i. e. unclean thoughts or thinkings ) bu●… profiting my self so much thereby , that i reprehend ( i. e. reprove ) them with my self , and detest , i. e. abhor , them utterly : and when i was brotherly and charitably forbidden by a ●…ertain minister , who feared lest i should wallow in the puddle of their maliciour writings , whereby my soul might perish , who as i thought said the truth . a certain vision came to me from heaven above , plainly commanding and saying , read all whatsoever cometh into thy hands , for thou shalt be able to weigh , to prove and try all , and by this means at the first thou came unto the faith. concerning valerianus the emperour . we have to consider , how that above all his predecessors , i. e. those that were in place or office before , he was disposed at the first , gentle before all the men of god , meek , friendly-minded ; for there was none of all the emperours , so courteous and friendly affected towards them , no not they which openly were accounted christians ; he at the first embraced our men most familiarly , most lovingly , and that openly , so that his place was replenished with professors of the faith , and accounted for the church of god : yet afterwards he became so exceeding cruel and wicked , that he brought to pass impure ceremonies , i. e. unclean rites or customs , execrable , i. e. herrible or wicked , enchantments , and abominable sacrifices : he made a slaughter of miserable children : he sacrificed the sons of unfortunate , i. e. unhapy , parents : he searched the bowells of newly born babes , spoyling asunder the shaped creatures of god , as if by such hainous offences he should become fortunate , so that he became a deadly foe unto the catholick , i. e. universal or general , christian faith , under which was raised the eighth persecution against the christians . of dionysius constancy , and fidelity in the time of tryaly ; of his banishment and suffering . in as much , saith dionysius , as it is commendable to conceal the secrecy of the king , and glorious to publish abroad the works of god , forthwith then will i shew the willfulness of germanus ( a bishop who at times backbited dion : ) i came unto aemilianus with some of the brethren : and aemil. said not unto me specially raise no conventicle ( i. e. a small assembly commenly for evil ) for this would have been superfluous , ( i. e. that which is too much ) and the last of all he having recourse unto that which was first , his speech was not of making no conventicles but that we should be no christians at all , and commanded me to cease henceforth from christianity , for he thought that if i altered mine opinion divers others would follow me . i made him answer neither unreverently nor tediously , that we ought to obey god rather than man. yea , i spoke with open protestation : i worshiped god which is only to be worshiped , and no other , neither will i be changed , neither cease henceforth from being a christian : this being said , he commanded us to depart to a certain village adjoyning upon the desert called cephro , afterwards dionysius , with others were brought forth , and aemilianus sat in the presidents room , and said , i have here signified by word unto you the clemency , i. e. gentleness or mercy , of our liege and lord the emperours towards you . they have granted you pardon , so that you turn unto that which nature it self doth bind you unto , so that you adore , i. e. worship the gods which guard the empire , and forget the things which repugn , i. e. resist nature : what answer make you unto these ? i hope you will not ungratefully , i. e. unthankfully refuse their clemency , insomuch as they counsel you to the better . dionysius answered , all men do not worship all gods , but several men do worship several gods , whom they think good to be worshiped : but we worship and adore the one god the worker of all things , &c. then aemilianus the president said , what lett is there , i beseech you , but that naturally you adore that your god ( insomuch as he is a god ) together with these our gods ? dionysius said , we worship no other gods ; to whom aemili . the president said , i see you are altogether unthankful , you perceive not the clemency of the emperour ; wherefore you shall not remain in this city , but shall be sent into the parts of lybia unto a place called cephro ; this place by the commandment of the emperour , i have picked out for you . it shall not be lawful for you and others to frequent conventicles , neither to have recourse , as they call them , unto church-yards . if any of you be not found in that place which i have appointed for you , or in any conventicle , let him under his peril . there shall not want sufficient provision ; depart therefore whither you are commanded . so he commanded me , saith dionysius , although sickly , to depart with speed , not deferring no not one day . afterwards he wrote thus ; truly we are not absent , no not from the corporal congregation of the lord ( i. e. from some that were of or belonging to the body ; ) for , saith he , i gather such as are in the city as if i were present , being indeed absent in the body , but present in the spirit . and there continued with us in cephro , a great congregation , partly of the brethren which followed us from out of the city , and partly of them which came out of egypt ; and there . god opened to me a door unto his word ( that was in the place to which he was banished ) yet at the beginning we suffered persecution and stoning , but at the length not a few of the painims ( i. e. country-men ) forsaking their carved images , were converted . for unto such as before had not received , then first of all we preached the word of god , and insomuch as therefore god had brought us among them , after that the ministry was there compleat , he , to wit , aemilianus removed us unto another place , which was thought to be more rough : i hearing we must depart from thence , and knowing not the place whither we were commanded to go , neither remembred i that ever afore i heard it named , for all that , took my journey willingly and cheerfully . yet here i will accuse my self ; for at the first i fretted and took it very grievously . if places better known and more frequented , had fallen unto our lot , it should never have grieved me ; but that place whither i should repair , was reported to be destitute of all brotherly and friendly consolation , subject to the troublesome tumult of travellers , and violent invasion ( i. e. assault ) of thieves . moreover , he relates how germanus peradventure gloried of many confessions , and could tell a long tale of the afflictions which he endured : but what can be repeated on our behalf ? sentences of condemnation , confiscations ( i. e. forfeiture of their goods to the emperor or king's use ) prescriptions ( i. e. banishment , or open sale made of their goods ) spoiling of substance , deposition of dignities ( i. e. deprivation of honour ) no regard of worldly glory , contempt of the praises due unto presidents and consuls , threatning of the adversaries , the suffering of reclamations ( i. e. gainsayings ) perils , persecutions , errors , griefs , anguishes , and sundry tribulations , &c. yea , there were men , women , young men , old men , virgins , and old women , souldiers and simple men , of all sorts and sects of people ; whereof some after stripes and fire , were crowned victors ( i. e. conquerors ) some after sword , some other in small time sufficiently tried , seemed acceptable sacrifices unto the lord. and yet to this day ( said he ) the president ceaseth not cruelly to slay some that are brought forth , to tear in pieces othersome with torments ; to consume other with imprisonment and fetters , commanding that none come nigh them , and enquiring daily if any such men be attainted ( i. e. convicted , or proved guilty of some great crime . ) yet for all that , god refresheth the afflicted with chearfulness , and frequenting of the brethren . how persecution ceased . when valerianus's son got the supremacy ( i. e. chief place , rule , or authority ) he wrote unto the bishops , as followeth : the emperor caesar p. l. &c. unto d. p. d. together with the rest of the bishops , sendeth greeting : the benefit of our gracious pardon we command to be published throughout the whole world , that they which are detained in banishment , depart the places inhabited of pagans ( i. e. heathens . ) for the execution whereof , the copy of this our edict ( i. e. proclamation or decree ) shall be your discharge , lest any go about to molest you . and this which you now may lawfully put in ure ( i. e. use ) was granted by us long ago . marinus a souldier suffered martyrdom . the cause was this ; there is a certain dignity among the romans called the centurions vine , the which whosoever doth obtain , is called a centurion , i. e. a captain of a hundred ; when the room was void , the company called marinus to this degree ; and he being preferred , another came before the tribunal , or judgmen-seat , and accused him , affirming that it was not lawful , by the antient laws , for him to enjoy that roman dignity , because he was a christian , and sacrificed not unto the emperor , and that it was his turn next to come in place . the judge being very much moved with this , first demanded what opinion marinus was of , and when he saw him constantly confessing himself to be a christian ; he granted him three hours space to deliberate , i. e. advise or consider . this being done , theote●…nus bishop of caesarea took marinus in hand with exhortations , and shewed him the sword that hung by his side , and pulled out of his pocket the new testament , and set it over against the sword , and bade him chuse whether of these two he preferred or liked best , for the health of his soul , when he immediately stretching out his hand , had taken up the book of holy scriptures : hold fast then , saith theote●…nus unto him , cleave unto god , and thou shalt enjoy the things thou hast chosen , being strengthned by him , and get in peace . after he had returned thence , the crier lifted up his voice , and called him to appear at the barr , the time granted for deliberation being now ended . standing therefore at the barr , he gave tokens of the noble courage of his faith , wherefore in a while after as he was led , he had the sentence of condemnation , and was beheaded . several bishops wrote unto dionysius bishop of rome , and to others , concerning paulus samosatenus , who was rejected as a heretick by them . they say that neither by art , trade , or exercise he attained unto the abundance of wealth he enjoyed , but with lewd acts and sacriledge ( i. e. robbing of a church , or stealing of holy things ) by injurious or wrongful and tyrannical oppressing of the brethren , whom he made to tremble for fear with his guileful gain , and wily promise of hired patronship , i. e. defence or protection , by which subtilty and deceit he gained so much , that procured the givers to be liberal , to the end they might be delivered from their adversaries , and so he turned godliness into gain . neither need we declare how that he being puffed up with pride , usurped secular d●…gnities , i. e. took into his use contrary to right , worldly honours and would rather be called a warlike captain , than a bishop of the church , walking stately through the streets and market-place reading letters , and withal openly inditing ; maintaining about him a great troop to guard his person , some going before , and some coming after ; so that our faith and religion ran to great spight , slander and hatred , by reason of his swelling pride and haughty disdain . neither will we rehearse the monstrous figments , i. e. lyes , which he feigned , his glorious brags , the uglisome spectacles , i. e. horrible sights , he devised to amaze the minds of the simple sort . he made for himself a lofty seat and high throne , not like the disciple of christ , but severed , in shew and title after the manner of the princes of the world , smiting the thigh with the hand , pouncing the foot-stool with his feet : if any extolled him not as the use is upon theaters , i. e. places where people sit to behold solemn games or plays , with clapping of their hands , with shouting and hurling of their caps ; if any also both of men and women had not skipped to and fro with busie-bodies and undescent obeisance , i. e. uncomely obedience by bowing the knee ; if any as in the house of god had behaved themselves honestly and decently , i. e. comely or handsomely , the same he checked and all to be reviled . he licensed the bishops and ministers of the adjoining villages and cities , which honoured him to preach unto the people ; the elders and deacons which accompany with him know his wickedness , but dare not accuse him , insomuch as they themselves are guilty of the same crimes ; for he enricheth them , wherefore he is both beloved and honoured of them that gape after the like gudgeons , i. e. gift or reward . we know , beloved brethren , that a bishop and the whole order of priesthood , ought to be a patern of good works unto the common people ; neither , are we ignorant of this , that many are fallen by reason of the closely kept women , and many again are subject to suspicion and slander . the eighth book of eusebius . concerning the peace and prosperous success of the christian affairs , and calamity which followed after . the clemency , or mercy of the emperors was so increased towards the christians , that they committed the government of the gentiles to them : and for the great favour they bore to our doctrine , saith eusebius , they granted liberty and security to the professors of christian religion : what shall i say of them , who in the very palace of the emperours , and in the presence of princes lived most familiarly . yea the bishops of all churches came to be in great reverence and favour among all sorts of men , and with all magistrates , who can worthily describe those innumerable heaps , flocking multitudes , throughout all cities and famous assemblies , frequenting the places dedicated or appointed unto prayer ; because of which circumstances , they not contented with the old and antient buildings ( which could not receive them ) have throughout all cities builded them from the foundation wide and ample churches . but then after that our affairs through too much liberty , ease , and security , degenerated , i. e. turned out of kind , from the natural rule of piety ; and after that one pursued another with open contumely , i. e. disgrace or reproach , and hatred ; and when that we impugned , i. e. resisted or assaulted , our selves by no other than our selves , with the armour of spite , 2nd sharp spears of opprobrious , i. e. reproachful , words , so that bishops against bishops , and people against people raised sedition , i. e. discord or strife : last of all , when that cursed hypocrisie and dissimulation had swom even to the brim of malice , the heavy hand of gods high iudgment , after his wonted mann●…r , whilst as yet the ecclesiastical companies , i. e. them of , or such as belonged to the church , assembled themselves nevertheless , began softly by little and little to visit us ; so that the persecution that was raised against us took its first original , i. e. first beginning , from the brethren which were under banner in camp , whenas we were touched with no sense or feeling thereof , neither went about to pacifice god ; we heaped sin upon sin , thinking like careless epicures , i. e. such as are given to excess in gluttony , that god neither cared , nor would visit our sins . and they which seemed our shepherds , laying aside the rule of piety , practised contention and schism among themselves , i. e. division in matters of religion ; and whilst they aggravated , i. e. made things worse and worse by words , these thing , viz. contention , threatnings , mutual , i. e. that which passeth one from another , hatred and enmity , and every one proceeded in ambition , i. e. pride , or immoderate desire of soveraignty , much like tyranny it self ; then , i say , the lord , according to the saying of ieremiah , made the daughter of sion obscure , and overthrew from above the glory of israel , and remembred not his foot-stool in the day of his wrath. of dioclesians proclamations against the christians . in the nineteenth year of dioclesian's reign was there proclamations published , in which it was commanded , that the churches should be made even with the ground , the holy scriptures by burning them should be abolished , i. e. disannulled or destroyed ; such as were in honour and estimation should be contemned , and such as were of families , if they retained or held the christian faith , should be deprived of their freedom . and such were the contents of the first edict . but in the proclamations which immediately followed after , it was added : that the pastors , i. e. shepherds , throughout all parishes , first should be imprisoned , next with all means possible constrained to sacrifice : afterwards some endured bitter torments ; others fainted for fear , and at the first onset , or first violent assault , were quite discouraged : some were tortured and launched with more intolerable pain , some failed of the purposed end , some were found constant and perfect . yet the enemies of truth triumphed and laboured to bring their purpose to effect . concerning the persecution . the persecution against the christians grew so exceeding great , that some after many torments endured , were broiled to death ; some were hanged , and some were beheaded . and about that time , some of the emperour's palace hapned to be on fire , and when the christians were taken in suspicion to be the authors thereof , by the emperors commandment the whole troop generally of all the godly there , at that time was executed , whereof some with the sword were beheaded ; others burned with fire , others carried in a boat , and thrown into the deep sea. and such were the practices in the beginning of the persecution at nicomedia . afterwards the emperor commanded all the pastors throughout every church , to be imprisoned and kept in hold ; multitudes were inclosed or shut up , and the prisons of old appointed and ordained for murderers , diggers of sepulchres ; and riflers of graves , were then replenished with bishops , ministers , deacons , &c. so that there was no room in prison for such as were condemned for hainous offences . again , when the former edicts had taken place , there followed others , by virtue of which , such as sacrificed were set at liberty , and such as resisted were commanded to be tormented with a thousand kind of torments . concerning the roman empire . before the roman empire waged battel against us , saith eusebius , in the space the emperors favoured us , and maintained peace , it may not sufficiently be declared how prosperously the commonwealth flourished and abounded with goodness , &c. and whenas the empire after this sort increased without offence , and daily was enlarged , they had no sooner removed peace from among us , but they stirred up battels as could not be reconciled . not fully two years after this hurlyburly , i. e. tumult or stir , there was such a change happened unto the whole empire , which turned all upside down . for no small disease overtook the chief emperour , and bereaved , i. e. deprived , him of his wits : afterwards the empire was divided into two parts , the which was never remembred to have come to pass before that time . not long after constantius the emperor , passing all others throughout his life-time in clemency and goodness towards his subjects , when he died his son constantine supplied his room : in his life he was most benign among all the emperors ; who alone of all the emperors in our time governed most gloriously and honourably during the whole term of his reign , shewing humanity and bountifulness unto all men , &c. the dissimulation of maxentius . maxentius , who exercised tyranny at rome , in the beginning of his reign dissembled our faith egregiously ( i. e. some time basely ) creeping into credit by flattering the people of rome ; and therefore he commanded his commonalty or vulgar people , to cease from persecuting of the christians , whereby he might pretend a show of piety , i. e. godliness , and seem tractable and more benign , i. e. favourable , than his ancestors that went before him : but in process of time , he was not indeed found the same which men took him for , and hoped he would be ; for he fell into all kind of enormities ( i. e. he went out of rule or measure ) omitting no heinous offence , how detestable and lascivious soever it was unessayed ( i. e. untried ) wherefore all , both high primates ( i. e. archbishops ) and inferiour people , trembling for fear of him , were oppressed with his intolerable tyranny ; yet neither by silence , neither by suffering this grievous servitude ( i. e. bondage or base estate ) could they be free from the bloody slaughter and imbrued murther of this tyrant . concerning maximinus , and his proclamation in the behalf of the christians . it seems his behaviour towards the christians was very cruel , and the persecution long and tedious in his day , which continued for 12 years : he exceeded many in hypocrisie , superstition , idolatry , oppression , prodigality , in drunkenness , lechery , &c. wherefore a plague lighted on him , which took root in his flesh , and afterwards proceeded even unto his soul. at length being thus tormented , and lying in this miserable condition , he began to ponder with himself the rash enterprises he had practised against the holy worshippers of god : wherefore returning unto himself , first he confessed his sins unto god , next calling unto him such as then were about him , he gave commandment , that with all speed they should cease from persecuting the christians ; and that by the commandment and decree of the emperor , they should build again their churches , &c. and his proclamations were published throughout the cities , containing a re●…antation of these things formerly prejudicial unto the christians . in the third year of our persecution under the reign of maximinus , the second hurly-burly was raised against us ; and the tyrants letters were then first of all brought to urbanus , charging all the people of what degree or calling soever , that they should sacrifice unto their gods ( the magistrates also throughout every city busily applying themselves to the same ) and that the beadles throughout all the city of c●…sarea , should , by virtue of the presidents edict , summon the fathers , the mothers and their children , to appear at the idols temple ; and that the tribunes should likewise out of a scroll ( i. e. a piece of paper or parchment which might be called a bill ) call every one by his name ; by reason whereof , there was no where but heaviness , sobbing and sighing . and apphianus went cheerfully unto the president as he was sacrificing , and boldly took hold on his right hand , and stayed him forthwith from doing sacrifice , exhorting him thenceforth to cease , and to be no more seduced ; saying moreover , there was no reason that he should despise the one , and the only true god , and offer sacrifices unto devils , immediately after he was haled of the presidents train as of savage beasts furiously raging againest him , and tormented over all his body with many stripes , the which he patiently suffered ; and for a while was clapt in prison ; and afterward shas brought before the judge , and was tortured with many torments , and was finally cast into the se. great persecution against the christians . a young virgin called theodosia coming to salute certain prisoners , she was apprehended , as if she had done some heinous and horrible offence , and she was haled before the president , and he forthwith like a mad man bereaved of his wits , scourged her bare sides with bitter and grievous lashes , and afterwards she was drowned in the sea. afterwards many were condemned to the mine-pits : , not for commodity and profits sake , but for affliction and misery ; some burned ; three martyrs enjoyned to buffet , if not to kill one another ; and some were torn of wild beasts ; and some of the christians were g●…lded , and afterwards condemned to the quarries ; and others were condemned grievously , and chastised with imprisonment and fetters . of which number was pamphilus , of all my familiars , saith eusebius , my dearest friend , a man who among all the martyrs of our times , excelled for every kind of virtue . but not long after this villany exercised upon pamphilus and others , vengeance from above began on a sudden to take hold on urbanus their persecutor , while as yet he governed in this sort ; so that after great shame and ignominy being convinced of hainous crimes , and horrible treachery , he was condemned to die ; then he whined like a child , and cried for the help of the whole nation which he had ruled . the punishment of 130 confessors , and of persecution reviving again , against the christians . not long after there were 130 valiant champions out of the country of egypt , protesting their faith in christ and religion to god-wards , which at the commandment of maximinus , suffered in egypt the like torments ( viz. ) that their right eyes should be sticked upon the point of a bodkin , and all to be digged out , and searched to the inner veins with a hot scalding iron , and that the left leg should be sawn alunder in the knee-sinews : but with these hainous and horrible treacheries practised against the noble and renowned martyrs of christ , the great heat of persecution was asswaged , and the flame thereof ( as it seem'd unto us ) by reason of their blood was quenched , and now pardon and liberty was granted unto the confessors , for so the christians ( it seems ) were then called of thebias , who were then oppressed with drugery in the digging of metais , growing in that region : and we poor silly christians , went about to recreate our selves in this calm season of quiet peace : but he in whose hand it lay to persecute us , i wot not how , neither by what motion , was again throughly and wonderfully incensed , i. e. stirred up to anger against the christians . therefore , upon a suddain the letters of maximinus were sent to raise persecution against us in every province , whereupon the president and the grand captain of the emperors whole host gave out commandments by writs , by epistles and publick decrees unto the wardens in every city , unto the governours and rulers of garrisons , unto auditors , i. e. officers of account , and recorders , that the emperours edict with all speed might take effect : and charged moreover , that withal celerity , i. e. swiftness or speed , they should repair and build again the idol-groves , and temples of devils , lately gone to ruine : and also they should bring to pass that men and women , their housholds and families , their sons and their servants , together with their tender sucklings hanging at their mothers breasts should sacrifice , and in very deed taste of the sacrifice themselves , &c. these things being come to this pass , and the christians being ( as it is most like ) altogether dismayed at these sad sorrowful plunges wherewith they were held : and the ethnicks , i. e. heathens themselves complained , of the intolerable , and adsur'd , too too shameful a dealing , for they were cloyed with too much cruelty and tyranny , and this lamentable season hanging every where over our heads , the divine power of our lord jesus christ again gave unto these his champions such valiant courage of mind , that they set at naught , tread down , and stamped under foot , all the terrors and threats which the enemy could devise . three therefore of the faithful christians linked together in one mind , went unto the president as he sacrificed , and with a loud voice exhorted him , to reform himself , to rev●…ke his errour , and to leave his folly , affirming there was no other god but he , who was the author and finisher of all things : and being demanded who and what they were , boldly made answer , that they were christians : whereat firmilianus being vehemently moved , without any more ado or farther punishment , commanded forthwith , they should be beheaded . the ninth book of eusebius . maximinus forbad assemblies in church-yards . this tyrant who bore rule in the eastern parts , would not suffer the christians to live in peace , no not six whole months , but pur in ure every mischievous practice , to the overthrow of peace and tranquility , first by a certain pretence he goeth about to bar us of our liberty of meeting in church-yards ; next , by sending certain malicious men , he incited , i. e. stirrod up , and provoked against us the citizens of antioch , that they should buy of him for a great benefit , that he would permit no christian at all to dwell within his dominions . maximinus waged battel with licinnius and was overcome , and then published an edict in the behalf of the christians . maximinus became so furious and mad that he broke the league made with licinnius , and he raised an irreconcilable war ; and in a short space therefore with all might he molested in manner every city , and having gathered all his host together and mustered a multitude of many myriads , i. e. ten thousands of souldiers , he marched to battle , trusting in devils whom he took for gods , and was arrogant , i. e. proud or insulting , because of his great multitude of armed souldiers , but he was overcome , and became subject to most vile shame and reproach , and being stricken with rage and madness , he slew many priests and prophets of their gods ; afterwards he ordained a most perfect absolute decree in the behalf of the christians liberty . wherein he said ; that if any were disposed to cleave unto such ceremonies ( i. e. rites , or customs , or to addict themselves unto the observation of that religion , it might be lawful for them without offence to follow their own will ; and that they should be hindred or forbidden , by no man. our pleasure is moreover , that without fear and suspition , they should use that service which pleased every man best , wherefore we have decreed to publish this edict , wherby it may appear manifest unto all men , that it may be lawful for them as many as will follow that opinion and religion , by this our gracious gifts and letters pattents , i. e. writs , or commissions from the prince , as every one listeth and is delighted , so to use that religion , which him pleaseth , and after his own manner to exercise the same , besides this also is permited unto them that they may build places of prayer for the lord : last of all , that this our gift may be the greater we have vouchsafed to decree that also : that if any house or mannors , i. e. farm-houses without the walls of the cities , heretofore belonging unto the christians title , by the commandment of our ancestors have passed unto the crown , either presently enjoyed by any city , or otherwise sold or given to any man for a reward , all these we have commanded they should be revoked , to the ancient rights of the christians , whereby all may have experience of our piety and providence in this behalf . these words of the tyrant , not one year being fully past , followed the edicts or proclamations which against the christians were ingraven in pillars . afterwards he was smitten of god with a plague from above , and his flesh wasted by an invisible fire , so that it consumed and dropped away , and lost all the fashion of the old form , being become like a painted image , dryed up of a long time ; his eyes passing their bounds , left him blind ; at length he confessed he suffered those things justly , and gave up the ghost . foelix quem faciunt aliena pericula cantum . happy is he , whom other mens harms do make to beware . the tenth book of eusebius . the heathen were glad of the christians success : the emperor favoured them much . the heathen being delivered and rid of the former mischiefs , confessed diversly , that the only true god was the defender of the godly christians : but unto us there was an unspeakable joy ( saith eusebius ) which with incessant hope did depend upon christ the anointed of god : moreover , the most puissant , i. e. mighty , emperors by their often constitutions , i. e. appointments , published in the behalf of the christians , have amplified and enlarged the things granted to us by the free bountifulness of god. unto the bishops also there came favourable letters from the emperor ; dignities were bestowed , summs of money and presents were sent them . the edicts of constantine and licinnius , touching christian religion , and the liberty thereof . weighing with our selves , said they , that of old the liberty of religion was not to be hindred , and every one had licence after his mind and will ; we have presently commanded , that every one shall handle the holy affairs at his pleasure , and that the christians shall retain their faith of their former opinion and wonted service . whenas with prosperous success we came to milan , and enquired of the things which made for the commodity and profit of the commonwealth , these amongst many other things seemed expedient , yea , before all other , we purposed to decree ; wherein the reverence and service due to god is comprised ( i. e. contained ) that is to say , by which we might grant unto the christians altogether free choice to embrace what service and ceremony pleased them best , to the end the divinity of the celestial ( i. e. heavenly ) affairs now every where received , might in some part be pleasing unto us , and to all our subjects . then according unto this our pleasure , we have decreed , with sound and most right judgment , that licence any liberty be henceforth denied unto none at all , of chusing and following the christian service or religion , but that this liberty be granted unto every one , to addict his mind unto that religion which he thinks fit for him , to the end that god may grant unto us his wonted care and goodness . and now whosoever freely and firmly is disposed to retain the christian religion , let him do it without all molestation or grievance . and because that we have granted liberty to use their observance and religion , if so please any ; it manifestly availeth for the tranquillity , i. e. ease and quietness , of our times , that every one have liberty to chuse and worship what god pleaseth him best . this have we done , lest ought of our doings seem prejudicial unto any service or religion . and because the said christians are known not only to have enjoyed the place of their meetings and assemblies , but also certain other peculiar ( i. e. proper ) not to every one privately , but belonging by right unto their whole society ; see that thou command all those according unto the decree mentioned before , to be restored unto the christians . afterwards the emperor summoned a synod i. e. a general or universal assembly , of bishops to meet at rome , for the uniting and reconciling of the churches ; for it seemed unto him very grievous , that there should be found in his provinces , a multitude of people prone , i. e. inclining unto the worse , and disagreeing , and that among bishops there should be variance . money granted unto ministers by the emperor . constantine the emperor unto decilianus bishop of carthage , sendeth greeting : inasmuch as it pleased us to administer something for expences sake , unto some certain ministers of the approved and most holy religion , throughout all the provinces of africk : i have signified unto ursus , that he should cause three thousand poles of silves ( i. e. certain weights , one contain-in 222 pounds and six ounces , the other weighing 208 pence ) to be told unto thy fidelity . and forasmuch as i understand that some troublesom persons were supposed to pervert by some lewd corruption , to people of the most holy and catholick ( i. e. universal ) church ; wherefore if thou perceive such men to persist in their folly , without any more ado have recourse unto the judges , and make them privy thereof , that they consider of these as i charged them when they were present . a copy of the epistle , by the which the emperour freed the bishops from paying tax or tribute . we greet you , most honourable anilinus : because it appeareth diversly , that if the religion wherein great estimation of holiness is maintained be set at nought , great danger will ensue to the publick affairs : and again , if the same be orderly handled and maintained , great prosperity and special felicity ( i. e. happiness ) will follow unto the roman empire , and the affairs of all men , the goodness of god exhibiting ( i. e. giving ) the same . it seemed good unto us , that those men which labour in this godly religion , with due holiness and diligent observation of this law , shall receive recompence of their travels : wherefore our pleasure is , that they of the province committed to thy charge , whom we commonly term clergy-men ( i. e. bishops , deacons , and priests , &c. be wholly free and exempt ( i. e. free from any service or payment ) from all publick burthens , lest by any errour or cursed swerving they be withdrawn from the service due unto god , but rather may occupy themselves about their profession , without any molesting at all , who , while they perform the great ministry of the holy worship , do seem to profit very much the publick affairs . licinnius's cruelty towards the christians . afterwards licinnius began to imitate the wickedness and impiety of cruel tyrants , and secretly endeavoured by little and little to impugn , i. e. resist or assault , the saints under his dominion , who never molested or endamaged his empire , neither hurt him any kind of way at all : yet by his injunctions commanded , that no charity by any man should be extended towards them which were afflicted in prison , neither compassion should be had on them , which in fetters were like to perish with famine ; neither was it lawful for any to be honest , or to practise charity towards their kinsfolk , whom they were bound to pity , even by the law of nature . the law was indeed shameful and cruel , and far from a good nature ; unto the which there was a penalty annexed , that such as had shewed compassion , were punished alike with them unto whom they had been merciful ; and such as had shewed any kindness towards them , were fettered , imprisoned , and punished alike with the afflicted . such were the constitutions ( i. e. decrees or appointments ) of licinnius . so that the flattering presidents , to gratifie the mischievous tyrant , tormented some without cause that had done no evil , as if they had been murtherers ; whereof some endured a strange death , their bodies being cut in small pieces as butchers do use , and after this cruel and horrible spectacle , thrown into the bottom of the sea , to become food for fishes . but in a short time after , licinnius was overcome by constantine , who favoured the christians , and restored unto them external peace . the end of the first part. a summary , or brief hint of the twelve persecutions sustained by the ancient christians : with a compendious paragragh upon the same ; and a catalogue of the synods and councils which were after the days of the apostles : together with a hint of what was decreed in the same ; as also the judgment of some wise men concerning such convocation . like-wise an appendix of some observable things concerning the christians which lived about a thousand and four hundred years since ; with whose state , principle , and condition , is parallell'd the suffering christians of this age. part ii. qui est crucianus , non est christianus . he that beareth not the cross of christ , is no disciple of christ. for unto you it is given in the behalf of christ , not only to believe on him , but also to suffer for his sake , phil. 1. 29. london : printed for francis holder , in the passage going into white-hart-yard , in lombard-street , 1698. part ii. how from the beginning the enmity of satan hath been great against the reghteous and innocent people of god. of a truth , he that is born after the flesh , persecuteth him that is after the spirit ; and that irreconcielable enmity which god ( after many transgression ) put betwixt the seed of the woman , and the seed of the serpent , hath in all the ages of the world , appeared in satans instruments against the righteous and harmless people of the most high , who since the fall have suffered through many generations : and it is observed , how that when the adversary of mankind had got possession in cain ( adam's first son , gen. 4. 1 , 8. ) that then did cain rise up against his brother abel , and slew him : and this same adversary is he , who hath been a murtherer and a lyar from the beginning , who until this day hath retained a place in the hearts of cain's posterity ; and one remarkable token whereby he might be known in all ages hath been persecution . and after he had gotten dominion in mans heart , the wickedness of man became great in the earth , and the imaginations and thoughts of his heart were evil continually ; so that the earth came to be corrupted , yea to be filled with violence . and then did the wicked and ungodly often offer violence unto the just and righteous , even as the wicked sodomites did unto just lot , whose enmity was not only against him , but also against the angels whom he had entertained , gen. 19. 5. and likewise this adversary of god and good men , had gotten place in the hearts of joseph's brethren , who conspired together to slay him ; but they not being suffered of the lord to do that , they cast him into a pit in the wilderness . moreover , it appears that satan ( i. e. an adversary or devil ) had a possession in pharoah , and in the egyptians , who did much perplex and afflict the righteous in those days ; for they were grieved with them , and therefore did they make the lives of the righteous bitter with hard bondage , &c. again , the enmity of this adversary was great in many of the potentates of the earth , against the people of god in the days of old , as appears in sundry places of the old testament . and it may be observed , how that when they that were called the lords people departed from his counsel , that then this adversary got place in them also ; which plainly appeared by their murmuring against the lord , when they were wroth over his servants , and cried out , stone them with stones , &c. numb . 14. 10. again , this adversary of god , and of good people , got possession , yea dominion in the sons of belial ; who beset the house of him that entertained the way-faring levite , and intended to have slain him . again , we may see how that when saul departed from the gounsel of the lord , then did the evil spirit of this adversary enter into him ; and then commanded he his footmen to slay the lord's priests ; and although they would not do it , yet doeg slew fourscore and five of them upon one day , 1 sam. 22. 17 , 18. again , the evil persecuting spirit of this adversary appeared also in jezebel , ahab's wife , who stirred up the elders and the nobles to procure two false witnesses against naboth , to testifie falsly against him , as if he had blasphemed against god and the king ; and the people of the city being leavened with the aforesaid spirit , they carried him out of the city , and stoned him to death . again , when the israelites were departed from the lord , then did the enmity of this adversary of god and all goodness appear in them , which manifested it self by the wrath and indignation which appeared in them against the prophet jeremiah , whom they cast into prison , and against zechariah , whom they slew betwixt the temple and the altar . yea , so mightily did the enmity of satan's persecuting spirit prevail over them , that in the end they killed and crucified those whom god sent among them , and scourged them in their synagogues , and persecured them from city to city , mat. 23. 24 , 25. from these few examples which i have here alledged , it doth most plainly appear , that satan , this adversary of god , of the creation , and of mankind , hath of old had a mighty enmity against the righteous , yea before the coming of the messiah , of whom the prophets that were slain testified ; and it is manifest , that it was his persecuting power and spirit which appeare in cain , in joseph's brethren , in the sodomites , in the sons of belial , in the egyptians , in saul , in jezabel , and in the jews : and the same enmity hath often appeared in the same persecuting power and spirit of this old adversary against the true christians since the coming of the messiah ; which may more clearly appear from that which followeth . when the jews had crucified the lord of glory , then did they raise a terrible persecution against the apostles , and that under pretence of religion ; yet they sought to conceal their blood-thirstiness , through their carrying on their wicked design by the romish authority ; for they said expresly , it was not lawful for them to put any man to death ; yet in the mean time they could hale them before their councils , where the high-priest was president , and there did they judge and condemn the christians , as they had done christ ; and afterwards they delivered them to the earthly powers , to be punished according to their sentence ; calling the christians the sect of the nazarites ; and said they set the whole world in an uproar , and sought to annihilate ( i. e. to bring to nothing ) the law of moses , whereupon they presently got the help of the rude multirude to persecute the christians , and that under pretence of defending of religion . note , are not the true christians now called a fanatick sect ? and are they not accused for making uproars and tumults , when they are as free from such things as the christians were in the days of the apostles ; who were not only accused for making uproars , but also for setting the law of moses at nought , even as true christians now are falsly accused for making void the scripture , and of setting it as nought ; whereupon many now suffer about their religion ( by such as pretend to defend and propagate it ) even as the ancient christians did then under the jews , who resisted the spirit of truth , and the holy men that spoke as it gave them utterance ; and being filled with an evil spirit of malice and enmity against the lord and his truth , they whipped the apostles , and haled stephen before their council , and procured false witnesses against him . and when stephen in his answer laid open their wickedness , they were pricked at the heart , and gnashed their teeth at him , and stopped their ears , and run forceably upon him , and stoned him to death . and after that , a mighty persecution of the christians arose , insomuch that they came to be scattered throughout the land of judah and samaria . after that the jews did bring much suffering upon the christians , against whom their indignation was great , and especially against paul , whose life they earnestly sought after , and sometime did they stone him , and sometime they did whip him , and often were they moved with envy against him and the brethren , and upon a time , took unto them certain lewd fellows of baser sort , and gathered a company and set all the city upon an uproar , and assaulted the house of jason , and drew him out with others of the brethren unto the rulers of the city , crying they that have turned the world upside down are come hither also , and these all do contrary to the decrees of caesar. note . hath it not been so of late in england , that when the true christians have come to one of their friends houses in a city , some evil affected person or other , hath gathered a company of rude people , and have haled the innocent out of their friends houses , when they have been edifying and building up one another in the most holy faith : so that oftentimes the anti-christians have behaved themselves like the unbelieving jews , and through their tumultuous uproaring have they caused the peaceable and harmless to suffer , when they who were guilty have gone free . moreover , the professing jews manifested their envious spirit against paul , when they stirred up the people and laid hands upon him , crying out ; men of israel help : this is the man that teacheth all men every where , against the people , and the law and this place ; and all the city was moved , and all the people ran together , and they took paul , and drew him out of the temple , and had him before their council , and accused him to the governor ; but when they could not prevail , neither by righteousness nor by violence , then did a company of them bind themselves by an oath , neither to eat nor to drink until they had killed paul. thus much concerning the jews . note , since that the gospel hath been preached again in the power and demonstration of the eternal spirit , some cities in england have been as in uproars , where the true christians have so preached the gospel as before mentioned ; and at the same time they have been accused for teaching people against the scripture , and for incensing of them against magistracy and ministry , yea against their laws and discipline ; and thereby have some professing antichristians , stirred up the rude rabble shamefully to intreat the good christians , who at this day are found in the footsteps of the ancient suffering christians . object . but some will say , who dost thou call the true and good christians , whom thou dost at this time parallel with the ancient christians ? we know not whom thou meanest , nor do we know whom thou callest the anti-christians ; thou mightest do well to inform us a little . answ. i call them the true or good christians , who walk in the light of the lamb , who follow him through honour and dishonour , through evil report and good report , who bear his daily cross without murmuring , who do unto others as they would be done unto , who renounce the vain customs of the world , and forsake the frivolous traditions of men , tógether with the hidden things of dishonesty ; who are truly contented in suffering when they are therein exercised , and that for the exercise of their conscience in matters pertaining unto religion , who for conscience sake cannot swear , because their master forbids them , nor pay tithes , because their lord is come who ends the first priesthood that took tithes , and is become their priest , unto whom they could freely give tithe , sacrifice , oblations , &c. but these that be external he wills not , therefore do they freely offer that unto him , which they are sure he will not reject nor despise , to wit , a clean , contrite , and broken heart , &c. and they who live godlily and unreprovably , as becometh right christians , such i do call good and true christians . and foras much as i find the people ( who in contempt are called quakers oftner than christians ) in the light of the lamb , in his doctrine , and in the practices in which the antient christians were exercised , therefore it is meet that they now should be called the good or true christians . and for the anti-christians ( i. e. opposers of , or adversaries to true christianity ) such i call so , as are found professing christianity in words , but deny it in works , as some that professed in words they knew god , but in works they denyed him ; so they that profess to be christians , and live in all manner of unchastity , they by their works deny that which they profess in words , and so are not worthy to be called christians , while they are found in that which is against , or contrary to christianity , in which thousands of persecuting false christians are found ; and therefore do i call such antichristians . how the ancient christians suffered by the heathen ; and how true christians now suffer by the same spirit of enmity and persecution , which is entered into the false christians , alias antichristians . the first persecution . when that the jews were bereaved of their power by the heathen , and that the time was expired wherein they had so cruelly used the people of god , nevertheless the christians were not therefore freed from suffering , for they were therein exercised under the heathens power , and nero was said to be the first tyrannical emperour that persecuted the christians ; it was called the first persecution , because it was under the emperors power , and it began in the year 66 , after the birth of christ , and at that time was chiefly within the city of rome : about that time did people begin to accuse the christians , with all manner of wickedness , and to esteem them as reprobates , because they did not honour the gods. note , have not the true christians suffered in england , under the sundry powers that have been of late , even as the antient christians suffered under the iewes . and it appears that when the iewes were deprived of their power , then did the heathens persecute the christians ; and did not both protectors and parliaments persecute the innocent when they were in authority ? but since they have been deprived of the power , and turned out as the iewes were , when the gentiles came to have the preheminence , hath not the king himself become guilty of their sin in persecuting or suffering the innocent to be persecuted within his dominions ; and hath not all manner of evil been spoken of them , and they been accounted unfit to live in either kingdom or commonwealth , and that chiefly because they could no more honour that proud and ambitious spirit which is gotten up in the hearts of men , then the antient christians heretofore could honour the gods of the heathen ? the second persecution . in the year of our lord 93. did the second persecution begin under the emperour domitianus , under whom several were put to death , and about the same time was the apostle iohn banished unto the island pathmos , where he wrote his revelation ; in those days the christians were so little esteemed , that the people called them cobler , weavers , combers of wool , illiterate and exceeding rustick , or clownish , yea such as knew no good fashions . note . have not some of the true christians been put to death of late in new england ? and have not many of them suffered the spoiling of their goods , and their bodies to be cast into prison , to be whipt , and shamefully intreated by the anti-christians , and that about their religion ? and have not many of the true christians been in derision called coblers , taylers , weavers , plowmen , &c. so little esteem have the true christians now among the children of this world , as the antient christians heretofore have had among the children of men. the third persecution . in the year 102. did the third persecution begin under the emperour trajanus , who tho' he was called a good emperour , did nevertheless persecute the christians , out of humility to the gods , in which persecution several bishops were put to death , as the bishop of rome , the bishop of ierusalem , &c. and at that time the bishop of antioch testified , that sufferings made us like unto christ , who had suffered for us himself , preparing a way through suffering unto eternal life : about the same time did a governour write unto the emperour in the christians behalf , whereupon the emperour wrot , that they should seek no more of them , but those they had in prison should they put to death . note . without controversie the bishop or pope of rome , must needs be much degenerated from that state in which those bishops then were ; forasmuch as he now ( by that power through which they were put to death ) doth put others to death about their religion , for which they then suffered martyrdom : from hence it may be observed that the bishops now , which persecute tender consciences about religion , are found rather in the footsteps of the heathen , then in the condition of those bishops that suffered martyrdom : moreover in these latter days the lord hath stirred up some at times to speak a word , or to write a few lines in the behalf of the true christians unto them in authority , whereby their hearts have been so far moved and reached , that they have done something in order to the mitigating of the sufferings of the innocent , who at this day share with their brethren in the fellowship of the suffering of the gospel . the fourth persecution . in the year , 164. was the fourth persecution of the christians , which arose under the emperour , marcus aurelius and lucias verus , in which polycarpus bishop of smyrna was put to death , who had been a disciple of john , and had been many years in the service of the lord , as he himself acknowledged ; about the same time was iulianus put to death at rome , in whose time the christians were accused for having a fleshly conversion one with another , which he marked to be lyes by their willingness to die , and thereby he coming to be converted , became an eminent teacher of the christians . at lyons in france did there go forth a proclamation , that the christians might not dwell in their houses , nor that they must not converse upon the streets , nor shew their faces ; which being impossible for them to perform , their sufferings became exceeding great ; and in the mean time some of the slaves gave out that the christians lived in filthy lasciviousness among themselves : in this persecution there was one lucius put to death , for reproving the judge for puting the christians to crueller deaths then any other transgressors . note , though the true christians now are vilified and falsly accused by anti-christians as the ancient christians were in former ages , yet wise men can see their innocency , and therefore do they love them in their hearts , and some time some have been convinced , by beholding the patience , long-suffering , and innecency of the innocent in these latter days : who now some time do suffer the loss of their liberty , and the spoyling of their gods , if not banishment , either by vertue of proclamations , or of decrees , or of corrupt laws , which true christians now can no more observe and obey , then the antient christians observed the aforesaid preclamation of the king ; and this hath been evident , that sundry of the true christiant in these later days have died in prison [ as some did in the aforesaid persecution ] where they-sealed their testimony with their blood , as many have done before them : and sometimes it hath hapened that affliction hath been added to the bonds of some of the true christians , when they have told a judge or an inferior officer , that malefactors have had more freedom and liberty then they , and more favour shewn them , by such as were in place of trust ; and this hath been manifest enough in many parts of the nation as is well knowd to many . the fifth persecution . in the year 201. did the fifth persecution begin under the emperor severus , which was hence in part occasioned ( to wit ) when the emperor had a war , and had gotten the victory , the christians kept themselves still , without making tokens of joy , with fires or may-polls , or other triumphs , according to the manner of the heathen : whereupon they accused the christians out of envy , as if they had despised and hated the emperour , and the rather , because the christians would not swear by his fortune : again , they reported that the christians blew out their candles in their meeting in the evenings , and that they did behave themselves unseemly one towards another , so that the christians were despised of ( almost ) all : something to this purpose tertullian rehearseth , saying , the heathen accused the christians of meeting together to sacrifice a child , and after they had taken away his life in a barbarous superstition , that then they committed incest , ( i. e. carnal knowledge betwixt near kindred ) they also added , that the christians had doggs which served to overthrow the candles , and loosing all shame in taking the lights from them , and covering their actions under the vaile of darkness , emboldened them to seek the use of ungodly and sacrilegious ( i. e. abominable ) pleasures . again , ( said he ) the christians were accused of sacriledge , ( i. e. an abusing of sacraments or holy misteryes ) for they did not solemnize with the heathen the days they feasted on in honour to the emperours with all kind of beastly ceremonies , repugnant ( i. e. contrary ) to the christians modesty , chastity , and purity . in those days it was a manner among the christians not to go to any comedies or stage-plays , for they understood , that if they did forsake the devil and all his works , with the world , that then they must forsake comedies and stage-plays : moreover the christians said , we renounce ( i. e. resign or refuse ) your shews , as we condemn their divers originals by the knowledge we have , that they are effects of superstition and idolatry , &c. note . doth it not from hence plainly appear , that the tokens of triumph which are used by anti-christians in england , are heathenish inventions and traditions , in which many have been found of late who profess themselves to be christians : did not many of our english people [ who glory so much of christianity ] make bone-fires [ so called ] set up may-poles , and in , and with such like heathenish inventions , tryumph when the king was proclaimed , when he came to london , and when he was crowned ? and did not then the true christians that feared the lord , keep themselves still and quiet , like unto the antient christians ? and were not they judged to be enemies to the king , and despisers of him , because they did not run with the multitude to the like excess of vanity : but renounced their idolatrous superstitious shewes , which many did not only produce upon the times before mentioned , but which are produced by popishly affected anti-christians upon their popish holy [ but rather prophane ] days : and upon their mayor days , even like unto the heathen , whose manner was to set forth such vain shews upon the days on which they feasted , in whose practise the anti-christians are now found , who also are offended as the heathen were , when they that fear the lord do not observe their days and times , which they , or the heathen have appointed to be solemnized , which sometime they spend in voluptuousness , fulness , and excess , with all kind of beastly ceremonies , ( as tertullian well calls them ) which are now indeed as disagreeing and contrary to christians modesty , chastity , and purity , as the ceremonies were , which the heathen joyned the christians to observe . moreover the true christians have been the rather supposed to be evilly affected to the king , and to be despisers of him , because they can no more take the oaths of allegance ( i. e. obedience of a subject to his prince ) and supremay ( i. e. chief authority ) then the christians heretofore could swear by the emperours fortune , for the true christians now are of basilides mind , who said , it did not become him to swear , because he was a christian , neither would it become them now to do that which their lord and master hath forbid , who said , swear not at all . again , have not the true christians been also upbraided with such false accusations , as if they put out their candles and did behave themselves uncivilly in the evening meetings ; but let such as have thus falsly accused them see in whose steps and practise they are found . moreover it appears , that it was the practise of the heathen to have comedies , or stage-playes , but the christians manner then , was not to go to them , and behold it is not the manner now of antichristians to have comedies , but the manner of the good christians is not to come at them , except it be to bear a testimony against them ; wherefore may not even little children judge , that they who have their comedies for their pastime , at set times and appointed places that such are in the nature and practise of the heathen , who derided the christians and said ; their pleasures were not the christians , and therefore they had reason to reject the things which pleased them as they said : even as anti-christians now reject piety and godliness which pleaseth the true christians , who have pleasure in the lord , and not in unrighteousness , in which the apostatized christians now take pleasure , as the heathen herefore have done . the sixth persecution . in the year 237. did the sixth persecution under the emperour maximinus arise , who partly out of envy to his kinsman alexander ( who had been favourable to the christians ) did persecute the christians : in which persecution there were many put to death ; for the heathen in those days were so spiteful against the christians , that when there was an earth-quake , or a storm , or the like , they laid the blame upon the christians , saying , their gods were angry , because their honour went to nothing through the christians ; this emperour did not raign very long , therefore did this persecution cease the sooner . note . the same spirit of envy which was in the heathen , hath often appeared in the anti-christians , against the true christians in these latter days , who have boren a faithful testimony against the vain honour of false christians , which must be brought to nothing by the power and people of god , even as the honour of the gods , of the heathen was brought to nothing , by the antient-christians , who could not bow to the gods of the heathen , no more then the true christians now , can bow to the corrupt wills of ambitious and unreasonable men , and though the innocent suffer therefore for the present , yet for their sakes , will the lord shorten the days of the wicked , as he did the days of that persecuting emperour . the seventh persecution . in the year 253. did the seventh persecution arise under the emperour decius , who with excessive cruelty did persecute the christians , in this persecution several of the bishops were put to death and such as were the chief among the christians did they torture with many torments , and the houses of the christians they plundred , and that which the plunderers did not esteem that they burned ; in this persecution many suffered martyrdom , some being burned , some beheaded ( women so well as men ) some being whipt to death , and some souldiers ( for incouraging these martyrs in their suffering ) were put to death ; in this terrible persecution several departed from the faith for fear of the torments , yet afterwards came to be restored again , the suffering of the christians was great under this emperour , but his days were also shortened , for he had not raigned two years but was caught in a whag of mire , where he met with a check or reproof for his cruelty . note . thus it appears that the christians that lived godly in christ-iesus , suffered persecution , according to what the apostle hath said ; 2 tim. 3 , 12. and many now that live godly and righteously do suffer not only the imprisonment of their bodies , but also the spoyling of their goods , which have been spoyled both by priests and people , who have sometime ( as it were ) plundred their houses for their dishonest gain , and they have shewed themselves in their carriage and behaviour to be liker unto the heathen then the suffering christians ; who suffered their houses to be plundred , but we do not read that they then plundred the houses of any , but with patience suffered the plundring of their goods , and in this patience and long suffering are the christians ( that are so not in name only , but in nature ) found , in these perillous times . again , have not some souldiers been turned out of their places , yea and brought into suffering for countenancing and favouring the sober , innocent , true christians , among whom some for fear of suffering , may in some respect desert the truth , as some faithless ones among the ancient christians did ; yet we know certainly there are a remnant that cannot bow their knee to baall , but would chuse rather to die the death which many ancient christians suffered , then they will forsake the lords truth , or transgress his righteous law , by breaking his commands . the eighth persecution . in the year 259. did the eighth persecution arise under the emperour valerianus , who put forth a proclamation against the christians , wherein he forbad their meetings , and when this proclamation or order was not observed , then did there follow a great persecution of the christians , in which there was very many put to death , and some were banished , and they converted of the heathen in the place to which they were banished ; but the emperour under whom the christians thus suffered , did not go unreproved for his cruelty , for he was taken prisoner by the king of persia , who made use of him for a foot-stool when he got up upon his horse , &c. note . hath it not happned so in england , that by the kings proclamation the meetings of the true christians have been forbidden ? and when that , they observed the kings proclamation no more then the antient christians observed the emperours ; hath not a great persecution followed ? have not many of the prisons he silled with them , partly because they could not swear , and partly because they continved their meetings , when they were forbidden by the kings proclamation , as the religion of the christians was forbidden by the laws of the heathen ; and therefore did the heathen with much rigour pronounce these words unto the christians , your religion is forbidden by the laws &c. and did not anti-christians the like , when they abused them in their meetings , and broke them up with much violence ; did they not also pronounce these words with much rigour , your meetings are forbidden by the kings proclamation , &c. and forasmuch as the true christians now have chused rather to suffer bonds and imprisonment , yea the spoyling of their goods , and what not ? then they would renounce the faith , deny their religion , or forsak the assembling of themselves together ; it doth therefore appear that the same mind is found in them now , which was heretofore in the antient christians , who chused rather to suffer the loss of their lives , then to forsake him , for whose cause they suffered ; yet we see their persecutors did not always go unreproved ; oh! that other kings , princes , and magistrates , would take warning from that which happened to these persecuting emperours . the ninth persecution . in the year 273. did the ninth persecution arise under the emperour aurelianus , but this persecution was not so great as the other , because he was cut off by death soon after he had determined the same : yet in this persecution was felix the bishop of rome put to death , with several others here and there in divers places . note . often doth the lord frustate the purposes , and determinations of such as conspire mischief against his people , yea have we not seen sundry powers overturned in england , and parliments broken up , and councels ( if not committees also ) shattered to pieces , when they have been determined to do wickedly ? so that sometime they have not had power to bring that forth which they had conceived and brought to the birth , so mightily hath the lord confounded their conspiracies and brought their devices to nought , and this the true christians have concluded to be the lords doing , which they have beheld , and which thing hath been indeed marvelous in their eyes . the tenth persecution . in the year 302. begun the tenth persecution , which was so great , that it exceeded all that had been before it , not only in cruelty , but in continuance , for it continued 12 years , eusebius ( who lived at that time ) writes of it at large in his eclesiastical history ; saying , it was occasioned through the freedom of the christians , who were come into great reputation , and were put in places of office , to rule in countrys and cities , but through their prosperity and voluptuousness , brotherly love came to decrease , haughtyness and pride got up , and in stead of the worship of god , an insolent authority begun to get up in the church of the christians ; and at that time the emperour diocletianus gave forth a proclamation , wherein he commanded that all the christian churches should be pulled down , and the holy scriptures burned , and that the christians should be turned out of their places , with other such like things . after that there came another order that they should cause the chief of of the church to offer unto idols , or else they were to be put to death , then did they begin to rack , torture , and put to death such as resisted , and some were constrained to offer . this persecution hegun as a little sparke , but it spread over the whole church , and the persecution was so hot and great that the persecutors themselves were troubled if not wearyed ; in syria there was so many of the chritians in hold that their prisons were filled with them , and with joy they went unbound to their death , eusebius writes how that many of the christians had their ears cut off , and their noses slit , and other of their members were cut off also , but they who caused it to be thus done unto the christians , did not escape the hand of the lord , for diocletianus who had endeavoured to root out the name of christians , did nevertheless see in his old age that the christians flourished , at which he was troubled and killed himself ; and maximinianus another persecutor , was terribly perplexed with pain in his bowels and other misery which came upon him , the hand of the lord was heavy upon others , who had persecuted the christians , yea and some was made to confess that they had deserved the iudgement from the hand of the lord. note . as the christians were then much prejudiced by their external prosperity , and preferment , so have many thousands been since ; and ( it's like ) the most of the sects that are yet in being among the christians may experience somthing of this ( to wit ) that their great external liberty , and prosperity in the flesh , with their promotion and preferment in the world hath been a great snare unto them , as it was unto the antient christians , who afterwards felt the chastizing hand of the lord , and if all wanton persecuting christians in europe and all the world over felt the same , it might ( i am perswaded ) be good for the humbling of them , who have exalted themselves higher then ever the lord exalted them ; and so are become haughty and insolent , the brotherly love being extinguished , and so have set up an usurpation of authority in matters of religion , concerning the worship of god ; but oh , will not the lord visit for these things , will he not avenge his soul of such hypocritical anti christians , who are now found persecuting and shamefully intreating the lambs of god , with whom in those latter days prisons have been filled , and some of them have had their ears cut off , and the lives of others have been taken away , and that by professing [ but persecuting ] christians who have run on in their blind zeal in persecuting the innocent and harmless christians ; and sometime the remakeable hand of the lord hath been upon their persecutors , though others have not laid it to heart , yet they that have felt it , have mourned under it , and therefore true is that saying . qui ante non cavet , post dolebit the eleventh persecution . in the year 316 did the eleventh persecution of the christians arise , under the emperour licinius ; who formerly had been inclining to the christians and a favourer of them , yet afterwards did he imitate the wickedness and impiety of other tyrants , for he by his injunctions gave commandment , that no charrity should be extended to the christians , for they that shewed them favour were to be punished like the rest . in this persecution the bodies of some were cut in small pieces and thrown into the sea , for to feed the fish : and the flattering presidents to gratify this tyrant tormented such as had done no evil , even as if they had been murtherers , but when the emperour constantine could bear his wickedness no longer he made war with him and overcame him , then did this persecution cease , by whose means also the christians lived in external peace and tranquillity , but after this peace there ensued wars and deadly hatred among the christians themselves . note . many were the tribulations of the antient christians , during the time of these persecutions whereof i writ , howbeit it is very like that then true brotherly love abounded among them , and that they had a perfect fellow feeling of one anothers sufferings , for their hearts was bound up in the bond of love , while they were kept in the unity of the faith , and exercised together in the fellowship of the sufferings of the gospel ; but when these profitable chastizments ceased , and that they who succeeded in the places of those persecutors became the great friends and favourers of the christians , so that they thereby came to enjoy external peace , ease in the flesh , and liberty in the outward ; how soon then did they entertain prejudice and evil , surmizing one against another , how then did they begin to rend and tear one another , and that often about their bishopricks , an benefects ? how then did they run into sects , heaps , and partys , and how did they weary the emperour [ their special friend ] with their complaints one against another , and with the perpetul strife , and division that superabounded among them ? to demonstrate these things at large , would require . a greater volum then i intend to make at this time , and particularly to prescribe them would ask more time then at present i have to spend about this matter , yet thus much i may avouch or boldly affirm , that in those days many evils crept in among christians , which unto this day could not be totally excluded root and branch ; and about that very time when the church was thought to flourish most of all , did many hurtful weeds and degenerat plants took rooting , which have much more thriven and grown among the anti-christians , then the seed of the kingdom , which seed hath been so overgrown and overtopt , that , that little which yet thereof remains , is as hard to be found now in the children of men , as faith wili be to be found upon the earth at the coming of the son of man. the twelfth persecution . in the year 362 did the twelfth persecution arise under the emperour julianus the apostate ( i. e. one that revolted from true religion who had been accounted a christian , but was an hyprocritical dissembler , and counterfeated a monkish life , who being sent into france by the emperour to make war with the barbarians , and obtaining some notable victories was afterwards proclaimed emperour by the souldiers , and then did he set wide open the temples and idoll groves , and sacrificed to pictures and intituled himself an high priest. then the pagans at alexandria stomaked the christians , and that the more , because they went about to disclose unto the world the pagans pictures , to the end their fond ceremonies might be derided of all men : whereupon they boyled within themselves for anger , and took what first came to their hands , set upon them ; and slew of them every kind of way , so that some were run through with swords , some others brained with clubs , other some stoned to death , some strangled with haltors about their necks ; in the end ( as commonly it falleth out in such hurly-burlies ) they held not their hands from their dearest friends ( for one brother sought the other brothers . life , one friend fell upon another , yea the parents put their children to death , and to be short , the one cut the others throat . moreover the emperour julianus gave out a proclamation , that such as would not renounce the christian faith mould warfare no longer in the emperours palace , likewise that all should prepare themselves to sacrifice , and that no christian should bear office in the common wealth ; for their law ( saith he ) forbideth the use of the sword unto such as deserved death , and therefore they are not fit to be magistrates . afterwards he devised a certain slight to wring money from the christians , for he set a great fine upon the heads of such as would not sacrifice , and the tax was very grievous and duly demanded of the christians ; then did the heathen insult over the christians , and the governours of provinces , suposing now that it was high tyde for them under colour of the emperours religion to make up their bagges , vexed the christians far sorer then the emperours proclamation bore them out , demanded greater tax then they were sessed at , and some time tormented their bodys . the emperour understanding of their doings winked at them , and answered the christians , which complained unto him in this sort , it is your part when you have injuries offered unto you , to take the same patiently , for so your god commanded you . the emperour made a law that the christians should not be trained up in prophane literature ( i. e. learning , or cunning , grammer writing ) for ( saith he ) seeing they have the gift of utterance so readily , they shall easely be able to overthrow the quirks of logick wherewith the gentills ( i. e. heathen ) do uphold their doctrine &c. note . as this apostatized emperour julianus exceeded many of his predecessors in subtilty and wickedness , even so have many apostatized professing christians , exceeded the common sort of ignorat people in hypocrisie and craftiness , in deceipt and spiritual wickedness , so that the sufferings of the true christians have been very great under such , as they were , under this emperour iulianus , and as theirs are at this present ; whose sufferings are augmented oftentimes through the covetousness and cruelty of inferiour magistrates , whose wickedness now is not only wincked and connived at , but tollerated and countenanced by their superiors : hath not this been appearent enough at sundry times in englland , where the chief officers have been privy to the unjust and illegal proceedings of their under officers , and yet they have passed it by , as if it had not been worthy of reproof ; in the mean time the innocent , harmless and true christians they have suffered the spoyling of their goods , and that because they would not swear , nor pay tythes to an hireling priest , nor be conformable to the national way of worship for conscience sake , no more then the antient christians could sacrifice , or uphold the worship of the heathenish gods , for the refusing of which they suffered as before mentioned , but it was indeed by and under the heathen , who did neither owne nor profess the doctrine of christ , like as the antient christians doe , who in many things are found as much out of it , as the heathen were , and so consequently rather in the practise of the heathen , then in his doctrine , who said , love your enemies , bless them that curse you , do good to them that hate you , and pray for them which dispitefully use and persecute you . math. 5. 44. but this doctrine is little more regarded by some anti-christians , then by the heathen themselves , whose manner was to uphold their doctrine by quirks of logick , even as the priests do now , for when they cannot uphold their doctrine , and maintain their religion by spiritual weapons , then will they betake themselves unto their quirks of logick , and when they are insufficient for them , then do they ordinarly make their addresses unto them in authority , for to crave their help and assistance , but this was not the practise of the ancient christians , neither is it the matter of the true christians now , but the custom of the anti-christians , who are found in the practise of the heathen . i have read , how that when the nicene counsel was sommoned , which consisted of above three hundred bishops , besides the priests , deacons and others which were heard to be numbered , the logicians busied themselves , propounding against divers others certain preambles of disputation , and when divers were there drawn to disptuation , and allured as it were by bait ; a lay-man ( that is not one of the clergy , who was of a simple and sincere mind , set himself against the logitians , and told them thus in plain words , that neither christ nor his apostles had delivered unto us the art of logick , neither vain falacies ( i. e. crafty devises ) but an open and plain mind to be preserved of us with faith and good works . afterwards the logitians quieted themselves and held with his sentence , logick . note . thus we see that this art of logick ( in which the heathens were very expert , and by the quirks of which they upheld their doctrine was not approved of by all the ancient christians , tho is begun to creep in amongst them when they appostized , but by some it was testified against then , as it is now , by the true christians , who are in the life and power of godliness , which was before this sophiestical and deceitful art was , by the quirks of which , persecutors have upheld their doctrine , and by the quirks of it , persecutors do uphold their doctrine ; but so did not christ , nor his apostles , nor the ancient suffering christians , neither doth the true christians now , who abide in the light and doctrine of their lord and master , who is king of kings , and lord of lords , blessed for ever more . the histories do relate , that in these twelve persecutions which were against the christian church , the blood of about five hundred thousand was shed ; and that among all these that suffered , there was not one that by weapons revenged himself , but patience was their armour , and thereby did they conquer the severity of the emperours : relig. vryh . lib. 1. fol. 198. note . therefore such christians now as suffer patiently for righteousnes sake , without resisting or revenging themselves by violence with carnal weapons , are rather found in the spirit and practise of the ancient christians , then revengeful persecuting men , who are commonly called christians , yet do not only do wrong to their brethren and fellow creatures , but are also found revenging themselves of the wrong done unto them by others , contrary to the doctrine of the apostle , and contrary to the practise of the ancient christians , in which doctrine and practise the true christians are found . thus have i very briefly run through these twelve remarkable persecutions which were sustained by the antient christians under the heathen . here followeth a short relation of some persecution , which was by some false christians after they were apostatized from the faith , and patience , love and long suffering , which the true christians retained while they abode in the doctrine of their lord and master . the first persecuting christians were called arians from one arius a priest at alexandria , a man very skilful in the subtilties of sophistical logick , who reasoned thus , saying , if the father begat the son , then had the son which was begotten a beginning of essence ; hereby it is manifest ( said he ) that there was a time when the son was not , and the consequent to follow necessarily , that he had his essence of nothing . when he had with this strange kind of doctrine concluded and laid down this position , he provoked many to reason hereof , so that of a small spark a great fire was kindled ; and for the debating of this , with a controversie that was in the church about the feast of easter , was the nicene counsel sommoned ; and when the arians had got the emperour on their sides , then did they set up themselves and did boast of the emperours religion , and by force of arms did they instal ( i. e. consecrate ) one lucius an arian in the bishoprick at alexandria ; and they laid hands or peter that before was bishop and clapt him in prison , and the rest of the clergy the banished , some unto one place , and some unto another ; and horible acts was committed afterwards against ' such as inhabited the rest of egypt , by imprisoning of some , tormenting of others , exileing ( i. e. banishing ) of the rest ; then did the world begin to favour the ariens much , and after the emperours edict ( i. e. ordinance or proclamation ) was proclaimed , the houses of the righteous in the desert were spoiled , overthrown and cruely beaten to the ground ; the armed souldiers set upon the silly and unarmed people ( who stretched not out a hand for their own defence ) and slew them miserably : the history saith , that the manner of the slaughter was so lamentable , that it cannot sufficiently be manifested unto the world , and when the emperour valens , had by law ordained that persecution should be raised against all that maintained the faith of one substance , then was many brought before the bar , many clapt up in prison , others diversly tormented , for they vexed them with sundry punishments which led a peaceable and quiat life , and many of them were set at nought , scourged , spoyled of their rayment , fettered in prison , grushed with stones , beheaded with bloody swords , shut up in the desert , covered with sheep and goats skins , destitute of aid and succour , grievously afflicted wonderfully troubled with the adversary , many wandred in deserts and dangerous ways , they hid themselves in mountains , in denns , in caves , and hollow rock's ; these afflctions they suffered for their faith , and for their works ; after that these notable men through their invinciblé patience and sufferance had overcome the sundry and manifold torments : lucius ( that persecuting bishop ) perswaded the captain to exile the father and ring leaders of these religious men , and they were banished into an island , where there was not a christian , yet it is said , that they converted both priest and people unto the christian faith. when the world favoured the arians in this sort , they set up themselves , they crowed insolently over the christians , they scourged , reviled , imprisoned , and laid upon them all the grievous and intollerable burthens they could devise ; the true christians being thus oppressed with extream dealing went unto the emperour , besought of him , that if not altogether , yet at least wise , he would ease them of some part of their troubles : but he was their deadly foe and the cause of their calamity ; for when eighty of the clery were sent in the name of all the rest to him , to open their grief unto him , and they certified unto him the injuries which they sustained at the hands of the arians : he , altho' he was very much incensed against them , yet concealed he his displeasure until that privily he had commanded his lieutenant to lay them in hold , and to punish them with death : and then he made them believe that he would banish them the country , which they seemed to take in good part , and they going aboard and taking shiping , as if they were to be conveyed into forrain and far countries : but the lieutenant charged the marriners , that when they came in the main sea , they should set the ship on fire , so that dying in that sort they should have none to bury them , and so they did , and in the end , the ship , with the christians that were in her , were consumed to ashes , but it is reported that this horrible act was not long after revenged , for immediately the land was plagued with a sore and lamentable famine . again there was a certain man called moses , who led in the desert the monastical ( i. e. solitry or comfortless ) trade of life , but for his zeal , faith and godliness , and for the strange miracles wrought by him , he was famous among all men : and a certain queen called mavia , required of the romans this moses to be her bishop . moses therefore was taken from the wilderness , and sent to alexandria for orders , and when moses was come in the presence of lucius , the persecuting bishow before mentioned , he refused to receive orders at his hands , reasoning with him in this sort : i think my self unworthy of the priestly order ; yet if it be for the profit of the common wealth that i be called unto the function , truly thou lucius shalt never lay hand upon my head , for thy right hand is imbrued with slaughter and bloodshed . then lucius said again , that it became him not so contumeously to revile him , but rather to learn of him the precepts of christian religion ; moses answered , i am not come now to reason of matters of religion , but sure i am of this , that thy horrible practises against the brethren , prove thee to be altogether void of the true principles of christian religion ; for the true christian striketh no man , fighteth with no man : for the servant of god should be no fighter : but thy deeds in exileing of some , throwing of others to wild beasts , burning of some others , do cry out against thee : yet are wee surer of the thing we see with our eyes then of these we hear with our ears : this happened in the year of our lord 272 : in which time it came to pass that the meetings of the christians were forbidden : and upon a certain time there was a woman that went very zealously with her child towards the meeting of the christians , and being asked of the judge whither she was going , she replyed and said , to the meeting of the christians , to die there a martyr with this child : with which answer the judge was so smitten that he ceased persecuting . in the 1035 did berengarius with the bishop bruno in france begin to teach against infants babtizm , and transubstantiation ( i. e. a changing of one substance into another , as the papists imagine the bread and wine to be changed into the body of christ , through , or after consecration , which doctrine begun presently to spread it self through france and germany ; against which pope leo ix . held two synods in the year 1050 one at rome and another at vercle , in which the opinion of these two were condemned . in the year 1126 did peter de brusius teach against infants babtizm , transubstantiation , praying for the dead and such like things , which he preached near upon twenty years , and finally because of this doctrine , was he burned : for then was the pope begun to follow the foot steps of the arrians , in persecuting men to death for their religion , though it was not the practise of the apostles . in the year 1139 did arnaldus teach against infants babtism , transubstantiation and other things , but the pope innocentus the second , commanded him to be silent , fearing least he should spread this doctrine much ; there was one peter abailardus of the same opinion : and to this opinion many of the clergy were brought , insomuch that three popes had enough to do , one after another , to reduce them to their superstition : afterwards this abailardus was apprehended and burned to ashes in rome . moreover there arose some who suffered themselves to be called apostolical , because they said they walked in the footsteps of the apostles : they rejected infants babtism , the purgatory , praying for the dead , and calling upon the saines with other of the romish ceremonies , they also rejected the priests that led a sinful life ; these were called unlearned blockish clowns . in the year 1176 , there was a people raised up in the province of albi in france , whose opinion was ( as baronius writes ) that infants babtism was not necessary to salvation ; that an unworthy sinful priest , could not administer the sacrament , that none should be bishops except they were unreprovable , that men should build no churches to the honour of god , nor to the honour of the saints , and that it was unlawful to swear , neither would they receive the doctors interpritations . these people ( saith baron ) were taken into the protection of some princes and rulers , against whom the pope made war because they would not persecute them , and expel them out of their country . in the year 1178. the king of france and the king of england , observing how these people did daily increase ; they concluded together per force of arms to expel them out of their coasts ; but changing their mind , they first laboured to convert them by the clergy : and to that end was there many bishops and learned men sent to convert these ( whom they juged to be heriticks ) by their sermons : but withal they sent several men with their clergy : that in case they with their sermons , reasons and arguments could not overcome them , that then the other should fall upon them and drive them out . and when the bishops with their traine were come to the city toulous , where the aforesaid people were ; they ingaged the citizens by an oath to discover them they knew to be of this people . and among the rest there was one peter moranus discovered , and being examined he made a confession of his faith freely , and therefore was he presently condemned for a heritick , and all his goods were confiseated , with his sumpteous house in which he had holden meetings , and part of it was demolished : but this faithless peter when he saw this storm , begun to fear and begun to be sorrowful seemingly , and begged forgiveness ; and it was granted him with this condition , that one bishop with another man should whip him , he going naked and barefoot towards the church , and that three years long he must go pilgrimage to ierusalem , ( which then was become a fashion among the apostazed christians ) and when the three years were expired , he was to have his confiseated goods again . now others of the aforesaid people observing this , begun somewhat to fear , and some seemed to recant , but when there was an oath required of them , they refused to take it , whereupon they were rejected as heriticks and afterwards were banished : and it was commanded that all the catholicks should shun them ; and that all princes should expel them out of their countrys . in the year 1199 the the aforesaid people begun to be dispersed in many citys and countrys , and their doctrine begun to spread exceedingly yea through the most part of europe that the popes with the assistance of the princes and secular powers , had enough to do to root out the same , first they endeavoured by disputing and afterwards by banishment , and lastly by all manner of torturing , burning hanging and cruell bloodsheding , so that the whole world seemed to be as in an uproar : and this was all about religion . when that the christians had gotten the power into their own hands ( i mean the secular or earthly power ) then did they by that power persecute as they had been persecuted , compel , as they had been complled , and put men to death about their relegion , as their bretheren had been put to death for their religion ; and with this thing the church of rome hath not only corrupted her self , but the most of the sects that have come out of her , when they got the carnal sword in their hands , then did they endeavour to defend their sect , their religion , their worship , and their discipline with that sword , which may kill the body , but connot slay nor destroy the spiritual wickedness in the body , which at this day abounds among anti-christians , who are yet persecuting about worship , faith , religion and things of this nature , as their forefathers , the arrians did ; in whose steps most of the professors have been found , who wrestle with flesh and blood ; and when that their clargy could not prevail with their original , with their philosophy , with their quirks of logick ; nor with their strong reasons and arguments ; then were they to have the help of the civil magistrate , unto whom they have cryed for help , as the jews did unto the men of israel , and often have they combined together for to kill and destroy , that which god had made alive , yea and to extinguish that which he had kindled , as appears from what i have rehearsed ; and the same spirit of enmity ( which hath been in the world since the beginning ) hath appeared often , against the work of god and his instruments , as it now hath appeared against the true christian-quakers , who are found in the footsteps of the suffering ( but not of the persecuting ) christians . i might here add , very much concerning the terrible and redious persecution in iermany , and in the low-countrys , which begun in the year 1524. and continued untill the year 1641. about the beginning of which , the emperour put forth a proclamation , wherein it was contained , that all such as were found stained or polluted with the cursed sect of anabaptism ( for so he called it ) of what state or condition soever they were , their adhaerents and compliences , were to forfeit both their lives and estates , and were to be brought to the utmost punishment without any delay , especially those that continued constant , and that had baptized any , likewise they that had the name of prophets , apostles , or bishops , they were to be burned : and all other sorts of people that were baptized , or had entertained any of the aforesaid anabaptists , though they renounced that oppinion and were truly sorry for what they had done , yet were they to be drowned : and for the better manifesting of the wederdoopers the emperour expressly commanded all his subjects , that they manifested the same to the officer , of the place where they lived , or where they were found : and if any knew of them , and did not manifest the same to the officer , or officers of the place , such were to be punished , as favourers of , complyers , with , and adhaerents to the aforesaid sect : and such as did discover the same , were to have the third part of the partys confiscated goods . moreover he forbad all his subjects , to re-require or further any mercy , favour or forgivness , for the aforesaid wederdoopers , or anabaptists , or to occasion request , or shew any petition on their behalf in pain of being arbitrarily punished ; forasmuch as he would not allow that any of the aforesaid people ( because of their wicked oppinion as he called it ) should be received into mercy or favour , but they should be severly punished , to be made examples to the rest , without any dissimulation , favour or delay . this was given out at brussel and printed the 10 day of iuly ( so called ) anno 1535. when this same came to be proclaimed , most terrible persecutions did follow , and great havock was made of these people , the cruelty of their persecutors towards them , the severity ▪ o●… their punishments , by terrible tortures and sad imprisonments , with the sundry sorts of cruel deaths which they suffered in this sore persecution , would be to tedious for me now to rehearse perticulerly , together with the reproach of the wicked , the threatning of tyrants , how they would not fly when they were apprehended , though sometimes they had oppertunity , how they were hindred from praying at the time of execution , how the rulers were devided among themselves concerning them , and somtimes the wrath of the furious magistrats was mitigared , and they brought to a sence of the suffering sufferers , and laid down their commissions , comforted the sufferers , and prayed for forgiveness : and likewise how the sufferers were prevented from speaking , sometimes with bridles , sometimes with balls in their mouths , and sometimes with cords or ropes , sometimes by drums , sometimes having their tongue bound , with other inhumane devices : and what iudgment fell upon their persecutors ? these things to demonstrate at large , ( i say ) would require a far greater volume than i am now determined to publish ; and them to compose , translate , and transcribe , would ask more time than i can now well spare , having the weight of a weightier service upon me ; yet for the reader 's better satisfaction , i shall here rehearse what articles were charged against one of them , with a hint of the manner of this suffering , whereby he may the better judge how and for what the rest suffered . first article . that he and his adhaerents had done contrary to the emperours proclamation . 2. that he had taught and believed , that the sacrament was not the body and blood of christ , 3. that he had taught and believed , that infant baptisme was not profitable to salvation . 4. that he had rejected the sacrament of anointing with oyle . 5. that he had rejected and despised mary the mother of god. 6. that he had said , that men should not swear to , or before the magistrate . 7. that he had begun a new and an unheard of custome of the lords supper , laying bread and wine in a platter , and hath eaten the same . 8. that he was gone out of the order , and had taken a wife . 9. that he had said , if the turk came into the country he would not resist him , and that if it were lawsul to fight , he would rather draw●…a sword against the christians , than against the turks . these were the articles that were drawn up against him , which were looked upon as hainous things against their holy faith , and their mother the holy church ( as they called it and especially the last of the nine , concerning which he gave them this reason , saying , den turck is een rechten turck , ende en weet van dat christen geloove niet , ende is een turck mae den vleesche : maet shy wilt christenen zijn , ende veroemt u christi , maer ●…hy vervolght de broom getuygen christi ende zijt curcken na den geest . which by interpretation is , the turk is a right turk , and knoweth nothing of the christian faith , and so is a turk according to the flesh ; but you will be christians , and you will glory of christ ? and yet persecuted the honest or faithful witnesses of christ , and so are spiritually turks . afterwards the magistrates laughed at his answer and reason , cast their heads together , and the recorder spoke to him , saying , yen , thou infamous , devil and monk , should men dispute with thee ; yea the hangman shall dispute with thee , believe me that . michael sadler ( for so he was called ) said , what the lord will , that shall come to pass . recorder , thou devilish heretick i tell thee , that if there were not a hangman , i would hang thee my self , and think that i did god good service thereby . after other words that passed betwixt them , there was one that stood by m. s. and drew out a sword that lay upon the table , saying to m. with this shall men dispute with thee . when some asked him , why he did not continue a lord in the cloyster , he answered and said , that according to the flesh he was a lord , but , said he , it is better to be thus : after these things had passed , his sentence was read , which was to this purpose , that he should be delivered over to the hangman , and that he should cut out his tongue , and that afterwards he should be cast upon a waggon , and that his flesh should be twice torn with hot glowing tongues , and that afterwards he should be brought withhot the port , and there tortured , and afterwards as a heretick burned to ashes . thus it was done to him , and so was he martyred ; his brethren were executed with the sword , his wife and sisters were drowned , anno 1527. and these were the fruits of the false christians , who were become as cruel persecutors , as the iews and heathen had done of the true christians : which thing i determined to manifest according to what i have in part done , through the help and assistance of him that put it into my heart to undertake this matter . the people that suffered in this persecution were upbraided with ian van leyden , his consorts , and that bloody and ambitious insurrection which happened at munster , even as the christian-quakers have been upbraided with that infortunate and unhappy insurrection , which of late happened through wilful men at london . note . the baptists themselves do confess , that they are very much fallen and degenerated from that state and condition , in which they were , that then suffered martyrdom . how the papists once cryed out against forcing of conscience : how calvin was against it , and for it : how luther and they that owned him were intreated , when they renounced popery , and when the protestants begun to persecute . the papists themselves ( who have been the greatest persecutors of any that ever professed christianity ) when they were much conquered in the low-countries , and came to be persecuted by such as they had persecuted ; then they themselves cryed out against forcing of conscience as an unfitting thing , and then could they say also , that the conscience ought to be free , &c. this appears by their remonstrations , requests , and apologies : vide merckteyck , pag. 126. calvin , swinglius , and others , before they had gotten the power in their hands , they carried themselves meek and lowly , and condemned persecutors , but when they were become strong and mighty , then did they glory in their magnificence , and begun to beat their fellow creatures ; yet when calvin was persecuted himself , he blamed such as sought to compel others to believe by corporal punishments ; but afterward he himself taught that hereticks might be punished with the sword : merck-teyck , pag. 151 , 153. when luther renounced popery , then was he looked upon as a devil in man's shape , and as a veterator ( i. e. an old experienced crafty deceiver , or a subtle knave ; ) yea , as a wicked shameless man that bewitched people ; and the lutherans were looked upon in the general for the shamefull est people that were to be found upon the earth , and not worthy that the sun should shine upon them , and in those days people were to burn them for hereticks , without shewing them mercy . bond. hist. lib. 40. f. 449. afterwards when they were grown mighty , then they contended with others about religion , and run out in bitter scolding , blaspheming , partial judgment , and condemning others that came out of popery , so well as the papists , and that not only in their pulpits , but also with their libels . likewise in the low-countries the reformed remonstrants scolded at , and reviled the contra-remonstrants ; notwithstanding the proclamation of the lords , the remonstrants were cryed out against as pelagians , socinians , &c. yea , as papists , traytors , and enemies of the country . acerba●… fratrum bella , prov. 18 , 19. as for the arminians , they were accused for bringing in atheism , ( i. e. the damnable opinion of the atheists ) for being hereticks ; yea , more hurtful and more dangerous than the arrians , macedonians , and other sects , and it was said of them , that they damned themselves before god ; with all that heard them . and upon a certain time , when the priests were met together at harlem , they desired ( for the defence of their religion , that the proclamation against the arminians might be renewed , published , and put in execution . thus the priests manifested the same evil spirit of persecution to be in their hearts , which was in the papists , whom they pretended to renounce in words , yet they retained their envious spirit , which could bear others no more that differed from them , than the papists could bear them . the histories do shew how that after the protestant church , had been about ten years , then did they put forth a proclamation against the wederdoopers , ( i. e. such as were baptized again , or anabaptists as they are commonly called in england ) wherein they commanded all the inhabitants of the land , to discover unto their officers the wederdoopers , to prevent their multiplying , ( it is said ) they were determined to put them to death , with their adhaerents , according to their laws , &c , merck-teyck , pag. 154. thus it appears from what i have here briefly instanced , that the protestants so well as the papists , have been out of the right way , and that they have run in the way of the persecuting iews , persecuting gentiles , and persecuting arrians , who are said to be the first that persecuted under the name of christians ; but since many sects have followed their pernicious ways , rather than the practise of the ancient christians , who stretch'd not forth a hand in their own defence ( as it is said ) when they were persecuted , but both papists , lutherans , calvinists , ( otherwise presbyterians ) arminians , independants , and many of the wederdoopers have shewed themselves to be of another spirit since they degenerated from that glory and power ; love and life , meekness and long-suffering , patience and purity , which abounded among the ancient christians in the primitive church , unto which the eternal god hath again restored a remnant , who at this time suffer , as the manner of their fellow citizens hath been who are gone before . and such as are now found in the life and power of the truth , they are at this day judged by papists , by lutherans , by arminians , by presbyterians , by independants and paptists , &c. as the lutherans and others were , when they renounced popery : and the sects now , that are among the protestants , are as apt to hate and cast out their brethren from among them , when they come to walk in a more excellent way than the rest of their sect , as the papists were , to persecute them that renounced popery ; therefore are the protestants so well degenerated as the papists ; witness their daily practises . a catalogue of the synods and counsels . which were summoned after the days of the apostles : as also the cause for which many of them were summoned ; together with a hint of what they decreed , likewise shewing in what year several of them were held , &c. in asia sundry synods were held , in which montanus was excommunicated and his heresie condemned . euseb. lib. 5. ch . 14. anno 193. there was a synod held at rome touching the time of the celebration of the feast of easter , where victor excommunicated all the eastern churches euseb. lib. 5. ch . 23. anno 195. there was five or six synods held in sundry parts of the world about the celebration of the seast of easter , in which the bishop or pope of rome had no more authority then the other bishops , he in his city and they in theirs were chief , and when he went obout to challenge authority over the eastern churches , irenaeus bishop of lyons in france sharply reproved him for it , euseb. lib. 5. ch . 23. there was a synod held at carthage , which is said to have erred about the rebaptizing of hereticks . anno 287. there was a counsel of 300 bishops called together at sinvessa where the bishop or pope of rome , was condemned for denying christ and sacrificing to idols . therefore the pope of rome , hath erred , and may erre . anno 311. there was a counsel held at neocaesarea , where among other things it was decreed , that none should be made priest before he was thirty years old . constantine called a counsel to remove the dissention risen among the bishops . anno 330. a general counsel was called at nice of three hundred and eighteen bishops by constantinus magnus , where they condemned arrius , debated the controversie about easter , laid down a form of faith , &c. silvester called at rome 284 bishops in the presence of constantine , where they laid down canons ( i. e. laws ) for the government of the clergy . anno 336. a counsel held at eliberis in spain in the time of constantine , decreed , that the usurer , should be excommunicated : that tapers ( i. e. candles ) should not burn in the day time in church yards ; that images should be banished the church , that nothing should be painted upon the wall to be worshiped , &c. but are not usurers now admitted without any scruple to be members both of the papist , and also of the protestants churches ? and are not images errected in their masshouses , ( which they call churches ) and many painted upon their walls , and in their glasswindows ? the vanity and evil of which this aforesaid counsel saw , and therefore were they prohibited then , though they are practised and upheld now , by the apostatized christians . anno 340. the counsel of gragra condemned the heretical opinions of tustathius , and allowed the marriage of the priests . a counsel held at carthage , decreed that there should be no rebaptizing , and that clergimen should not meddle with temporal affaires . a counsel of arrian bishops met at antioch , where they endeavoured to abrogate ( i. e. to take away , abolish , or disannul ) the nicene creed . thus like the builders of babel were they devided , for that which one synod decreed and set up ; that did another synod abolish and throw down . anno 350. a general counsel was summoned at sardis , for the hearing of them whom the arrians had exiled ( i. e. banished ; ) the counsel restored them , and deposed ( i. e. put down ) their accusers , and condemn the arrians , and confirmed the nicene creed . anno 355. a counsel of arians held at sermium scourged among them osius , and made him subscribe unto atheism ( i. e. the damnable opinion of the atheist . ) but the like was never done by the apostles , for they never sought to bring any from atiheism , or to atiheism , by scourging but ●…ather suffered themselves to be scourged by iews and atheists . a general counsel was summoned to meet at millian , where the east and west chruches brawled about athanasius and dissolved the counsel agreeing upon nothing . the meletians assembled at antioch , where they laid down the macedonians opinion of the son of god , jump between the arians and the true christians , where they proved themselves neuters i. e. an indiferent party , not on the one side , nor the other . anno 368. a counsel at laodicea decreed that the laity , or common people should not chuse the priest : that lissons should be read in the church , between certain psalmes , and service should be morning and evening , that the gospel should be read with other scripture on the sunday ; that lent should be observed righteously without solemnizing the feasts of the martyrs and that christians should not dance at bride houses &c. a counsel was called at illytini where the truth in the blessed trinity ( i. e. three joyned in one ) was confessed . a counsel held at valentia in france decreed priests should not marry . the first counsel held at toledo in spaine , decreed that priests should marry . therefore one of those counsels have erred , though the papists say they could not erre . there was a councel held at chalcedon , where chrysotom was condemned : of spite , and for no other crime . a counsel was called at cyprus , where through the spite of theophilus bishop of origen were condemned . the third counsel held at carthage decreed ; that the cletgy in their yeirs of discretion should either marry or vow chastity ; and that the chief bishop should not be called prince of the priests or highest prles●… , but only the bishop of the chief see ( i. e. seat. ) if the counsel erred not in decreeing this decree , the popes have erred since , who have been called the prince of all the world , and hath been said to have the place of the everlasting king upon earth , unto whom all power in heaven and earth was given , and whom all nations should serve , &c. therefore may the pope through arrogancy err , so well as counsels which have erred ; so that we may conclude that both popes and counsels ( which are erred from the spirit ) are fallible and have erred , as doth and may more fully appear . anno 417. a counsel held at hippo decreed that bishops and priests should look well to their children , that the head bishop of the head see should not be called the chief priest , and that no scripture should be read in the church but canonical ( i. e. approved by exact rule . ) the counsel held at taurinum was held for the reformation of the clergy , which then was corrupted ; but since much more . the counsel of matta condemned the pelagians and donatists and concluded that infants were to be baptized . the counsel of agatha decreed that none should be made priest before he was 30 years old ; and that the clergy should wear such attire as became their profession , with many other constitutions . the first and second counsel held at vasio decreed that in such churches , where preachers were not , deacons should read homelies ( i. e. sermons or speeches . ) a counsel held at carpentoracte decreed , that the bishops should not poul the parishes ( that i●… not to rob , pillage , or take mony from them by extortion or deceit . it would be good that every bishop now in being , observed well this decree , and kept clear of pouling their parishioners by extortion and deceit , which many of their forefathers have been guilty of , and it is expected now by many , that they who have of late been installed will in this particular follow their example , rather then the apostles , who covered no man's bishoprick , nor benefice , no man's tithe nor augmentations , no man's gold , silver nor apparel , &c. a counsel held at venice decreed , that no clergy man should be at wedding dinners , dancings and hearing of wanton sonnets , or vain songs , &c. all the bishops of affrick came together by the commandment of honoricus the arrian , where his heresie was confirmed and 444 bishops exiled or banished . anno 492. a synod of 70 bishops were called together at rome where the canonical scripture ( i. e. such as were approved by exact rule ) were severed from such as were apocrypha ( i. e. doubtful or not well known . ) a synod met at epaunis and decreed , that no clergy man should either hunt or hauk ; that throughout the province such divine service as the metropolitan ( i. e. chief city , or arch-bishop ) liked of , should be retained . it is to be noted , that though this uniformity was thus decreed by the synod in the apostacy , that through the province such divine service as the chief city , or arch-bishop liked of should be retained , yet the apostles decreed no such thing that the scripture makes mention of . a counsel held at aurelia decreed that lent should be solemnly kept before easter , the rogation or gang week with the emberdays about the assention , a counsel held a gerundia in spain decreed , that every province should observe one order of divine service , that baptism should be ministred only at easter and whitsontide , and at other times if necessity so required , and that the lord's prayer should be said at evening and morning prayer , a counsel held at caesar augusta , accursed such as received the sacrament , and eat it not in the church . a general counsel was called at constantinople , which decreed , that mary should be called the mother of god. anno 583. the first and second synods were called at lyons for the removing of schism ( i. e. divisions in matters of religion ) raised in the church . six synods were held at rome touching the electon of a bishop and the preservation of church goods , &c. malum consilium , consultori pessimum . these things have i thought good here to recapitulate or briefly to rehearse , to the end that the great apostasie ( so often spoken of ) might be evidently manifest to all , and the great fall and revolution of the church from the apostles doctrin and practise : for when they assembled together it doth not appear that there was such discord and divisions , such strife and a●…tipathy , such brawling and contention , in their general assemblies , as there was in the counsels before mentioned , neither did they manifest such a bitter spirit of enmity and discord , when they chused mathias in the room of judas , nor yet when they chused the seven disciples , acts 1. chap. 6. moreover when the apostles and elders and brethren were assembled together to determin what was best to be done touching the doctrin sowed by certain that came from judea , which taught the brethren saying ; that except they were circumcised after the manner of moses they could not be saved ; after they had debated the matter they decreed with one accord to send chosen men unto the gentiles and to injoyn them to abstain from things offered to idols and blood , from that which was strangled and from fornication , &c. but it doth not appear that they out of spite condemned or excommunicated those of iudea , and held them forthwith for acursed , because of their error , like as the apostatized bishops and clergy men have done one with another and one unto another , as appeareth from what i have before rehearsed . again when paul came to ierusalem he went with the brethren unto iames , where all the elders were assembled ; and there they determined what they thought best to be done , and decreed that paul should purifie himself according unto the law , &c. these counsels or general assemblies o●… the apostles and brethren the scripture makes mention of , yet it doth not appear from the scripture , that the apostles and brethren , decreed the celebration of the feast of easter , or that none should be made priest till they were thirty years old , neither doth it appear that they brawled about men , and agreed upon nothing ; nor yet that they ordered lessons to be read in the church between certain psalms ; neither doth it appear from the scripture that they decreed that lent should be righteously observed , and that the priests should not marry , nor yet that infants should be baptized ; neither doth it appear that they decreed that the clergy should wear a different attire from other men , or that such divine service as the metropolitan liked of , should be retained ; i say it doth not appear that they ( to wit the apostles and brethren ) decreed these or such like things in their counsells , but that since the apostles days they have been decreed by the synods and counsels , which have been in the apostasie , and yet at this day many of them are taught for doctrins , though they be but the traditions of fallible synods and counsels , as i have shewn . inclinemus igitur aurum verbo dei in corde , & non ex conciliis contendentium episcoporum non ex disputationibus novitiis , non ex forensibus & manicipalibus gestis , sed in nostris cordibus veritatem quaeramus . the iudgment of some notable men concerning synods , ( i. e. general or universal assemblies ) ●…nd counsels , together with their effects . i. in the days of berardus the church of rome was polluted with many superstitions ; and baudaert said , that the bishops were rather biters of sheep then true shepheards ; and upon a time when he was in a counsel of the clergy , and had seen how unchristianly they dealt , he said ; sometime i have admired , that among the little number of the twelve apostles there was a traitor ; but now do i wonder much more , that among this great number of so many bishops and prelats , that one upright disciple of christ cannot be found , apop . chr. lib. 13. pag. 260. daar geen godvreesendheid bij en is , daar is 't , hoe geleerder , hoe verkeerder . where ther 's neither god's fear , nor godliness , ther 's the more learn'dess , the more perversness . ii , gregorius theologus ( who lived about three hundred years after the birth of christ ) said , that he had promised and determined never to come at synods , forasmuch as he observed that always there came more evil then good out of them , for the ambitiousness and contention of the bishops is above measure ( said he ) anno 300. iii. the reformed protestants testified ; that synods and counsels which strove upon the earth might err , and with the most voyces conclude lies , in this or the other point , according to what experience in all ages hath taught , eub. ch . 28 , 29 , &c. iv. d. calvin testified that prophets and pastours , the church counsels have erred ; and that god hath often discovered that in counsels which was humane ; to the end that people should not rely or depend too much upon men , instit. 4. ix . ch . 3. v. boudaert said in gilterland's synod ; soffragia non ponderanda sed numeranda esie , ( i. e. that voyces were not to be pondred but numbred ) but said he , if the church reign in this manner or deal with voyces , shall not the most evil surprize the best which is the least , for is it not so most commonly ? and when that the shepheards come to be changed into wolves , are not the innocent , harmless sheep then in pittiful danger ; espetially ( saith he ) when rulers of cities are stirred up by passionate priests . vi. d. pareus said , often hath the truth suffered wrong in synods , because all that were assembled agreed in one error , so that the truth came often times to be abandoned , and with silence passed by . iren. 57. p. vii . it hath been said , the church judged of the doctrine of the church . according to this saying , shall the papists church judge of the the doctrine of popery , the lutherans , the calvinists , the anabaptists and every one of them ; but what such a judgment is this ? otherwise then that which is daily practised , by their one condemning another , and every one maintaining his own sect : so saith hilarius . what unity or edification is there in such work , and in so much following partial counsels or conferences ? none at all , said he . viii . beza declared expresly that the church and counsel might err , and that they had often erred , and that the devil in some old counsels had sitten as president in them . ix . the professors of leyden said , we see that particulars have not only erred , but general counsels , for shepheards may also be devoures ; isai. 56. 10. ezech. 34. jer. 23. and the church being gathered into a synod , may be a church yet not of god , but of malignity ; likewise they that profess the name of god , may abuse their power against the truth : yet they that do so , will not say that of themselves , not yet acknowledge themselves to be guilty ; may not every one then judge of synods , and declare their opinion concerning them ? x. museulus said , concerning the synods of priests , which the unexperienced think to be the only remedy against differences , yet they are nothing else ( said he ) but fencing-schooles . nevertheless the complaining church cryeth , after the synod then , after the synod , will they not do that , &c. xi . gregorius nazianzenus used to say , that he never had seen any good end of any counsel or synod , vide inst. calv. 4. lib. 9. ch . 11. xii . the states of holland said to the lords of amsterdam ; this hath men heretofore observed , that the reformation was not accomplished by synods : for the remedy was not to be expected from the clergy , who were the cause of the desease : anno. 1616. mark-teeck . forasmuch as many at this day have great expectations in their minds of peace and tranquillity , together with an uniformity and settlement in ecclesiastical affaires , which they suppose might be procured through the means of a synod or convocation , which some imagin would be a speedy remedy for their deplorable disease : i have therefore thought good not only to give a brief hint of the many synods , of which i have spoken , but also in short to instance the approbation and judgment of them that were accounted wiser men in their generation , then the christian-quakers are accounted by this generation , that if peradventer i might thereby in any wise convince them , through alledging that which some that are renowned among them have affirmed ; even as paul when he sought to convince the athenians of the lords being near unto them , he instanced their own poets who also said the same , acts 17 27 , 28. in like manner have i alledged the sayings of those noted men , to the end , that they whose expectations , are to see such great things produced by synods or convocations , may the rather be perswaded ; that the notable work of real reformation●… and the true and perfect establishing of the church or people of god , in lasting peace and pure tranquility , must be the lord's work by his eternal power and spirit , and not by the consultations of synodal conversations , nor yet by the arm of flesh : far that is not the means which god chuseth , but that which the sons of men have chosen in the apostasie , and therefore hath these excessive persecutions ensued , of which i have made mentlon : and now let england take heed how she heaps up counsels or convocations , least she look and run more unto them for help , then unto the lord ; for i testifie unto her in the name of the god of the living , that they shall not be able to heal her deseases , nor yet to bind up her breaches : oh that she would therefore fly unto the lord and look unto him , rather then unto the convocations or synods of mortal men , how soon would he then heal all her backslidings , bind up all her breaches , and with everlasting loving kindness gather her . an apendix unto the abridgment . whein is contained , many notable things which passed betwixt the antient christians and the heathen ; which are extracted out of tertullian's apology , ( the which he made in the defence of the christians against the accusation of the gentiles . ) to the end , that all may see , how the like railing accusations which are , and have of late been so frequently produced against the true christians of this age , have also been produced by the heathen against the antient christians 1406. years ago . section 1. the heathens opinion of christianity , how they vilified them and their god , how they were judged when they denied to sacrifice , and how they were condemned . the heathen believed a man could not make profession of christianity , without being tainted with all sorts of crimes , without be●…g an enemy to the gods , to princes , to the law 's , to good manners and to nature , neither could a christian at that time be acquitted unless he denied himself to be a christian. tert. apol. pag , 12. are not many now of the like opinion , that a man cannot be a true christian-quaker without being an enemy to the worship of god , to the king , to the laws of the kingdom , to good manners , and to nature ? the heathen reproached the christians as wiched superstitious persons , whom they accounted worthy the infamy of punishment , and in conclusion objects of laughter and contempt , and with much rigour did the heathen pronounce these words unto the christians , your religion is forbidden by the laws , &c. page 19. are not such now become objects of laughter and contempt , as cannot run with the multitude to excess of riot , and be conformable to the workers of iniquity in their vain customs and frivolous fashions , which the true christians are redeemed from , and cannot be conformable unto , though they therefore be accounted worthy the infamy of punishment , and have it inflicted upon them , by vertue of unwholesom laws , which prohibit their liberty now , as the laws of the heathen prohibited the true christian religion . such were the calumnits ( i. e. false accusation ) that were invented against the christians religion , that upon a certain time a picture of their god was shewn by a certain infamous person , who openly shewed the same with this inscription therein , this is onochoetes ( i. e. the god of the christans ) this supposed god pretended by him , had the ears of an asse , a hoof on his foot , carried a book and was cloathed with a gown . page 71. hath there not been something of the like nature acted among the stageplayers of this age , in contempt and derision of the religion ( if not of the god himself ) of the true christians , whose profession is now reproached and vilified by infamous lewd men , as the profession of the antient christians was by the heathen . the christians were forbidden to have their religion apart , though none besids them were forbidden the like , and because they did not serve the gods of the romans , therefore did they offend the romans , and were accounted unworthy the name of romans . page 105. have not many in the nation laboured and endeavoured much to have the like brought to pass , concerning the true christians , who are not conformable to the national way of worship , which is much rather formal then spiritual , and therefore is it renounced by the true christians , who worship god in the spirit as the antient christians did . when the christians were injoyned to offer sacrifice , they resisted ; then said some , there was folly in their resistance , and that they might sacrifice when they were prest to it , and preserve their lives without injuring their consciences in keeping a secret resolution to remain firm in their religion : and that in neglecting their security , they preferred a vain self will before their welfare . p. 113. in like manner have many of the people of god in these latter days been injoyned to do things , which have been as absolutely against their consciences , as it was against the consciences of the christians to sacrifice ; and when the true christians now have resisted , when they have been prest thereunto ; it hath been said of them , that they were selfwill'd and obstinate , when they could not dissemble ( to avoid sufferings ) like other hypocrits , who asfumed unto themselves a liberty , which the spirit of god never allowed of ; so that the true christians have often been judged , and have suffered deeply , when time serving dissembling hypocrits have gone sree . the heathen caused the christians to undergo such punishment as was ordained for their wretched slaves ; for the christians they shut up in prison , and caused them to be condemned to work in the mines , or to some other servile work of the like condition , page 114 , & 115. the punishments and sufferings which many of the true christians have undergone in these perillous times , have exceeded the sufferings which many malefactors have sustained for their transgressions , for thousands of the innocent and harmless christians have been shut up in close prisons , where ordinary necessaries could scarce be gotten to them for several days together , and others of them have been sent to houses os correction to work there like slaves and dissolute persons , when they have been as harmless and blameless as the antient christians were , section 2. how the christians societies were called factious , how unprofitable they were judged to be in commerce , who could gain nothing from them , how they renounced the heathenish superstitions in peril of their lives , &c. the societies of the christians were called factious ( i. e. troublesom or contentious ) but saith tertullian to such as called them so , tell me , did we ever assemble to procure the hurt of any one ; as we are in the particular , so we are in the general , that is to say , in whatsoever state we are found , we offended no body , we injure no body : and farther saith he , when any vertuous or godly people are associated , when any pious or chast persons assemble together , their union should not be called a faction , but a lawful society , page 142. are not the societies of the true christians called factious at this day also ? because they worship god in the spirit , and meet at places distinct from the common ordinary places of the national worship , though they by their peaceable assembling procure the hurt of none now , no more then the antient christians heretofore did . the heathen cryed out against the christians , and said , they were not any way profitable in commerce ( i. e. entercourse , or marchandise ) of the world : yet tertullian saith , neither were they without their publick places , their markets , their shops , their inns , &c. pag. 150. have not the true christian in like manner been upbraded , when they have been diligent in their places in the creation , and have frequented both faires and markets , &c. about their lawful callings ; for their religion did not separate them from their ordinary and lawful commerce , but from the superfluity of needless and frivolous words , and from the deceit therein ; though its true some have laid aside that kind of commerce in the world , which was neither useful to god , nor beneficial unto man , but prejudicial to the creation , and it is very like the antient christians did the like , after their illumination and conviction . there were certain persons that did complain of the christians , as people of whom there was nothing to be gained for them , but they were such saith tertullian , as were infamous corrupters of chastity , who meddled with giving poyson , and magicians ( i. e. conjurers ) and finally southsayers , diviners , and astrologers , to whom it is very profitable in this life to be unuseful , saith tertull. p. 152 , 153. some such like men have of late als●… accused the true christians , together with taverren and alehouse-keepers , musitioners and stage players , with some sort of shop-keepers , that have sould gold , and silver-lace , with jewels , pearles , rings and ribbins , with such other unnecessary toys , such like men , with the priestly merchants of babilon , may in part complain so well as southsayers and astrologers , of the true christians now , as some such heretofore among the heathen have done , of the antient christians : but most commonly they that do complain of them without a cause , are infamous corrupters of chastity , who are adicted to speak evil of dignities . the heathen tollerated the sects of the philosophers without punishing of them , but the christians doctrine which they published was forbid by the laws , and they were exposed to all sorts of punishments ; but the philosophers were not so forced to sacrifice , to swear by their gods , and light candles at noon , which things were imposed upon the christians as necessary , which they refused on peril of their lives . page 158. it is well known in the nation of england , how that the christian-quakers have been much more restrained of their liberty then other sects , and their doctrine hath been more prohibited by the laws of the land then others , which have been much more pernitious , nevertheless it hath been tollerated if not upheld by a law ; when that the true christians have been exposed to grievous punishment , and others that have been guilty have gone free : yea have not many observed how their adversaries have endeavoured to force them to come to their places of worship and likewise to take the oathes of allegiance and supremacy , which have been hard imposed upon them , and which they have refused on peril of being shut out of the kings protection , and of forfeiting their estates , goods and chattels unto him , yet others are connived at as the philosophers were by the heathen , and in the mean time the true christians are exposed to sundry sorts of punishments , as the antient christians were by the heathen , some said that even among the christians there were a people , that gave themselves the liberty of doing evil ; but said tertullian so soon as they fall into this disorder , we own them no more for christians . pag. 162. with the like thing have the true christians been upbraded in these latter days by many , who have cast the failings and disorder of the unfaithful and disorderly upon the innocent , who have no more approved of their evil , then the antient christians did of the disorder of the disorderly among them , whom they did not judge worthy of the name ; which at this day is not a little dishonoured by the life and conversation of antichristians , who until this present , have retained the name , but are wholly degenerated from the nature , as their fruits do abundantly declare . section 3. how they that were not of the christian religion , had more liberty then the christians , what prejudice many had against the name christian , how some were praised before they became christians , and how both men , women , children and servants suffered for becoming christians . when men that were not of the christian religion were , accused of the same crimes they imputed to christians , it was permitted them to have their innocency made known , and to defend themselves by word of mouth , they also were suffered to give an answer to what was objected against them and to make their justification : for the laws did not allow those to be condemned , whose offences were not heard : but the christians had not the like liberty : for they were condemned for the confession of the name christian , and their confession only exposed them the publick hatred . pag. 7. hath it not been thus in our days , have not many malefactors had more liberty to plead for themselves then the true christians could have for some years last past ? and was not this one great reason ( viz. ) because malefactors could bow and stand uncovered , and withal given flattering titles unto men , but because the true christians could not do the like , therefore have they at times , been condemned before they have been permitted to speak in their own defence ; so that the wills of many now ( who are called christians ) have been more wicked and unreasonable , then some of the ancient laws of the romans . the heathen did certainly believe that the confession of the name christian carried enough with it of all crimes , and they also held , that to confess the name christian made the christians guilty . are there not many of the like opinion concerning the name quaker , against which many have received as great prejudice as the heathen did against the name christian , and therefore do they not only hate the name , but also them that are called by it , though their fruits ●…e never so good . the heathens believed all that was published against the christians , though they saw no proof , and they took occasion to condemn the name , which was the object of their hatred , and the only confession they made of the name was sufficient for the conviction of those crimes they attributed to it , without any other ground then their own opinion pag. 14. have not many done the like concerning the true christians in these latter days , who have born the name of quakers , which name yet remains the object of many ones hatred , who know little of the life , doctrine and conversation of them that bear it , yet the acknowledgment of it , causeth many to be judged as criminals or offenders , in the opinion of many , who judge now with evil thoughts , as the heathen did , and so with a prejudiced spirit condemn the righteous , without any just ground or cause ; and thus it happeneth now unto the true christians , as heretofore it hath unto the antient christians , whose life , doctrine , and practise , is lived in by the righteous now , and therefore must the same , or the like measure , be measured unto them , which heretofore was to the other . upon a certain time in a conferrence one of the heathen said , truly he of whom you speak is an honest man , if he were not a christian , and his life would be free from blame ? and others said do you know such an one ? who had the reputation of a wise and discreet man ; he is lately turned a christian , there were others that said , how pleasant and of what a good humour was that woman ? how sociable ( i. e. kind or loving ) and jovial ( i. e. merry ) was that man , its pitty they should be christians . pag. 15. hath there not often been the like communication among many people concerning the christian-quakers ? and have not many of them been lamented by their friends and acquaintance , after their conversion in such a manner , as the christians were lamented for by the heathen , and wherein differs that pitty now , from the pitty that was in the heathen ? who would praise and extol the christians while they lived in the vanity of the world with them , but when they were redeemed from the same , then were they bewailed by them that continued in the same ; and surely thus it is at this day with the true christian , who are now bewailed by such as continue in that which they through mercy are redeemed and saved from . thus is it written in tertullian's apology ; a man who heretofore had his mind full of jealousie , could no longer endure the company of his wife , what assurance soever he had of her chastity , after once he perceived she was turned christian. moreover , a father who of a long time endured the disobedience of his son , resolved to take from him the hope of succeeding him in his inheritance for turning christian. and a master that used his servant or slave gently when his carrage gave some cause of distrust , afterwards put him far from him , when he became a christian. pag. 16. thus hath it been with true christians in these latter days , for some honourable and devout women , have not only been excluded for some certain time , out of their husbands company , but they have also been shut up as close prisoners in their own houses , through the aversness of their husbands , whose wrath and fury was become great against them , and that chiefly because they were become quakers . item , sundry men who have long dispensed with the wantonness and disobedience of their sons ; aster they have been truly converted to god , and came to live righteously and soberly , then have their parents threatned them to disown them from being their children , &c. and that because they were become quakers . item , some masters who have born much with their servants when they had cause to distrust them , and sharply to reprove them , have upon their conversion and reformation from the evil of their ways , either turned them out of their places , or at least frowned very much upon them ; ( though they had more assurance , of their fidelity then formerly ) and that because they were become quakers . but may not we say as tertullian said : it 's committing of a crime to correct the disorders of a man's life , by the motions of a holy conversation to the christian faith , and the good which is produced by so happy a change , works not so powerfully on the minds of men , as the hatred they have conceived against us ; indeed this hatred is strange , and when i consider that the name of a christian , ( or the name of a quaker ) only maketh it to be so , i would willingly know , how a name can be criminal , and how a simple word can be accused ; me-thinks a word cannot be condemned , unless it be barbarous , or expresseth some evil speaking , or represents some unchast thing , and of ill report page 16. section 4. how the christians were haled out of their assemblies , what honour they rendred to the emperours , the heathens testimonies of affection to the emperour , how the christians would not revenge themselves , how they suffered themselves to be killed ; their order concerning their collections , how they disposed of them ; and how their sufferings were prejudicial to the comon wealth . when the christians saw themselves every day besieged and betrayed , and when they were very often taken in their assemblies , and prest to sacrifice to the gods , then they cryed out and said ; we cannot hinder our lives from being in danger , if we will be faithful to god. pag. 31 , and 116. it is well known unto many , how that the innocent and harmeless christians have of late been often haled out of their assemblies , and prest to do things contrary to their consciences , upon the refusal of which , their liberties and estates , have not only been in peril . but their lives also ; so that the true christians may well conclude as the antient christians did , ( viz. ) that they cannot hinder their lives from being in peril , if they will be faithful to god. the christians were accounted publick enemies to the emperours , because the honours they rendred to them , were neither vain flattering , nor rash ; but mark what tertullian saith to the heathen concerning this particular ; think you ( saith he ) these are such great testimonies of affections , to kindle fires in the midst of the streets , to set up tables there , to make feasts in the publik places , to change the face of the city into that of a great tavern , &c. must a publick shame be the mark of a publick joy ? ( saith he ) must these things be accounted seemly on the solemn days of princes , which at no other time , or on other days , are fitting or decent . pag. 126. in like manner have the true christians been accounted enemies to the king , because they could not honour him with any vain flattering honour , like unto that wherewith , the heathens honoured their emperours , who manifested their affections to him , by kindling fires in the midst of the streets , and by changing ( as it were ) the face of the city into that of a tavern , &c. now let our english apostatized christians come forth , and parallel their bonefires , which they used to make in the midst of the streets ; their causing the conduits to run with wine , and their setting up scaffolds with shews , &c. which they did , when the king was proclaimed , when he came into the realm , and at his coronation , let them ( i say ) come forth and compare their practises then , with the practises of the heathen , and they may see how they resemble one another , to their great shame that profess christianity , and are yet manifesting their publick joy , by glorying in their publick thame , which is neither comly , decent nor profitable , either to the king , the kingdom , or to the subjects , nor yet in any wise becoming christians , therefore are they now to be testified against , as they were heretofore , when they were up held by the heathen , and were witnessed against by the antient christians the antient christians confessed they were commanded to love their enemies , and that they were to hate none , and that they were forbid to revenge injury received , though the sword and sire was imployed against them , and they were often by people assaulted with stones , yet they endeavoured in no wise to ressent the evil treating they had received , though they wanted not an occasion , if it had been permitted them to render evil for evil , but god forbid ( said they ) we should do so . pag , 132. the same mind is now found in the true christians , whose principle leadeth them to suffer injurie done unto them , rather then to revenge themselves on such as injure them , and therefore is it manifest that they are of the same spirit which the antient christians were of , who suffered violence to be done unto them but did not with violence resist nor defend themselves , like as the apostatized christians do now , who at times assault the true christians with stones , with pistols , with swords , &c , all which they suffer patiently without rendring evil to them that thus intreat them , and therefore may we conclude that they are found in the practise and condition of the antient christians . the christians suffered themselves willingly to be killed , saying , in their religion it was rather lawful to let themselves be killed then to kill others ; nevertheless they were declared to be the romans enemies , though they did them no hurt , and thus much they confassed , it 's true said they , we are enemies , yet not of men , but of their errors , pa. 133. 134. the true christians now that are of the pure religion say yet the same , though apostatized christians be imprisoning , banishing and killing their fellow creatures about their religion , but so did not the antient christians , who kept the faith and abode in the truth , in which the true christians are now found ; though at this day they are accounted enemies both to priests and professors , yet they hurt none , neither are they enemies to their persons as men , but to their error and deceit , which lodgeth in their hearts where it ought not , in the church of god there was nothing done ( saith tert. ) by allurement of gifts , for in the assemblies of the antient christians , every one contributed a little sum at the end of the month , or when he would , but it was if he would and could , for none were constrained to give ; and if they got any almes it was of good will , and riches gathered in this manner , they accounted them pledges of piety , and imployed them in feeding the poor and burying them ; in comforting children that were destitute of parents and goods ; in helping old men that had spent their best days in the service of the faithful , and in assisting them that served in mines , and were banished into islands , and shut up in prisons , because they confessed the religion of the true god , that so during the time they suffered for the confession of his name , they might be nourished with the stock of the church ; and these actions caused the heathens to wonder , and to cry out saying , see how they love one another , and how they are ready to die for one another , pag. 137 , 138. this is also the practise of the true christians now , whose faith worketh by love , and not by the allurement of gifts and rewards , which have blinded the eyes of apostatized antichristians , who have lost the charity , and are departed from that faith which worketh by love , and therefore must they often times ●…orce and constrain one another , by a secular power , not only to contribute to the relief of the poor , fatherless and widdows , but also to their priests , who is allured to preach among them by gifts , and who without gifts and rewards will not preach , and also by sumes of mony may be allured from one place to another , and that more out of love to the gifts , then the souls of the people : but it is not thus with the true ministers , nor yet with the true christians , who give freely that which they have received freely , and are ready to serve the lord with their whole substance , and freely to communicate thereof unto one anothers necessity , even as they would have others to communicate unto them in the time of their necessity ; and that brotherly love , which in this particular hath been manifested among the true christian quakers , hath caused their adversaries much to admire and wonder , even as the heathen did , over that entire love , which was among the antient christians . tertullian told the gentiles there was cause to wonder their passion was so irregular ( i. e. contrary to rule ) that in prosecuting the christians they made no difficulty to take away the life of men that were profitable to the common-wealth ; farther he said , the state received by their injustice an evident damage and important loss , and yet no body looks to it ( said he ) no body weighes of what consequence the sufferings are , of so many persons of good life and the punishment of so great a number of innocent . pag. 153. there hath also been cause to wonder at the rashness and imprudency of many bitter , willful antichristians , whose foolish indiscreet behaviour towards the true christians , hath been not a little prejudicial to the nation , in which no great difficulty hath been made , of casting thousands of them into prison , and they who have done it , or have been the cause of it , have fought and endeavoured thereby to procure the ruine of their families and estates , which thing certainly hath brought no honour to the king , neither hath it been any profit or advantage to his kingdom , but certain external inconveniencies , have been thereby procured to some of his faithful subjects the true christians ; yet few in authority seemed to lay to heart , nor yet see seriously to consider of what sad consequence the undeserved sufferings of so many harmless people might be . thus have i briefly stated the suffering condition of the antient christians , with which i have truly parallelled the true christians state in this present age ; and let now the upright in heart judge how far both papists and protestants ( that are accustomed to prosecute about religion ) are degenerated from the same , and how disagreeing their principles and practises are , to the principles and practises of the antient christians , yet notwithstanding will they glory of their antiquity , and condemn others , as new upstart sects , and unheard os religions that differ from them , and worship god in the spirit ; but by these things which i have re-capitulated in this treatise , the wise in heart may see , how that the christian-quakers , have whereof to glory , so well as others , ( if not beyond many others ) who at this day glory so much of their antiquity ; but this i know to be their resolution , and determination ( viz. ) that they will glory in the lord , and in the fellowship of the sufferings of his dear son , their lord and saviour ; this knowing , how that , he that was born after the flesh , persecuted him that was born after the spirit . thus it hath been yea thus it is , and thus it will be until he reign whose right it is . a register of the death , sufferings and martyrdome , of the prophets and apostles ; according to the testimony of the scripture , and other historical records . isaiah was sawn asunder with a woodden saw . ierimiah was often persecuted , and imprisoned , yea he was thrown into a deep dungeon , where ( it is said ) he stood in the mire to the head , and at length was stoned to death in egypt . ezekiel was slain in babylon , by the duke of the people . daniel was thrown among the hungry lyons yet the lord preserved him . the three children were thrown into the fiery furnace ; but the fire did them no harm . micah was thrown down , and his neck broken . amos was smitten with a club on the temples of the head , and so brained . zachariah was stoned to death . the life of peter . peter was born at bethsaida , formerly an obscure and inconsiderable village , till lately re-edified and inlarger by philip the tetrarch , cituate it was upon the banks of gallile , and had a wilderness on the other side , called the desert of bethsada , whither our saviour used often to retire the privacies and solituds of the place , advantageously ministring to divine contemplation ; but bethsaida was not so remarkable , as it self was memorable for a worse sort of barrenness , ingratitude and unprofitableness , under the influence of four sermons and mericles , thence severely upbraided by him and threatned till one of his deepest woes , woe unto the chorarin , woe unto thee bethsaida , &c. a woe that stuck close to it , for according to one who surveyed it in the last age , it was sunk again into a very mean and small village , consisting only of a few cottages , of moors and wild arabs ; and travellers have since assured us , that even these are dwindled away into one poor cottage , so fatally does sin undermine the greatest , the goodliest places ; so certainly does god's word take place , and not one jot either of his promise or threatning fall to the ground , the particular time of his birth cannot be recorded ; in general , we may conclude him to be at least two years elder than his master ; his married condition and setled course of life , at his first coming to christ and that authority and respect , which the gravity of his person , procured him amongst the rest of the apostles can speak him no less ; the name given him at his circumcision was simon or symeon , a name common among the iews ; our saviour adds thereunto cephas , signifies a stone or rock , was hence derived into the greek , and by us peter , his father was ionah , probably a fisherman of bethsaida , for the sacred story take no farther notice of him , than by the bare mention of of his name , and i believe there had been no great danger of mistake , thought metaphrastes had not told us , that it was not ionas the prophet , who come out of the belly of the whale ; brother he was to andrew the apostle , and it was as certain that he was a fisherman by trade , a very survile course of life , as besides the great pain and labour it required , exposing him to all the injuries of wind and weather , to the storm of the sea , the darkness and tempestuousness of the night , and all to make a very small return ; but meanness is no bar in god's way , the poor if vertuous are as dear to heaven as the wealthy , and the honourable equally alike to him , with whom there is no respect of persons . nay our lord seemed to cast a peculiar honour upon this profession , when afterwards calling him and some others of the same trade , from catching of fish , to be ( as he told them ) fishers of men. and hear we may justly reflect upon the wise and admirable method of divine providence , which in planting and propagating the christian religion in the world , made choice of such mean and unlikely instruments , that he should hid these things from the wise and prudent , and reveal them unto babes ; men that had not been educated at the accademy , and the schools of learning , but brought up to a trade to catch fish , and mend nets ; most of the apostles being taken from the meanest trades , and all of them ( paul excepted ) unfurnished of all arts of learning , and the advantage of liberal and ingenious education , and yet these were the men that were design'd to rund down the world , and to overturn the learning of the prudent ; certainly had humane wisdom been to manage the business , it would have taken quit other measures , and chosen out the profoundest rabbins , the accutest philosophers , the smoothest oratours , such as would have been most likly , by strength of reason , and arts of rhetorick , to have triumphed over the minds of men , to graple with the stubbornness of the iews , and baffle the the finer notion and speculation of the greeks ; but it being otherways , it is plainly evident , that they taught christianity by a divine power , the sum of the discourse is in the apostles words , 1 cor. 1. 27. 28. that god chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise , the weak to confound those that are mighty . in the enumeration of the apostles , all the evangelist constantly place peter in the front , and matthew expressly tells us , that he was the first , that is , he was the first called to be an apostle ; his age also , and the gravity of his person , more particularly qualifying him for a primar of order amongst the rest of the apostles : yea , our lord chose him , to be his more intimate companion , whom he admitted more familiarly than the rest , in all the most secrets , passages , and transactions of his life . peter preached such a sermon in the name of iesus of nazareth , the effect of which was so strange and wonderful , there being that day added to the church no less then three thousand souls , a quit and plentiful harvest ; and though the converting so vast a multitude , might justly challenge a place amongst the greatest miracles ; yet the apostles began now more particulars , acts 3. 1 , to exercise their miraculous power , and peter and iohn going up to the temple , about the hour of prayer , they found a poor impotent criple , who , though above forty years old , had been lame from his birth , lying at the beautiful gate of the temple , and asking an alms of them , peter carelessly looking on him , told him he had no mony to give him , but that he would give him , that which was much better , restore him to his health , and lifting him up by the hand , commanded him in the name of iesus of nazareth to rise up and walk , the word was no sooner said than the thing was done ; while peter was this working miracles , and discoursing to the people in one place , we may suppose that iohn was preaching to them in another , and the success was answerable , there being by this means no fewer than five thousand brought over to the faith , acts 4. 4. whilest the apostles were thus preaching , the priests and saduces who hated christianity , intimated to the magistrates the danger thereof , seized on the apostles , and cast them into prison , acts 4. 1. the next day they were brought before the jewish sanhedrims , and being asked by what power and authority they had done this , peter resolutely answered , in the name of iesus of nazareth , whom they themselves had crucified , and god had raised from the dead , and made head of the corner , and that there was no other way to expect salvation but by him , &c. great was the boldness of the apostles , admired at by the sanhedrim it self , especially when this was the very court , that had so lately sentenced and condemned their master ; the council commanded them to preach no more in the name of iesus , but peter and iohn replied , that they could by no means yeild obedience thereunto , appealing to themselves , whether it was not more fit that they should obey god rather than them , and that they could not but testifie what they had seen and heard : the church exceedingly multplied by these means , and that so great a company ( most whereof were poor ) might be maitained ; they generally sold their estates , and brought their mony to the apostles to be by them disposed in one common treasury , and thence distributed , according to the several exigent of the church , which gave occasion to the dreadful instance , ananias and his wife , acts 5. 1. saphire , having taken upon them the profession of the gospel , according to the free and generous spirit of those times , and had consecrated and devoted their estates , to the honour of god , and the necessity of the church , and accordingly sold their possessions and turn'd them into mony , but as they were willing to gain the reputation of charitable persons , so were they loth wholy to cast themselves upon the divine providence , by letting go all at once , and therefore privately with-held part of what they had divoted , and bringing the rest , laid it all at the apostles feet , hoping thereby they might a deceived the apostles , though immediately guided by the spirit of god ; peter at his first coming in , treated ananias , with these sharp inquiries ; why he should suffer satan to fill his heart with so big a wickedness , as by keeping back his estate , to think to dceive the holy ghost , that before it was sold , it were holy at his one disposing , and after , it was perfectly in his own power , fully to have performed his vow , so that it was capable of no other interpretation , then that herein he had not only abused and injured men , but mocked god , and what in him lay , lyed too , and cheated the holy ghost , who they knew was privy to the most secret thoughts and proposes of his heart : this was no sooner said , but suddenly to the great terrour and amazement of all that were present , ananias was arrested with a stroke from heaven , and fell down dead to the ground , not long after his wife come in , whom peter , entertained with the same severe reproofs , wherewith he had her husband , adding that the like sad fate and doom should immediately seize her , who thereupon drapt down dead , as she had been copartners with him in the sin becoming sherer with him in the punishment ; an instance of great severity filling all that heard it , with fear and terrour , and become a seasonable prevention of that hypocrisie and dissimulation , wherewith many might possibly think to have imposed upon the church ; this severe case being extraordinary , the apostles usually exerted their power in such miracles , as were more useful and beneficial to the world , curing all manner of diseases , and disposessing devils , acts 2. 12. insomuch that they brought the sick into the street , and laid them upon beds , and couches , that at least peter's shadow , as he passed by might come upon them , these aftonishing miracles could not but mightily contribute to the propagation of the church , and convince the world , that the apostles were more considerable persons than they took them for , poverty and meanss being no bar to true worth and greatness ; thus peter , who converted the world not by power of arms , not by engins or artificers of pomp and gradeur , but by faith in the power of christ ; the jewish rulers alarm'd with this news , and awaken'd with the growing numbers of the church , sent to apprehend the apostles , and cast them into prison , but god who is never wanting to his one cause , sent that night an angel , from heaven to open the prison doors , commanding them to repair to the temple , and exercise their ministery , which they did early in the morning , and there taught the people , how unsuccessful are the projects of the wisest states-men , when god frowns upon them , how little do any councils against heaven prosper , in vain is it to shut the doors , where god is resolved to open them , the firmest bars , the strongest chains cannot hold , when once god has designed and decreed our liberty ; the officer returning the next morning , acquainted the council , who much wondered at it , sent for them , and asked them how they durst propagate that doctrine , they had so strictly commanded them not to preach , peter in the name of the rest , told them , that they must in this case obey god rather than men , so vexed was the the council with his answer , that they began to cosider how to cut them off , but gamaliel a grave and learned senatour prevented it by commanding the apostles to withdraw , and then bid the council take heed what they did , putting them in mind that several persi●…ns had heretofore raised partys and factions in great numbers but came to nothing , and therefore they would do well to let these men alone , for if their doctrine and design were mearly humain , they would in time , of themselves fall to the ground , but if of god , all their power and polisie , would never be able to defeat and overturn them , and that hearing they themselves would appear to appose the council and design of heaven , with this prudent answer , they gave them their liberty , commanding them to be only scourged , and charged them no more to preach this doctrin , but their hard usage , did not in the least discourage them , to their duty to god , or less zealous , and diligent , both publick and private , to preach christ every where . peter was dispatched by the apostles to consirm the church newly planted at samaria , where he baffled and silenced simon magus ; he is again cast into prison by herod agrippa , but as miraculously delivered by an angel. he is again with paul cast into prison by nero the emperor , who is resolved now the apostles shall fall as a victime and sacrifice to his cruilty and revenge ; peter is desired by his companion to make his escape , and accordingly did , but meeting his lord , peter asked him lord whether art thou going , who answered i am come to rome , to be crucified a second time , by which peter apprehended himself to be reproved , and that our lord ment , he was to be crucified a second time in his servant , and so returned back to the prison , and it is reported that in the stone where our lord stood , while he talked with peter , he left the impression of his feet , which stone hath been ever since preserved as a sacred relique ; before his suffering , he was no question scourged according to custom , and having saluted his brethren , more especially paul , he was brought out of prison , and led to the top of the vatican mount , near to tybur to be executed ; the death he was adjudged to , was crucifiction , but he intreated the officer that he might not be crucified the common way , but might suffer with his head downwards , affirming he was not worthy to suffer in the same posture as his lord suffered , ( as chrysostom glosses ) to be set in the rediest posture of travelling from earth to heaven ; his body being taken from the cross , is said to have been embalmed by marcellinus the presbiter , after the iews manner , and was then buried in the vatican near the triumphant way . the description of his person . his body if we may believe the description given him by nicephorus , was somewhat slender , of a midle size , but rather inclining to tallness , his complection very pale , and almost white , the hair of his head curled and thick , but withal short , his eyes black , but speak with read , which baronius will have to proceed from his much weeping , his nose long but rather broad and flat than sharp ; such was the case of that jewel that was within , he was very eager in his temper , which like a whetstone sharpned his soul for all bold and generous undertakings . the life of paul. though paul was none of the twelve apostles yet had he the honour , of being an apostle extraordinary , and to be immediately called in a way peculiar to himself , he justly deserves a place next peter , for in their lives they were pleasant and lovely , so at their deaths they were not devided , especially if it be true that they both suffered , not only for the same cause , but at the same time ; paul was born at tarsus , the metropolis of cilicia , a city infinitely rich and popular , and what contributed more to the fame and honour of it , an academy , furnished with schools of learning , where the scholars , so closly plyed their studys , that as strabo informs us , they excelled in all arts of politeck learning and philosophy , his parence was iews , and that of the antients stock , not entring in by the gate of proselitism , but originally desended from that nation , which surely he meanswhen he says , that he was an hebrew of the hebrews ; his parents belonged to the tribe of benjamin , whose founder was the younger son of the old patriarch iacob , who thus provisied of him ; benjamen shall raven as a wolf , in the morning he shall devour the prey , and at night he shall devide the spoyl ; this prophetical character tertullian and others will have to be accomplished in our apostle , as a ravening wolf , in the morning devouring his prey , that is as a persecutor of the church , in the first part of his life , destroying the flock of god ; in the evening deviding the spoyl , that is in his declining age as doctor of the nation , feeding and distributing to christ sheep ; we find him described in scripture by two names , the one saul , a name common in the tribe of benjamen , his other was paul asumed to him as some think at his conversion , to denote his humility ; in his youth he was brought up in the schools of tarsus , fully instructed in all the liberal arts and sciences , whereby he came admirably aquainted with famous and external authors ; having run through the whole circle of the sciences , and laid the sure foundation of humain learning at tarsus , he was by his parance sent to ierusalem to be perfected in the study of the law ; it is said when stephen was executed paul stood by , and kept the clothes of them that did it , whether he was any farther conserned in the death of this innocent man , we do not find ; however it was enough loudly to proclaim his approbation and consent , and therefore we find him indicting himself for this fact , and pleading guilty , when the blood of thy martyr stephen was shed , i also was standing by , and consenting unto his death , and kept the raiment of them that slew him , acts 22. 20. god chiefly inspects the heart , and if the vote be passed there , writes the man guilty , though he stur no farther in all moral actions , god values the will for the deed ; the storm thus increased apace , and a violent persecution began to arise in which our apostle was a prime agent and minister , raging about in all parts , with a mad and ungoverned zeal , searching for the saints , beating some , imprisoning others , and procuring them to be put to death ; indeed he was a kind of inquisitor , imployed to hunt and find out these upstart hereticks ; accordingly took a warrant and commission to go down to damascus , in fury and a misguided zeal , whether many of those persecuted christians had fled for shelter , but god who had designed him for a work of another nature , and separated him from his mother's womb , to the preaching of the gospel , stopt him in his journey as acts 22. 9. and he fell unto the ground , and heard a voice saying , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me , and he went to damascus another man , from a persecutor he became one of the persecuted ; from hence he traveled to arabia and spent three years in the ministery there , and then retunned to damascus , a great and populus city , from hence he went to ierusalem and converst with peter and iames ; it was at antioch about the beginning of claudious's reign , ten years after christ's ascension , where the desiples was first called christians , being usually stiled before nazarens ; from jerusalem he set sail to cyprus and planted christianity there , and now the old spirit of the iews did begin to hunt and persue them , who coming from antioch and iconium , exasperated and stired up the multitude , and they who just before accounted them as gods , used them not only worse then men but slaves , for in a mighty rage , they fell upon paul , stoned him , and as they thought dead , and then drag'd him out of the city , where the christians of that place coming probable to inter him , he suddenly revived and rose up among them , and the next day went hence to debe , and so traveled to several places to confirm the new planted church , he was imprisoned and ill-used at phylippi . his parents were tent makers by trade , preaching christ at jerusalem , italy , spain , labouring much among the gentiles , suffered at rome under nero ; as he was leading to execution it is said three of the soulders that guarded him , seeing his courage , become christians , and suffered death , he kneeled down and his head strucken off with a sword , as some write in the 68 year of his age , and was buried with peter . the description of his person . he was a man said to be of low and tittle stature , and somewhat stooping , his complection fair , his countenance grave , his head small , his eyes carried a kind of beauty and sweetness in them , that he was low himself plainly intimates , when he tells us they were wont to say of him , that his bodily person was weak , and his speech contemptable , in which respect he is stiled by chrysostom a man three cubits ( or a little more than four foot , ) high , and yet tall enough to reach heaven . the life of andrew . history which hath hitherto been very large and copius in describing the acts of the two first apostles , is hence forward very sparing in its accounts , giving us only now and then a few oblique and accidental remarks concerning the rest , and some of them no farther mentioned , than the meer recording of their names , for what reason it pleased the divine wisdom and providence , that no more of their acts should be consigned to writing by the pen men of old , is to us unknown ; andrew was born at bethsaida a city of galile , standing upon the bank of the lake of genesareth , son to john or jonas a fisher-man , of that town , brother he was to simon peter ; he had scythia and the neighbouring country primary alloted him for his provinces , first then he traveled through cappadocia , galatia , and bithynia , and instructed them in the faith of christ. passing all along the euxine seas , formerly called axenus , from the barbarous and inhospitable temper of the people , who were wont , to sacrificed strangers , and of their skulls make cups to drink in at their feasts and banquets , he was brought before the proconsul , who perswaded him that he would not foolishly destroy himself , but live and injoy with him the pleasures of this life ; the apostle after many more words replyed , that now he saw it was in vain any longer to deal with him , a person incapable of sober counsel , and hardened , in his on blindness and folly , he might now do his worst , and if he had one torment greater than another , he might heap that upon him , the greater constancy he shewed in his suffering for christ , the more acceptable he should be to his lord and master , the procounsul first commanded him to be scourged seven lashes successively , whipping his naked body , and seeing his invincable patience and constancy , commanded him to be crucified , but not to be fastned to the cross with nails but cords , that so his death might be the more lingering and tedious ; as he was led to execution , to which he went with a chearful and composed mind , the people cried out , that he was an innocent and good man , being come within sight of the cross , he saluted it with this kind adress , that he had long desired and expected that happy hour , thus having prayed and exhorted the people to constancy and perceverance in that relgion , he was fastned to the cross , whereon he hung , two days teaching and instructing the people all the time , and when great importunities in the mean while was used to the proconsul to spare his life , he earnestly begs of the lord that he might at this time depart , and seal the truth of his religion with his blood , god heard his prayers , and he immediately expired , in the 9th month , though in what year , no certain account can be recorded ; his body being taken down and embalmed , was decently and honourably interred by maximilla , a woman of great quality and estate . james the son of zebede , a fisher-man , by birth a galilean , suppos'd to be one of the brethren that their mother asked , that one might sit at the right hand and the other at the left hand of jesus in his kingdom ; he preach't christ unto the 12 tribes , some write that he came to spain , and other western parts , and also britain , ireland ; he was slain with a sword by herod the tetrach of the jews in judaea , where he was buried . john the brother of james , by birth a galilean , preach't christ in asia , coming near rome was accused to the emperor as an assertor of athesim , and subvertor of the religion of the empire , whereupon he was sent bound to rome , and put into a coldron of boyling oyl in which he had no harm , banished by trajan the emperor into the isle of patmos , and there he wrote his gospel , being releast in the reign of vertinax , and in the 100 year of christ , as written by some , return'd to asia , chiefly residing at ephesus , his constant practise to his dying day ( being led to the metting ) saying no more than little children love one another ; he lived as some write to the age of 120 years . philip , born at bethsaida , near the sea of tiberias , brought up in learning , t is said he preach'd christ in phrygia , and the city hierapolis , many having reciev'd the faith , he was seized and carried to prison , was cruely scourged and hanged by the neck against a pillar , at which time as some write , was a terrible earth-quake ; he was buried at hierapolis , and his daughters some say was crucified at paimimes . bartholomew , who some think to be nathaniel of cana in galile , preach'd christ unto the indians , buried in albania , a city of armenia the great , where he was crucified with his head downward and slain alive , and some wright that he was beheaded at the commandment of polemis king of india . matthew , otherwisé levi , born at nazareth , a city of zebulon , the son of alpheus a tax gartherer , preach'd christ to the ethiopians , which is called presbiter iohn's kingdom , by hurtychus's command thrust through with a sword , he dyed at hieropolis in porthia , and was buried , suppos'd to be 70 years of age. thomas , a iew , and fisher-man , as some write , preach'd christ unto the parthimans , medes and persians , and to the caramans , hixcans , bartrians , and magicians , he rested at calamica a city in iudea , where the heathen priests , as he was praying a lone in a solitary place , they coming upon him with a dart called a spear or javelin , run him thorow . simon zelotes , born at cana in galile , preach'd christ throughout mauritania , and africk the less , and persia , egypt and bretania , where he was , as some write crucified and buried . jude , and sometime called thaddaus and sebbaeus , as some writ , brother of iames , preach'd christ in iudaea , samarie , throughout all mesapotamia ; he was slain in the time of agbarus king of edesse , and buried . matthias , one of the 70 disciples , and numbred among the 11 apostles in room of iudas , he preach'd in macedonia in ethiopia , about the haven hyssus , and the river phasis , a barbarous nation and ravonous of flesh ; he dyed at sebastobilus nigh the temple , stoned by the iews , at last beheaded with an ax , anno 59 some say 64. mark , of iews parents , of the tribe of levi , preach'd christ at alexandria and all the bordering regions from egypt unto pentapolis , in the time of tarmin , he had a cable rope tyed about his neck , some write his feet , at alexandria ; by which drawn from a place called bucolus to the place called angeles , where he was burned to ashes by the furious idolaters in the month pharmuthi , with us call'd april , on the 25th day . luke , the evangelist , born at antioch the chief city of syria , brought up in learning , toyled with the apostles , epiphanias writes that he preach'd in dalanatia , galatia and france , and italy , and macedonia ; authours do not agree where he suffered martyrdom , but it is suppos'd at ephesus , he died and was buried . timothy preach'd at ephesus and illyricum , and throughout hellas in achaia , where he died and was buried . thus did these faithful wittnesses finish their testimony , and through their constancy and fidelity obtained not only a good report , but also a crown immortal , through faith in christ iesus , to whom be glory and dominion for ever . some passages out of a letter , writ to a person of quality : giving a true relation in general , concerning the heavenly lives of the primitive christians . such was the beginning , and first institution of the christian church ; that in it we find men , who voluntarily became little children , children who in wisdom exceeded patriarchs , virgins , who had the prudence and gravity of matrons , and matrons endowed with virgininal modesty , and chastity . men of gray hairs , and old in years , but children in malice , pride and ambition ; and it was hard to say , which were the old , and which the young disciples , for the younger sort strove to qual , if not exceed the elder in devotion . holiness was their ornament , and men were counted great , as they arriv'd to high degrees of piety ; and the more religious any man was , the greater majesty and respect he was thought worthy of . the light they came attended withall fill'd the world , as the sun doth the universe , which comes forth from its eastern conclave , and presently diffuses , and spreads its light over all the surface of our hemisphere . so soon did the world feel the influence , and operations of these new stars , and were focred to acknowledge their divine power and virtue ; for they pressed through the c●…aos mankind lay in , as souls do pierce through bodies , and the life , sense and understanding they taught them , was wholly new , so different from what was in the world before , that men gaz'd at the spectacle , and lost themselves in admiration . what advantages the soul can be supposed to give the body , the same did the first christians afford to the benighted world ; and whatever inconveniences the body puts the soul to , the same did the besotted world bring upon the first christians ; for as the soul tenders the bodies welfare , so did they the worlds ; as the soul directs the body to do things rational , so did they the world ; as the soul restrains the body from doing mischief to it self , so did they the world ; and as the soul makes the members of the body instruments of righteousness , so did they attempt to reform the deluded world into holiness : on the other side , as the body afflicteth the soul , so did the world persecute those first christians ; as the body makes the soul live uneasie , so did they incommode these excellent men : as the body puts ill constructions on the actions and admonitions of the soul , so the world did put the same on theirs ; and as the body seems to long for nothing so much , as the ruine of the soul ; so the destruction of those saints , was the great thing the world then did aim at . they were a commonwealth made up of great and low , of rulers and underlings , of governours and subjects ; and yet nothing was more hard , than to distinguish one from the other ; for what-ever the difference might be , they esteemed one another epual , and by their carriage one would have concluded that they had been all of the same degree and condition . their p●…stors and chief men were more known by their munificence and good deeds , than by their coats of arms , or splendour of their offices . they seemed to be all of the same kindred ; for the aged they honoured as fathers , and the youths they tendred as their children . those of the same age call'd one another brethren , and these were the names they gave one another ; and in these titles they gloried more , than men now-a-days do in the lofty epithers of duke , earl , baron , knight , or gentleman . you might see amongst them abundance of mothers that never had any children , and virgins took care of innocent babes , as if they had be●…n mothers , no family complained of barrenness or unfruitfullness , for they never wanted children to provide for ; and and those that had none of their own , would be sure to find some to take care of . none wanted paternal care , while so many fathers studied to do good , and men were readier to give , than others were to ask , and seemed to be sorrowful if they had not objects , upon which they might exercise a paternal charity . there was hardly a widow among them , that complained of solitariness , or sought comfort in a second husband , and second marriage was counted little better than adultery . their widows were the same , that they were whil'st their husbands lived ; and finding that upon their husband's death , they were become sisters of many brethren , they aimed at no other contract , but that with christ , who , if they were found worthy , would , as they thought , marry them at last to the service of the church , where they might exercise that material care to the poor and needy , which formerly they used to express to their own children . here you should see none rejoycing , that he had any thing of his own ; for what-ever he had , he look'd upon his fellow-christians as co-heirs ; and was so well contented , that they should inherit with him , that he thought , that which he had , a burthen , if his neighbours were not to share in his possessions . this present life was the least thing they minded , while that to come , engrossed their thoughts and considerations . they were so entirely christians , that in a manner they were nothing else , and cared not for being any thing else , lest if they should be something else , they should be suspected of deviating from their master's footsteps . hence it was , that the pagans accused them of unrighteousness , and unprofitableness , as if they were dead weights in the world , contributing nothing to the welfare and prosperity of manking , and as if they stood for cyphers in humane societies , though none were more ready to communicate of the profit of their labours to others than they , and did therefore on purpose keep close to their calling and profession , that they might be able to relieve the needy . and though they were loath to take upon them the employment of magistrates and governours , lest the empero's and god's commands should clash , and they lye under a temptation of obeying man more than god ; yet , when-ever they were thought worthy to bear office in the church , they readily embraced the charge , that they might be in a greater capacity to improve the talents god had given them , to his glory , and his people's good , and were pleased with the trouble of the office , that the world might see they had no design of gain , or worldly interest in the administration . they spake little , but their thoughts were always great and heavenly : and as they look'd upon sublunary object●… , as too mean for their lofty minds to rest on , so their care was to keep the eyes of their understanding fix'd on that world , which fades not away . their communications or answers in common discouries were yea , yea , and nay , nay . an oath they shunn'd as much as perjury , and a lye among them was more rare , than a sea-monster is to the inhabitants of a continent ; for they said , that in their baptism they were signed with the mark of truth , and that they could not be servants of the god of truth , if they should yield but to the least appearance of falshood . in the cities and towns where they lived , none was unknown to the other ; for they pray'd together , heard the word together , met frequently at meals together , and were continually helpful one to the other ; in-so-much that where-ever they met , they knew one another ; and when they durst not with their lips , yet with their eyes and gestures , they would salute one another , send kisses of peace one to another , rejoyce in the common hope , and if permitted , assist one another in adversities . this is one of us , saith such a saint , for we have seen him in our oratories , we have prey'd with him , we have been at the lord's table together , we have heard the scriptures read together , we have kneeled together , we have been instructed together . o happy kindred ! which comes by prayer , and communion of the body and blood of jesus ! o blessed relations ! where men are not called brothers of the sun or of the stars , as the antient tyrants styled themselves , but brethren of christ , children of god , and citizens of heaven ! when a christian , who was a stranger , came to them , before ever he shew'd his testimonias . they knew him by his lean visage , and meager face , which his frequent fasting had brought him to , by the modesty of his eyes , by the gravity of his speech , by his gate , and habit , and mortified behaviour , for something divine did shine through their looks , and one might read the characters of the spirit in their countenance . nor is it very strange , that a good man should be known by his carriage , for to this day , a serious person , though he says nothing , something in his lineaments , and features , and postures , will betray the inward zeal , and sincerity of his soul ; and his deportment will discover , there is something more than ordinary in him , as much as the roman senator was betray'd by the perfumes about him . whenever they were thrust : into the croud of malefactors , there fellow-christians soon guessed who they were ; for they hastned with meekness to their martyrdom , and without expressing any impatience , or indignation , submitted their necks to the stroak of the axe , prepared for them . they used to look frequently up to heaven , and one might by their smiles see that between god and them there was more than ordinary correspondence . sometimes they would provoke the executioners to begin their tortures , and be earnest with the hangman , not to delay their agonnies . sometimes they would laugh at the pain they suffer'd , and in the very jaws of death betray a taste of immortality . they looked upon christianity , as a religion , that taught them to suffer valiantly ; and to them it was no other but a science , to instruct men to dispise riches , honours , and torments too , in order to everlasting glory . their presidents , and pastors , were known by no other character , but that of officiousness , and charity , nor had their shepherds any other mark to be distinguish'd by , but their willingness to advance the good of the sheep , and their readiness unto every good word and work. and indeed so were the christians in general known by their mutual love , and kind offices . if any fell sick , the rest did chearfully run to comfort him ; and this employment their women were chiefly ambitious of , who seldom stirred out of their own houses , but upon such occasions , and when they resorted to their oratories . they were seen but rarely in the streets , except such charitable employments called them forth ; for none denied her neighbour her care , nor could any worldly rspects discharge them from that officiousness . if any were rich , or noble , they were the readier to express their compassion , and women of the highest descent were the forwardest to assist the calamitous in their need ; for religion had mortifi'd in them all punctilio's of honour and state , and made them remember that in christ they were all equal . she in whose veins the noblest blood did run , would say of her poor distressed nighbour , she is my sister , my fellow-member , one that hath part with me in my dear redemer . if she be antient , she is my mother , said she , if younger , she is my daughter ; nor were these expressions names of course only , but they were written in their hearts , and their lips spoke what their minds believed , and these words were at once pronounced , and thought . hence it was , that the greatest ladies touch'd their poorer neighbours sores , bound up their wounds , applied plaisters to them , made their beds and tended them , as the meanest servants . here you might see the industry of one , there the sweetness and patience of another ; one would turn the sick sister , the other help her up , the third dress her , the fourth feed her , and in all this , the sick creature saw , as it were , the face of the lord jesus . she that tended the sick , look'd upon christ in her that was sick , and she that was sick , thought she saw christ , in the person that tended her . so divine , so heavenly were their works of mercy , that one was to the other in god's stead , and that saying of christ , what you haue done unto the least of these my brethren , you have done it unto me , did not depart from their memories . thus stood the case with the holy women then , and this advantage they reapt by their charitable care , that when their husbands died , they were taken as deaconnesses into the church , and thus they prepared themselves for christ , and the church's service . if any were imprisoned upon the account of religion , all that knew them would fly to them . no keeper so hard-hearted , but they would find out a way to smooth him ; no lock , no bar so strong , but they would make a shift to break it , either by their gifts , or their soft answers , not to make the jaylers false to their trusts , but to get an oppertunity to see their suffering friends ; and when they saw them , one would kiss their chains , and fetters , another lay his lips to their wounds , a third give their bruised members and tired bodies such refreshment as was needful . 〈◊〉 any of them were driven into exile , in every place they met with brethren , and feliow-christians , and these would run to to them , comfort them , lead them into their houses , and treat them as members of their own family , especially when by letters from their brethren , they understood , that for christ his sake they were driven from their native home . were any condemned to work in mines , or quarries , the neighbouring christians , that that heard of it , would presently come together , help the innocent man , endeavour to make his burthen light , feed him with victuals , and assist him in the performing of his task . were any of them sent through the malice of the heathen governors to the correction-house , or forced to labour hard in caves and dens , or lamentably scourg'd , beaten , and abused for the name of the lord jesus . the rest that heard of it , would not complain , nor think their brethren unhappy , but rather count themselves so , because they were not counted worthy to suffer for the name of jesus , and therefore would wish that this might be their lot and portion too . if the fury of tyrants abated , or remitted at any time , and the imprison'd and afflicted believers got leave to return home again , some wounded , some bruised , some with disjoynted bones , some half burnt , some maimed , some with one arm , some with one eye , some with one leg only ; their friends would run out to them , and strive , who should first receive them into their houses . happy the man that could kifs their wounds . and refresh them with necessaries and conveniences ; and the longer any man could harbour such a christian at his house . the happier he thought himself to be . and such men as had thus suffer'd for christ , they honour'd for the future , and esteem'd them equal with their pastors and presidents . indeed out of these , they chose their bishops , thinking those fittest to serve at christ's altar who had already made themselves a sacrifice for him . thus men purchased the degree of pastours by their holiness , and their eminent sanctity , which pressed even through wounds and tortures for the name of christ prepared them for that function . men that were strong to suffer , they justly thought might be fittest to lalabour in god's church , and they that had been such champions for the truth , they looked upon as the properest instruments to defend it to their death . nor did their kindness extend only to their friends , but reacht even to their greatest enemies ; and they that jush before were persecuted by them , if their persecutors fell fick , or were afflicted , or the plague of god came upon them , these injured christians would offer their services , support them , comfort them , admonish them , attend at their beds side , and lend them their helping-hand , cherish them , supple their sores , relieve them , and with a pity great and magnanimous , weep over their calamitious estate to the amazement of the pagan world , who were now ready to look upon them as angels , when but just before they thought them as bad as devils . poverty was the least thing that troubled them ; nor did want sit so heavy on their souls , as it doth on ours , for they had learned to undervalue riches ; and that which made them slight it , were these two impressions the apostles doctrine had made on their souls this sunk deep into their hearts , that here we have no continuing city , but we seek one to come . that all we see here , is but shadow , and imagery , but the substance is not yet visible ; that the fashions of this world will pass away , and the gaudes and glories below the moon afford no real satisfaction . this made it ridiculous in their eyes , to snatch at a butterfly or a flying feather ; and they rationally believe , that what-ever is subject to time , and change , will certainly make it self wings , and flee away , and leave the soul as empty as it found it , and that therefore their thoughts must be turned another way , even there where constant satisfaction , lasting content , permanent happiness , perfect beauty , and uninterrupted joys are to be found ; and indeed , this duly weigh'd , will breed a mighty contempt of temporal things , and a certain expectation of future bliss . nor did the care of their children fill their hearts with anexious thoughts , for they were sensible , that when-ever the church had notice of their want , they would certainly be relieved , and looked after ; for as many fathers and mothers left their estates , and what they had to the church , so the church imploy'd those legacies , or gifts , to support all those that should be necessitous . besides this , their pastors both by their doctrine and example admonish'd them to be diligent in working with their own hands , that they might get something not only to be beneficial to themselves , but to others too , and indeed they thought they did little or nothing , if of what they got , they did not communieate to those , who were not able to help themselves . they had nothing that was superfluous and hence it was , that there was but little striving about what they left . to lay up much goods for many years , they thought was fitter for heathens that for christians ; and having seen no such thing in their master , they could not tell , how it could be proper in his servants . love of mony , and admiration of riches , and anxious worldly cares and desires of hoarding , were things they had an antipathy against ; and though out of that stock they provided themselves with necessaries , yet for engrossing any thing to themselves , besides , was a thought as far from their minds , as the heaven they longed for was from that earth , on which they trampled , and looked upon with pity and scorn ? for , alas ! what greediness could there be in them after temporal means , who were already greater than the world could make them , and took delight in nothing , but surveying that glory , which ere long they should rejoyce , and triumph in ? if any were so malicious as to traduce their teachers , and brand them with the guilt of covetousness , or slander them , their pastors used no other weapon to put by the sting , but meekness to the back-biter , and their own innocence by degrees dashed , and wiped away all aspersions , hence the christians gave them their own freely , for they believed they could lose nothing by it , and long experience had so confirm'd that belief , that envy it self could make no impressions upon them to the contrary ; when it was in their hands , they thought it was safer than in their own ; and being hereby freed from abundance of cares , and incumbrances , they pressed more chearfully to the promised mark. if any christian kept any land in his hands , his care was so to use his income , as to give god the first fruits of it , to bring his gift to the church , to lay by somewhat for alms , to help and assist the sick , and to relieve the prisoners and captives , not only such as were within the verge of the town he liv'd in , but others also . thus did those men live under riches , as under thorns , and were sensible of nothing so much as this , that great wealth is but a great temptation to be vain , and sensual , which made them use this self-denial in their incomes . he that for a kindness , he did to his neighbour , expected a recompence , was look'd upon as a person greedy of filthy lucre ; and he that could do nothing for his friend , without a reward , or prospect of some profit to himself , was censured as a person ignorant of the fundamental law of their religion . usury , interest , and such names , were scarce heard of among them ; and oppression was a thing , which they thought none that named the name of christ could be guilty of . in a word , they desired nothing so much in this world as to be quickly gone from it , and they thought it the joyfullest news imaginable to understand , that they were to be dissolved , and to go to christ. this was the temper nature , and constitution of that commonwealth . the members of it look'd mean , and contemptible . nothing about them was pompous , either in cloaths , or dyet , or habitation , or houshold-stuff . such among them , as were noble or learned , or of a gentile extract laid aside their pride , and all their swelling titles , forgot that they were better born , or educated than others , and became like their brethren . plaiting and curling the hair was a thing that both their men and women proscribed from their care , and they thought that labour lost , which was employ'd on such superfluities . they were jealous of their serious frame of spirit , and therefore all such dresses , as might serve to infuse vanity into their minds , or damp their zeal to religion , they shunn'd , as they did houses infected with the plague . they minded no such thing as modes and fashion , nor did any new habit , or ornament that came up , entice them to imitation . decency was their rule , and modesty the standard of their habit , and conversation . they wore nothing about them that was either costly or curious , and there greatest study and contrivance was , how to advance their souls , and make them fit for the wedding of the lamb ; laying on either white or red upon the face , or disfiguring it with something black , and of kin to hell , they knew not what it meant . their garments were either linnen or woollen , or furr , or sheeps-skin , and their furniture mean and homely . without god , they attempted nothing ; and whatever enterprize it was , they betook themselves to , they sanctified it by prayer , and suplication . if they went out either to sow , or to plough , or to reap , or to build , god's blessing was first sought , and begg'd , and they never put on their cloaths , but entertained themselves all the while with some holy reflections . theaters and seeing of plays they hated , as a thing contrary to their profession ; and though the heathen despised them for it , look'd upon them as unsociable , men of pitiful spirits , strangers to the art of conversation , melancholy wretches , brethren of worms , and no better than vermin of the earth ; yet they mattered not their censures , and triumph'd more in a good conscience , than the other could do in all the vanities and glories of this present world. the worlds contempt , was their glory , and they were proud of being scorn'd and undervalued by the vulgar crowd , that they might with greater earnestness long after a better inheritance . if any wanted business , he would find some ; and they that had no need to work for their living , work'd for the poor . idleness they had an aversion from , as from the root of evil , and great men and women would do something , which the needy might be the better for . the greatest lady would not disdain to spin , or sow , or knit for her distressed neighbour , and like bees , they were ever busie , and employed for the common good. love of the world was death to them ; and they thought it a certain sign , that they had no portion in christ if they did serve both god and mammon . to be in the world , and not of the world , was their motto ; and to be other men , than they seemed to be , was the thing they chiefly aimed at . they seemed to be profane , because they would worship no heathen gods , but were the devoutest persons in the world to the true god ; and they forgot to be men , that they might be the better christians . not a few left their high places , and great dignities to become christians , and chose to be low , and contemptible in the world , that they might have no impediments in their way to heaven . servants never concern'd themselves to get their freedom , for their masters were christians , and themselves were so ; both cheerfully discharged their duties one to another , and consequently lived in perfect peacé , and unity . many servants , that might have had their freedom , would not , because they lived sufficiently happy under their believing masters ; and while they saw nothing but love in their masters , their very bondage was perfect freedom . if one wept , his neighbour did weep with him ; if one mourned , his neighbour mourned with him , as if both had committed the same sin ; in a word , they had their joys and sorrows common , and they might be said to be all in one , and one in all : in their meals they were temperate . their houses were open to strangers , as well as to their friends and neighbours ; and where the traveller could produce a certificate , that he was a practical christian , he could not fail of a most hearty welcome . hospitality was their badge , and he that would not receive a brother into his house , because poor , and ragged , was either forbid the church , or not suffer'd to come into it . and though they never had studied pythagoras , yet both their faith and reason told ●…hem , that as the body waxes stronger by the ●…eath of the soul , so the soul becomes more ●…aliant , and lively by the death of the body . this made them conquerours of those pleasures of the flesh , which in all ages have weakned the bravest men. and women , melted hearts of iron , and conquered the greatest conquerours of the world. to suppress such satisfactions of the flesh , they were so watchful , so couragious , so magnanimous , that they seemed angels more than men , and were actually nearer to god , to whom they lived , than to the world , in which they lived . in their lives , chast and modest ; in their married estate , moderate and holy ; and not a man came near his wife , after he perceived , or had notice that she was with child , till she was deliver'd ; and even then when they came together , their thoughts were so innocent , that they proposed no other end but procreation of children to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the lord. in the very works of their calling , they would sing of christ , and make spiritual objects so familiar to them , that in their very sleep and dreams , they rolled in their imagination ; they were always ready for prayer , and holy ejaculations ; and so addicted to the love of goodness , that they could not endure a vitious person ; and if they met with any such in their assemblies , did thrust him out of their communion , and made it criminal for any christian either to eat , or drink , or converse , or talk , or keep company with him . of their teachers they were so observant , that without them they would begin nothing , and go no-where without their letters of recommendation . without their advice , they would not marry , nor do any thing considerable in their civil affairs without asking their counsel and approbation , for they looked upon them as their fathers , and as religion had made them so , so they thought the obligation to consult them upon all occasions was the stronger . and when they were beaten , would not beat again ; when reviled , would not revile again ; and when abused , would not abuse again , nay look upon an unjust calumny as a piece of martyrdom , and therefore bear it undauntedly . their meeting or coming together to pray , they esteem'd a thing so sacred , that no frowns , no thunders , no threatnings of tyrants could make them forbear it ; andbeing conscious of their innocence , they justly thought , their enemies might bytheir authority forbid , but could not with any colour of reason prohibit their assemblies . this made them flock to their oratories , though it was death to go ; and parants with their children would run , though the next news , they were like to hear was christianos ad leones , throw those dogs to the lions . though they were thrust into mines , and prisons , yet they would find opportunities to pray . some travelled into far countries , preach'd the gospel , and when they had laid a good foundation there , went farther , and spent their lives in pains and labours , and doing good . with this kind of life , the first christians amazed the unbelieving world , and their power and number quickly grew so formidable , that the emperours themselves began to be startled at their progress , and therefore employ'd their might and greatness to oppose it . to crush their towering piety , the heathens shewed them racks , flames , gibbets , grid-irons , cauldrons , boyling oyl , lions , bears , wild bulls , and set before them the worldly prudence of philosophers , but by the grace and assistance of that iesus , who strengthned them , they were more undaunted at their torments , than their hangmen , did fight with lions , and smile , and were more daring than the flames they suffer'd in , firmer than the racks , that broke their bones , and by their practises surmounted all the great acts that were ever done by hero's , and the most famous conquerours . they overcame death by a desire of death , and were more willing to die , than their executioners to suffer them . their blood proved the seed of the church , and the more they massacred , the more their numbers grew , till at last the emperors themselves became christians , and were forced to yield to the faith , and patience of iesus , and the christians at last gave law to those , who at first did stab , and murder them , and conquer'd them in the end , who in the beginning butcher'd them like dogs , and such inconsiderable animals . the end notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a38744-e1360 * being in 1661. notes for div a38744-e8450 lib. 1. chap. 5. lib. 1. chap. 12. concerning john baptist and herods iealousie . what josephus wrote of christ. lib. 1. ch . 14. agbarus wrote to iesus . euseb. lib. 1. ch . 14. the conference which thaddaeus had with agbarus . agbarus was cured . thad . would not receive a reward of gold. notes for div a38744-e9180 euseb. l. 2. ch . 2. euseb. l. 2. ch . 6. euseb. l. 2. ch . 7. ch. 9. lib. 2. ch . 10. a prosperous estate , sometime miserable . theudas beheaded . lib. 2. ch . 13. ch . 15. the occasion of s. marks writing the gospel . christians renounced their substance . is forsook , or cast off . what foundation the christians laid formerly . ch . 17. lib. 2. ch . 20. the priests miserable end . the jews conspiracy against the truth . lib. 2. ch . 23. lib. 2. ch . 25. notes for div a38744-e10510 lib. 3. chap. 14. euse. lib. 3. chap. 14. the same epistle or another of clemens is extant in holland , and i hear in english. lib. 3. chap. 20. of mat. of john. euse. l. 3. chap. 21. of luke . lib. 3. chap. 22. chap. 26. lib. 3. chap. 28. lib. 3. chap. 29. how long the church was said to remain as a pure virgin . when error begun to take rooting in the church l. 3. c. 30. what the christians refused to do , and what they did . euseb. lib. 3. ch . 32. ignatius epistle to the church chap 35. notes for div a38744-e12410 lib. 4. ch . 6. lib. 4. ch . 7. christians ●…andered . lib 4 ch . 8 ▪ how wrongfully the christians were executed . lib. 2. c. 23. the accusers were so well to appear at the bar as the accused . mark what justice and eqtity . lib. 4. c. 13. the desire of the christians . the christians were not to be molested nor accused . l. 4. 6. 15. 〈◊〉 . 15. a warning to forward spirits . a temptation and provocation . polycarpus was provoked to lye and swear , but would do neither . nota. lib. 4. ch . 16. t is folly to speak evil of that one knrweth not . lib. 4. ch . 17. christiani ty brought chastity . impatiency wisdom . submission truth giveth boldness . nota. lucius's godly zeal against injustice . lib. 4. ch . 18. the jews spite against christianity which was accounted heresie . prophecy then not ceased . lib. 4. ch . 21. hereticks . false christs and false prophets were entered then too among the christians . many sects among the iews . lib. 4. ch . 22. the christians relieved the brethren . some corrupted the scriptures . lib. 4. chap. 25. the christians were made a prey upon , yet innocent . nota. lib. 4. ch . 27. notes for div a38744-e15150 lib. 5. chap. 1. the epistle of the frenchmen unto the churces of asia and phrygia . extraordinary sufferings . of the love that was among the suffering christians . slanders falsty raised against the christians . their familiar acquaintance were offended at them . cruel torment . a wonderful thing if true . the saints cast into dark and deep dungeons . they were comforted of the lord when destitute of mans aid . recantation availed not . the difference betwixt the faithful & unfaithful terrible cruelty . a s●…d time . the christian martyrs would not swear . the martyrs were not be buried . the christians upbraided . christian religion termed new and strange . chap 3. the spirits of the christians were subject one to another . ch. 8. of the evangelists . concerning the scriptures . chap. 14. false prophets were entered . a deceitful spirit . saints did no homage false prophets are not persecuted to death . first inventer of bribes . gives hire to the preachers of his doctrine . bribes becometh not prophets . false prophets covetous . note . chap. 19. a cruel law against the christian●… chap. 23. a division among the christians when they apostatized . their opinions concerning fasting . notes for div a38744-e18040 chap. 2. nota. origen sold his philosophy books . chap. 4. basilides compassion basilides would not swear . chap. 13. note . why mark wrote . why iohn wrote . chap. 19. demetrius answered . chap. 40. a martyr stoned . heathen cruelty . proclamation a-against christians a young sufferer . souldiers compassion . chap. 41. souldiers zeal . chap. 42. ch. 44. notes for div a38744-e19980 chap. 1. twotkings put to his choice . his fall. psal. 50. he was guilty . the serpent's subtilty . it is sasd origen gelded himself . chap. 9. chap. 6. cruel inhumanity . nota. chap. 7. dionysius and others banished . heathens converted . chap. 7. christians sufferings . nota. chap. 2. the emperors edict . chap. 13. chap. 19. who licensed bishops &c. to preach . notes for div a38744-e22000 chap. 1. christians honoured . note . chap. 3. cruel proclamation . chap. 6. prisons filled with christians chap. 14. note . chap. 15. ch 16 , 17 18. judgment on a tyrant chap. 22. chap. 1. chap. 27. a new persecution . sacrifised young and old . cruelty to heathen●… courage of the christians . notes for div a38744-e23630 chap. 2. chap. 2. an edict in behalf of the christians liberty granted . a judgment upon this persecution . notes for div a38744-e24170 liberty of conscience granted . a synod called . chap. 6. chap. 7. chap. 8. notes for div a38744-e25120 gen. 6. 5. 12 , 13. gen. 37. exod. 1. 12 , 14. ier. 37. john 18. 31. acts 24. acts 6. acts 8. acts 13. 50. chap. 14. chap. 17. who are christians psal. 51. 16 , 17. who are antichristians . tit. 1. 16. baron . 66 num . 1. origen lib. 13. christians . now vilified as formerly . baron . an. 164. num. 2. euseb. l. 4. c. 16. christians no●… are in the same mind as formerly . baron . an. 100. num 2. tertul. 30. pag. 127. the antient christians would not go to any ceremonies . heathnish inventions . euseb. l. 6. ch . 4. the heathens pleasures were not the christians the honour of the gods decayed . how some fell from the faith , in the time of tryal . tertul. apol. pa. 19. prisons fill'd with christians socra . 1. l. ch . 2. how evils crep in amongst the chrstians . luke 18. 8. socrat. l. 3 c. 2. thap . 11. chap. 12 how the wickedness of officers was tollerated . how the priests help themselves with the quirks of logick . socrat. li. 1. c. 5. christ nor his apostles the author of logick . socra . lib. 1. ch. 3. a porsecuting bishop set up . the christians defend not themselves . the calamity of the faithful . socra . lib. 4. ch . 19. the cruelty of false christians the emperobrs hipocrysie . socra . lib. 4. ch . 29. ruffin lib. 11. ch . 8. the courage of a woman . bar. an. 1050. num. 1. bar. an. 1116. num. 6. bar. an. 1145. num. 3. anno. 1148. num. 11. the popes cruelty . bar. an. 11 78. num. 3 , 4. how the false christians behaved themselves after they had got the power in their hands . acts 21. 28. a cruel preelamation of the emperours calvin's apostasie . how luther and his adherents were reviled and what spirit they were of . protestants degeneration . notes for div a38744-e34050 acts 15. acts 21. synop. d d. acad . l●…id disp. 49. thes. 70. 71. nota. 't is the lord's work to establish his people in peace , and not the work of synods . good advise for england notes for div a38744-e37520 tertull. parallel . tertull. nota. parallel . tertull , parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . pertull . parallel . nota. tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . the name quaker now the object of hatred , as the name christian hath been . tertull. nota. parallel . tertull. parallel . the name of a christian procured hatred as the name of a quaker doth now . tertull. note . parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. parallel . tertull. note . parallel . tertull. what order there was among the christians , concerning their collections . parallel . how gifts alure priests to preach . tertull. parallel . notes for div a38744-e40060 matth. 11. 21.