ton.

the House with their Swords and Piftols in their hands, 1662. crying, Put out the Candles, and make faft the Doors. Then they feized upon the Friends in the Houfe, and Swaningasked; If there were no more about the Houfe? The Friends told them, there was one Man more in the Hall. Now there being fome Friends, that came out of Derbyshire, one of them was named Thomas Fauks; and this Lord Beaumont (fo called) after he had asked all their Names, bid his Man, fet down that Man's Name Thomas Fox: but the Friend faid, Nay; his Name was not Fox, but Fauks. In the mean time fome of the Soldiers came, and fetcht me out of the Hall, and brought me to him; and he asked me my Name: I told him, my Name was George Fox, and that I was well known by that Name. Ay, faid he, you are known all the World over: I faid, I was known for no Hurt, but for Good. Then he put his Hands into my Pockets to fearch them, and pluck'd out my Comb-Cafe and afterwards commanded one of his Officers to fearch further, for Letters, as he pretended. I told him, I was no Letter-Carrier: and ask'd him, Why would he come amongst a Peaceable People with Swords and Piftols, without a Conftable; which was contrary to the King's Proclamation, and to the late Act? For he could not fay, there was a Meeting; I being only talking with a poor WidowWoman and her Daughter. By reafoning thus with him, he came fomewhat down: yet fending for the Conftables, he gave them Charge of us that Night; and to bring us before him next Morning. Accordingly the Conftables fet a Watch of the Town's People upon us that Night; and had us up next Morning to his Houfe, about a Mile from Swanington. When we came before him, he told us, We Met contrary to the A Whereupon I defired him to fhew us the Act. Why, fays he, you have it in your Pocket. I told him, he did not find us in a Meeting. Then he asked Whether we would take the Oaths of Allegiante, and Supremacy? I told him, I never took any Oath in all my Life, nor Engagement, nor the Covenant: Yet

A 4

us,

ftill

ton,

1662. ftill he would force the Oath upon us. Then I defired him to fhew us the Oath, that we might fee whether Swaning we were the Perfons the Oath was to be tendred to; and whether it was not for the Discovery of Popish Recufants. At length he brought forth a little Book, but we called for the Statute-Book. He would not fhew us that; but caufed a Mittimus to be made, which mentioned,That we were to have had a Meeting: And with this Mittimus he delivered us to the Conftables to Convey us to Leicester-Jail. But when the Conftables had brought us back to Swanington, it be ing Harveft-time, it was hard to get any body to go with us; for the People were loth to go with their Neighbours to Prifon, efpecially in fuch a bufie time. They would have given us our Mittimus, to have carried it our felves to the Fail; for it had been ufual for Conftables to give Friends their own Mittimus, (for they durft truft Friends;) and they have gone themselves with their Mittimus to the Failer. But we told them, though our Friends had fometimes done fo, yet we would not take this Mittimus; but fome of them should go with us to the Jail. At laft they hired a poor labouring Man to go with us; who yet was loth to have gone, though hired. So we rid through the Country to Leicester, being Five of us in number; fome carried their Bibles open in their hands, declaring the Truth to the People, as we rode, in the Fields and through the Towns, and telling them; We were the Prisoners of the Lord Jefus Chrift, going to fuffer Bonds for his Name and Truth-fakeand one Woman Friend carried her Wheel on her Lap, to Spin on in Prison: and the People were mightily Leicefter affected. At Leicefter we went to an Inn; and the Master of the Houfe feemed to be troubled, that we fhould go to Prison and being himself in Commiffion, he fent for Lawyers in the Town to advife with and would have taken up the Mittimus, and kept us in his own Houfe, and not have let us gone into the Jail. But I told Friends, it would be great Charge to lie at an Inn, and many Friends and People would

be

be coming to Vifit us; and it might be hard for him 1662to bear our having Meetings in his Houfe: and be Laicefter fides, we had many Friends in the Prifon already; Lee and we had rather be with them. So we let the Man know, that we were fenfible of his Kindness: and to Prifon we went; the Poor Man that brought us thi ther, delivering both the Mittimus and us to the Jailer. This Jailer had been a very wicked, cruel Man: and there being Six or Seven Friends in Prifon, before we came, he had taken fome occafion to quarrel with them, and had thrust them into the Dungeon amongst the Fellons; where was hardly room for them to lie down, they were fo thronged. We ftay'd all that day in the Prifon-Yard, and defired the Jailer to let us have fome Straw: He furlily answered, Tou do not look like Men that would lie on Straw. After a while William Smith, a Friend, came to me; and he being acquainted in the Houfe, I asked him, What Rooms there were in the Houfe, and what Rooms Friends ufually had been put into, before they were put into the Dungeon? I asked him alfo, Whether the Jailer or his Wife was Mafter? He faid, The Wife was Mafter; and that though fhe was Lame, and fate moftly in her Chair, not being able to go but on Crutches; yet fhe would beat her Husband, when he came within her reach, if he did not do as he would have him do. Now I confidered, that probably many Friends might come to Vifit us: and that, if we had a Room to our felves, it would be better for them to speak to me, and for me to speak to them, as there fhould be occafion. Wherefore I defired William Smith to go fpeak with the Woman, and let her know, if he would let us have a Room, and let our Friends come up out of the Dungeon, and leave it to us and them to give her what we would, it might be better for her. He went: and after fome reasoning with her, the confented; and we were had into a Room. Then we were told, That the Jailer would not fuffer us to fetch any Drink out of the Town into the Prifon, but that what Beer we drank, we muft take of him. I told them, I would

remedy

1662. remedy that, if they would: for we would get a Pale of Water, and a little Wormwood once a day; and Leicester that might ferve us So we fhould have none of his Prison. Beer; and the Water he could not deny us.

Before we came there, when thofe few Friends, that were Prisoners there, did Meet together on the FirstDays, if any of them was moved to pray to the Lord, the Jayler would come up with his great Quarter-ftaff in his Hand, and his Maftiff-Dog at his Heels, and would pluck them down by the Hair of the Head, and ftrike them with his Staff: but when he ftruck Friends, the Maftiff-Dog, inftead of falling upon Friends, would take the Staff out of his Hand. Now when the First-Day came, after we came in, I fpake to one of my Fellow-Prifoners to carry down a Stool and fet it in the Yard; and give notice to the Debtors and Fellons, that there would be a Meeting in the Yard, and they that would hear the Word of the Lord declared, might come thither. So the Debtors and Prifoners went into the Yard, and we went down and had a very precious Meeting; the Jailer not medling. Thus every Firft-Day we had a Meeting there as long as we ftaid in Prifon and feveral came in out of the City and Country, and many were Convinced and fome received the Lord's Truth there, who ftood faithful Witneffes for it ever fince.

Leicester When the Seffions came, we were had up before the Se Brons. Juftices; with many more Friends, that were fent to

Prifon whilft we were there, to the number of about Twenty. Being brought into the Court, the Jailer put us into the Place where the Thieves were put; and then fome of the Juftices began to tender the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy to us. I told them, I never took any Oath in my Life; and they knew, we could not Swear, becaufe Chrift and his Apoftle forbad it: and therefore they put it but as a Snare to us. But we told them, if they could prove, that after Chrift and the Apoftle had forbid Swearing, they did ever command Chriftians to Swear, then we would take these Oaths; otherwife we were refolved to obey

Chrift's

Segons.

Christ's Command, and the Apostle's Exhortation. 1662. They faid, We must take the Oath, that we might manifeft our Allegiance to the King. I told them, I had Leicester been formerly fent up a Prifoner by Col. Hacker, from that Town to London, under pretence, that I held Meetings to Plot to bring in King Charles. I alfo defired them to read our Mittimus, which fet forth the Caufe of our Commitment to be, that we were To have a Meeting, and I faid, he that was called Lord Beaumont, could not by that A&t fend us to Jail, unlefs we had been taken at a Meeting, and found to be fuch Perfons, as the Act speaks of: therefore we defired, they would read the Mittimus, and fee how wrongfully we were Imprifoned. They would not take notice of the Mittimus, but called a Jury, and Indicted us for Refusing to take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy. When the Jury was Sworn and Ins ftructed, as they were going out, One, that had been an Alderman of the City, fpake to them, and bid them Have a good Confcience and one of the Jury, being a peevith Man, told the Juftices, There was One affronted the Fury: Whereupon they called him up, and tendred him the Oath allo; and he took it.

While we were ftanding in the Place where the Thieves used to stand, there was a Cut-Purfe had his Hand in feveral Friends Pockets; and Friends declared it to the Juftices, and fhewed them the Man: They called him up before them; and upon Examination he could not deny it yet they fet him at Liberty.

It was not long before the Jury Returned, and brought us in Guilty: and then, after fome Words, the Juftices whispered together, and bid the Jailer take us down to Prifon again; But the Lord's Power was over them, and his Everlasting Truth, which we declared boldly amongst them. And there being a great Concourfe of People, moft of them followed us; To that the Cryer and Bailiffs were fain to call the People back again to the Court: We declared the

Truth,