THE LIBERTY OF AN Apostate Conscience DISCOVERED BEING A Plain Narrative of the Controversie long depending between Francis Bugg an officious Agent in William Rogers's Behalf and Quarrel on the one part And Samuel Cater and George Smith Prisoners for the Testimony of Jesus in Ely Goal on the other Part. With their Answer to his Painted Harlot c. Whereby F. B's Liberty of Conscience is proved an Injurious Bondage Published for the Information of all Friends of Truth and others concerned and for Caution to all such Agents as have Promoted or Spread the late Books of Fr. Bugg and W. Rogers 1 Thess 4.6 Let no man go beyond or Defraud his Brother in any Matter because the Lord is the Avenger of all such London Printed by John Bringhurst at the Sign of the Book in Grace-Church-street 1683. AN Introduction TO FRIENDS AND Friendly Readers WHereas my self with others concerned have given account of the Unjust Actions and Unrighteous proceedings of Francis Bugg as hereafter mention'd This I do say and in the Fear of the Lord testifie that it is not done out of Envy and Ill will to the Man or to insult over him by laying open his Nakedness but do truly desire his sincere and unfeigned Repentance even as we have done ever since he began this his Unrighteous Work and for that end we have waited long upon him and have laboured much with him for if wholesom Advice and Brotherly Admonition could have prevailed with him to have turned him from his Evil way which of late Years he hath followed aâ— this Narrative and his Malicious Books do plainly shew this had never been But seeing he still followeth his unruly work and will not be reclaimed to turn from this Evil Spirit which hath led him into these things we do look upon our selves Conscientiously concerned for the Glory of God and the Honour of his Truth and also for the good of all honest and tender People who have or may have better Thoughts of him than he doth deserve and that so under the Profession of Truth which he in some measure hath gone under and may thereby deceive or betray any and draw them from the peaceable Truth into that Spirit with him into Strife and Contention which hath been the work he hath followed these several Years which is the work and fruit of an Evil minded Man as saith the Scriptures An Evil Man out of the Evil Treasure of his Heart bringeth forth Evil things And Christ saith By the Fruit ye shall know them For Men do not gather Grapes of Thornes nor Figgs of Thistles Whereby he sheweth how impossible it is that â—n Evil minded Man should bring forth that which is Good And now having given a true and faithful account of the disorderly and unjust Words and Actions of this Man I with the rest concerned with me therein do leave it and commit it to the just Witness of God in all Consciences to judge of the wrong he hath done to Truth to me and others And whether he hath not iustly brought this upon his own Head since we could not prevail with him to forsake his unruly work And if any be hereafter ensnared hy him and drawn aside out of the way of the Lord they must bear their own Burden And I with the rest concerned in this matter shall be clear in which I rest believing God in his own time will clear my Innocency and more fully manifest his guilt who has abused me and others without any just cause given him by us who am a True Friend and Lover of all that truly Love and Fear God and a wiâ—ness against Envy and Deceit where ever it doth appear Ely Prison 17. 12. 1682. S. C. THE LIBERTY OF AN Apostate Conscience c. THis may satisfie all into whosoever Hands it may come that whereas there is a Differeâ—ce made by Francis Bugg of Mildenhall in the County of Suffolk with Samuel Cater of Little-Port in the Isle of Eley concerning a Fine about which the aforesaid F. B. hath been so troublesome to me other friends both in this County elsewhere which there has been raised untrue Reports and therefore for clearing the Truth and to satisfie all that desires a right Information of proceedings therein from the beginning thereof I have therefore taken care with some other Friends so far as they are concerned therein to give a true Narrative of the Business from the beginning to this very Day of the most material passages that so the Truth being known it may thereby appear who hath done the wrong in this matter him or my self for which I have been so long abused by him About the Year 1675 I being at a Meeting at Mildenhall where Francis Bugg dwells there came one George Ereind of Lakenhoath and desired me to have a Meeting at his House and before I promised him he being a Stranger to me and Francis Bugg being there I advized with him about it he having knowledge of the Man and he told me that a Meeting would do very well there and desired me to go so after I had spoke further with the aforesaid George Ereind and found he desired the Meeting in a serious and weighty consideration I found freedom in my self to promise him to be at his House the next Day and also told him he might let his Neighbours know it and accordingly I went and F B. with me and several more belonging to Mildenhall Meeting and when we came at the Friends House there came in several of his Neighbours and after some time spent in waiting upon the Lord and calling upon his Name in Prayer I was moved by his Power to stand up and declare the Truth to all that were there present in which time whilst I was speaking Two Priests with some other Men came into the Meeting and one of those Men that came in with the Priests asked a Man that was in the Meeting before what their Speakers Name was who said he did not know and a Woman Friend said his Name was written in the Book of Life where he could not read then they asked Francis Bugg what is your Speakers Name His answer was in the hearing of the Officers and Informers * Mark Fran. Bugg was Informer here HIS NAME IS SAMUEL CATER all which time I was declaring the Truth and no Man asked of me my Name But after F. B. had told it they all went away and asked no further after it As also doth appear by this following Certificate and I continued the Meeting until I had cleared my self of what the Lord laid upon me at that time and then we departed in Peace being well refreshed with the Love and Goodness of the Lord whose Presence was with us to our comfort yea and F. B. himself said that he was glad we were there that Day what ever came of it for we had had a good Meeting And now whereas F. B. or some of his Abettors have
hast again therein abused us and wrote Lies to exuse thy self about the old concern which is not a way to stop controversie but to increase it and further if thou hadest been minded that it should not have been revived again why didest thou send thy mallicious Letter to Geo. Whitehead and to the 2d days Meeting in London who see and are satified it was to revive the controversie again and again why didest thou send the same Letter or a Copy of it to Ann Dockwra letting her know thou hadest sent that Letter to Me and that I had sent it back to thee again without opening of it and She says that thou wert minded to make it Publick only She accompted She had perswaded thee to the contrary by something Shee had wrote to thee and withall Shee said that I had done well in that I did not look into thy Letter and thereby have been stirred up to enter into further controversie again with thee so that She as well as others that have come to the sight of thy Letter do see that the tendency thereof was and is for controversie but thou sayest thou Intends to Manifest Me to be a reviver of the Old contreversy because thou believes I have spoke of it and that thou mayest have wherewith to accuse Me thou like one of the Officers in th Star-Chamber when in force Queries of Me in thy Letter whether at one time or other I have not spoke of it since the agreement was made between the Quarterly Meeting and thee for sayest thou if Sam. Cater have spoke of it then the agreement of the Quarterly Meeting is broaken yet also sayest thou knowest not that ever thou Covenanted or promised not to write a Letter to Me about it to that I answer if thou that wert at the Quarterly Meeting and there made an agreement with the Meeting and promised to cease from all Controversie and that all the writings thou hadst writ about the Old Controversie in general should be by thee brought to Ely Prison in the 11th Month following and there be burnt which thou saidst thou didst even all that were in thy Hand and what was in thy other Friends Hands thou saidst thou wouldest send to them to do the like Now say I if thou wert at the Quarterly Meeting and made the promise and agreement with them thy self doest not look upon they self at bound by that Order or agreement from writing to Me and others about the same Controversie again how comes it to pass that I who was not at the Meeting could be bound by that Order and agreement not to speak of it For of Sam. Cater hath spoken of it sayest thou the Order of the Quarterly Meeting is broaken on his part but I never saw any such agreement this is strange Logick yea Confusion indeed it s like the rest of thy proceedings about and concerning this matter and thou wilt have as hard work to prove this as thou hast to prove that I refused to tell my Name in Laken-Heath Meeting which is false and may be proved so Thou also speaks as if the report of this Controversie was in London Bristol Hartford Lincoln c. whereby thou wert abused and mispresented what then if it were so that this business follows thee and thy malicious Book if thou hast done well in it thou needs not be ashamed of it but if thou hast done evil why doest thou not make satisfaction seeing thou pretends so much to be a Christian Quaker But Francis I am apt to believe that not any have abused thee therein for who can speak worse of thee then thou deserves And besides if it be spoken of in those places aforesaid must it needs follow that it was through my speaking of it was it not publick to the Nation does not many Hundreds know how unjustly thou demanded that Mony of Me and how restless thou wert to obtain it when thou hadst got it in that deceitful manner of thy Cosin G. S. did not he give accompt thereof to the Monthly Meeting and were not Friends satisfied that thou went beyond him and gave it as their judgment that his simplicity was betrayed and that he ought to have his Mony again and did not he give the same accompt again to the Quarterly Meeting before Friends of five several Counties and could this be a private business to be kept from being spoken of by Me but I suppose thou thinks I may have spoke of it to some body or other that might ask Me if F. B. had paid Me or G. S. the 15 l. 3 Shillings he got so unjustly into his Hands which the Meeting expected he would have returned again as well as burn his writings As to that let Me know when thou writes again what thou wouldest have me to say about it when I am asked since I have not Freedom to tell a Lie to cover thy deceit and whereas thou offers in thine to return Me 7 Pounds to Shillings if I will accept it as Token of thy condescention which thou sayest thou hast told some Friends of and that thou wouldest give Me so much Mony as a Free Gift To that I answer I have neither need nor Freedome to receive such Gifts of thee But that which I do expect and desire of thee is to return to Me or thy Cosin G. S. that 15 Pounds 3 Shilling which thou so unjustly obtained from him and whereunto I have just right and thou mayest keep thy Gifts for them that will accept of them form I desire nothing of thee but my own neither shall I receive it but as my own and as to thy comparing Me to the Pharisees who lay Heavy Burdens upon the People c. it s but one of thâ— Slanders and hard and ungodly Speeches whicâ— thou must give an account to the Lord for so it s known to the Lord and to Faithful Friends my Innocency both in that and other things whereof thou hast unjustly accused Me and otheâ— Friends who truly fears God and are clear and innocent in the sight of God of those things thoâ— chargest them with for which thou hast a bittâ—â— Cup to Drink at the Lords Hand who will nâ—â— acquit the workers of iniquity who sin against tâ—â— light in their own Consciences as thou hast doâ—â— for several years This is â—ll at present from him who desires Repentance before Mercy be hid from thy Eyes Samuel Cateâ— Ely Prison the 25th of the 10th Month 1682. Sam. Cater's Letter to F. Bugg the 26th of the 10th Month 1682. THis is to let thee know that if thou wilt not make thy Cosin G. Smith and my self satisfaction for the wrong thou hast done us both by word and deed and also call in thy wicked Book which thou hast caused to be Printed in which thou hast belied abused and misrepresented Friends to the World then we shall make thy ungodly Accounts and fraudulent proceedings more Manifest then ever we thought to have
reported that I refused to tell my Name at the Meeting here is a Testimony under the Hands of these Honest Friends that were there present FOrasmuch as there hath gone various Reports relating to a meeting appointed by Samuel Cater together with the knowledge and consent of Francis Bugg and others of us the People called Quakers held at Lakenheath in the County of Suffolk at the House of one George Freind in or about the Year 1675 which Report goes abroad as if some Person or Persons who came to that meeting with an intent to give Information against the said People then and there met as did afterwards appear did demand of S. C. to tell his Name and that the said S. C. did not declare his Name when so demanded This is therefore to certifie all into whose Hands this may come for the preventing such false Reports to pass for true as much as in us lies as also to clear S. C. of the above recited charge against him We whose Names are hereunto subscribed being Eye and Ear Witnesses to what past at the Meeting do testifie that no Person in the aforesaid Meeting did ask S. C. hi◠Name but one did ask another Man in the aforesaid Meeting what the Speakers Name was And he said he did not know and a Woman Friend answered his Name was written in the Book of Life where he could not read then it was asked F. Bugg what is your Speakers Name and F. B. answered in the hearing of the Officers and Informers HIS NAME IS SAMUEL CATER then those that came in as aforesaid went out and came into the Meeting no more leaving S. C. declaring the Truth as he was before they came and so continued the time they were there and also a considerable time after they were gone after which he concluded the Meeting and we departed in peace having good unity with S. C. being sensible he was enabled by the Power of God to declare his Truth with an undaunted Spirit in the Face of its Enemies Witness our Hands this 9th Month 1682. William Handship William Swaits Iohn Mason Iames Burges Robert Hibble Iohn Burges George Freind Katherine Handslip Frances Fincham Mary Hogans Henry Hogans Now after this it appears that the Priests with some others that came with them to the Meeting Informed against the meeting to the Magistrates who Convicted the meeting and fined F. B. as he sayes himself Fifteen Pound for me as a Speaker whose Name and Habitation was not known whenas F. B. had told them my Name and I have cause to believe that the Priests and they which Informed against the meeting were not without Knowledge of the Place of my Habitations if F. B. did not tell them that also the Town where I dwell being but about 10 or 12 computed miles from the place where the meeting was kept But they having fined F. B. for it as he sayes they issued out their Warrants and the Offices distrained him for the Fifteen Pound and he not being willing to lose his Goods laid down so much mony and kept his Goods by way of an Appeal as he pretended but never went to Tryal but gave them his mony for his Fne being afraid to try his cause lest he should be Cast and lose more Mony to it as he told me himself Now mark this F. B's proceedings in this matter he was Fined and Distrained and paid his mony to redeem his Goods but never told me of it nor spake a word to me about it until Five or Six Months after although he had Opportunities enough to have done it in that time Then after I being at London at the Yearly Meeting F. B. came to me to Westminster meeting I seeing him there asked him to go with me to the Friends House were I lodged that Night which he did and when we were in Bed together he told me he suffered a Fine of 15 Pound for me then I asked him how it was his Answer was the Magistrates had fined him Fifteen Pound and the Officers took away much Goods for it so he laid down the mony by way of an Appeal and redeemed his Goods again and before the time of Tryal he was advised by Counsel not to go to Tryal for there was danger in being Cast and that would cost him more Mony so he did not go on but desired the Justices that he might withdraw his Appeal and that they might keep the Mony for his Fine whereby said he I lost Fifteen Pound but I expect thou shouldest pay me it again whereat I was strangly surprized to hear his demand to see what a strange Temptation had entred the man then I told him I see no reason for that why he should expect it of me seeing he was Fined for his own Testimony for his being at the Meeting which he also encouraged and 2dly he paid this mony to save his own Goods and not mine 3dly he paid it without my consent or knowledge neither could I have done it if it had been my own cause and had been Fine my self Neither did I ever pay mony to Priest nor other Persecutors to save my self from sufferings whatever I suffered for my Testimony And also I did look upon this Demand of his to be unjust and unreasonable and therefore I could not in Conscience pay it And besides I then told him he being far before me as to an Outward Esta e there was nothing of Charity in the case to obliege me thereunto and therefore I see no just or reasonable cause why he should demand any thing of me upon this account for I was no wayes the cause of his being Fined more then any other faithfull Friends must have been that ministers if they had been there then he said he suffered for my not telling my Name my self I told him for that he was to blame and not I ☞ for being so forward to tell my Name he prevented the Officers of asking me whereby I had not an opportunity to tell them for after he had told them they went away and never asked me for if they had I am sure I had told them for it was ever my practice both before and after that in the like cause which is well known both to him and other Friends where I have travelled since this Act hath been in force Then he told me if I counted his Demand to be unreasonable he would put it to some Friends to judge whether I ought not to make him satisfaction for that Fine I told him if he was not satisfied he might then he began to mention who to have to hear the cause and by whose judgment we might sit down I told him he might chuse whom he pleased himself so be they were Honest Faithful Friends and had a good sence of Truth I would freely give up my cause to them for my part and stand by their judgment Then after some time he told me Giles Barnardiston he knew was my
very good Friend and so he was his and if he would he should have the hearing of the cause and if the said G. B. did not judge his Demand to be reasonable he would desist and proceed no further in it so I was contented and we appointed where to meet next Day about it which accordingly we did and when we came together F. B. laid his cause before him who when he had heard he seemed much grieved at F. B. and told him he see no cause why S. C. should pay his Demand for it was unjust c. But F. B. broke his promise made to me the day before and would not stand by G. B's judgment Then he said he would lay it before the Yearly Meeting I told him if he did it would not make to his honour He said he would propose a Question about it I told him if he did state his Question fairly as the thing was I would be silent and not only hear the Meetings judgment but would sit down by their judgment But if his Question or Words tended to that purpose as if I would not tell my Name then I would give the Meeting account how the matter was for I knew my self clear so when he came into the Meeting he proposed his Question according to his own mind but not according to the true state of our cause about which he differed with me then I told them plainly how the matter was and the next day at Horsly-down I offered to stand by the judgment of the meeting and desired F. B. to do the like and that what the meetings judgment was we might both agree to it this was the second time I gave it up but F. B. stood silent at the time and would not say either that he would or would not so the meeting could give no positive judgment in the case Then some time after I was gone into the Low Countries in which time he sent a Letter to my House to meet him at our monthly meeting so after I was come home I met him at a monthly meeting at Chakes the 4th of the 8th month 1676. where he complained to the meeting that he had suffered a Fine of Fifteen Pound for me and I refused to make him satisfaction and he told the meeting that the cause he was fined was for my not telling my Name so when the meeting had heard us both they gave their judgment and made a Record thereof in the Monthly Book that I was not Guilty in not declaring my Name it not being of me demanded and told by another which was himself viz F. B. as I made it appear there and which he did not deny after which the meeting accounted he would have been at quiet then at a Quarterly meeting at Hadenham in the isle of Eley held in the 10th month 1676 F B. complained to the quarterly meeting then some in that meeting said that buÌ„siness was ended before by the monthly meeting therefore it ought not to be spoken of at the quarterly meeting then F. B. alledged that it was not ended for he did not give it up to the meeting to end it whereupon I asked him if he would give it up to this quarterly meeting to be ended by them and would stand by the end they made he said he would then the meeting heard us both concerning the matter which we had to propound and then desired us to go out of the meeting untill they called for us which we did and when they were agreed we were called and the meetings judgment was they saw no cause of blame in me for that which F. B. accused me neither could they award me to give him any mony But desired we should be Lovers and Friends as we had formerly been and if I had freedom in my self to give him any thing I might if not he ought to be content Then after this the next Yearly Meeting following he went to London again and complained to W. Penn telling him he could not have a fair hearing by Friends in the Country concerning the difference between him and me S. C. about the Fine so William appointed him and I to come to Edward Man's where Geo. Fox with other Friends would be which accordingly we did and there he was heard by G. F. and many other antient Friends what he had to say and I also where I again offered to give up my cause to G. F. or to all the Friends there or to any part of them in order to decide the difference depending between F. B. and my self and to stand to their Judgment and desired him to do the like that the business might be ended he said no he would not give it up to them but it shall be ended at our own Quarterly Meeting and he would put it to â—0 or 12 Friends that should be chosen neither by him nor me but by the meeting and them he would commit his cause unto and would stand by their Judgment then Friends desired an Agreement should be drawn up and we should set our Hands to it and they would witness it that so it might be performed that there might be no more difference about this business and one Friend began to write then F. B said let me write the Order my self for I know my own mind best so he took the Pen and Paper and with his own Hand drew this Order following and set his hand to it and so did I and Nine Friends were witnesses to this our agreement viz MEmorandum that upon condition that Friends in the Quarterly Meeting in the Isle of Eley do chuse and elect 10 or 12 Friends to hear and determine the Controversie betwixt Francis Bugg and Samuel Cater relating to the Fine which the said F. B. was fined for the Speaker at a Meeting in Lakenheath and all other Controversies they the said Francis Bugg and Samuel Cater do hereby promise to stand to this final determination under their Hands and for the future to cease from all Controversie touching any matter now depending between them Witness their Hands this 9th of the 4th mo 1677. Fran. Bugg Sam. Cater Witnesses to it Giles Barnardiston John Burnyeat John Whitehead Ambrose Rigge Leonard Fell William Whaley To the Friends at the Quarterly Meeting in the Isle of Eley Dear Friends We desire you that when this business comes before you that there may be a final end put unto it that there may be no more trouble about it George Whitehead Stephen Crisp Then the aforesaid Agreement was delivered into a Friends hand by both our consents to keep and for him to deliver it to the Quarterly meeting and F. B. there himself took a Copy of it which he kept Then at the Quarterly meeting the Order was produced and Friends discoursed the matter about chusing the men and would have had us to chuse them our selves that is 6 Friends each of us but I told them I was not free so to do lest F. B.