I had had and yet the Business remained I then took Fran. Bug aside and told him that although I was well satisfied in my Conscience that I had never done him wrong and that I did not owe him one penny and that his Demand was unjust and unreasonable yet for Peace sake rather than this difference should Remain to trouble Friends and diquiet our selves I would give him of my own free will five Pounds towards his loss relating to the said Fine his answer was that would not do so we parted at that time than I spake to his Friend and Abettor Edw. Neale aforesaid and told him he had not done that day like an honest Friend in his Place nor like a man that feared God whose work is to make Peace and pursue it with all men and he and others of them that Fran. Bugg had Chosen had an opportunity thereby to have made Peace in this matter that so long had been troublesome to the Church of God but he more especially I understood had hindered that day by refusing to Joyne with the rest that would have done it which days work would certainly become his burthen at one time or other his answer was we might make an end of it between our selves if I would for he knew Fran. Bugg's end was not for Money but Justice in the case I told him I nâ—ver did see other by Fran. Bugg buâ— that his end was wholly for Money neither was there any Justice in the case that he should have 15 Pound of me for nothing and besides his words was always to me give him so much Money and he would be quiet and when we were together alone at that time he said the same But I have not freedom to answer his unreasonable demâ—nds therein knowing my self clear of any thing of guilt concerning the matter whereof he charged me now this was the seventh time that I had given up the aforesaid case to the Judgment of Friends and four of the 7 times Fran. Bugg excepted of and Joyned with me and promised and became engaged as is before mentioned to stand to the Award or Judgment of the Friends to whom we gave up our Cause but went from his word every time Now the next thing wherein like a Deceitful man who shews himself void of any fear of God as hath and yet will appear by his following actions for he Surprised his Cosin Geo. Smith of Littleport through his Deceitful craft and got the said 15 Pound of him who is Fran. Bug's own Mothers Sisters Son a man that hath been Convinced about 13 or 14 years and ever since he came amongst us hath walked uprightly according to his measure and hath been of a blameless Conversation amongst Men from his Youth and lives in good credit and reputation a relation whereof he hath given which hereafter followeth under his own hand Also how far he was concerned in this matter by my Wife under her Hand whom Fran. Bug calls my Wife her Agent as sent by her c. And when Edw. Neale Will. Rogers and Tho. Crisp and others whom Fran. Bug accounts of his party who hath of late Joyned and Combined together in a Spirit of discord and opposition against the Godly and mutual care of faithful men and women in their distinct Meetings in several things which concerns our publick Testimony before the World amongst whom the Lord hath gathered us to bear Testimony against those loose and unjust ways that many both Priests and People lives in and Practices in that weighty matter of Marryage with several other things comes to read this relation of Fran. Bug's words and actions and will yet own him as a Brother amongst them and as an Agent to Abet their cause without repentance and making satisfaction both by word and deed for the wrong he hath done as aforesaid it s no great matter what they profess neither will it be much to the dishonour of honest and faithful men and women to be reproached by them but yet this I do say and so I shall conclude this Business that if it please God to give Fran. Bug and Will. Rogers and the rest of them true and unfeigned Repentance for that wherein they have done amiss whereby they have strengthened the hands of evil doers and laid stumbling blocks in the way of the simple by their Writing and Printing in this wilful and unjust manner against the faithful Servants of the Lord whose care hath been to keep all clean and savoury amongst the People of God I say I shall be truly glad thereof who am a friend to all that truly Love and Fear God Who am in strait Boreds for the Testimony of Jesus Christ in Ely Prison his 9th Month 1682. Samuel Cater Elizabeth Cater 's Testimony HEre followeth a Testimony under Eliz. Cater's hand how She came to encourage G. Smith to Treat with Fran. Bugg about his differing with her Husband Sam. Cater aforesaid and how farr she gave him order which was thus Geo. Smith coming to my house one day when my husband was not at home and told him that I was very much grieved and troubled at Fran. Bug's continuing so bad and envious against my husband and although I was satisfied that what he so furiously abused him for was unjust upon which account my husband hath not freedom to answer his unreasonable Demand I could be glad it were some ways ended then Geo. Smith told me that he also was much grieved for the difference for said he I Love thy husband well and Fran. Bug also and he is my near Kinsman for it doth trouble me that there should be a difference between them but I do account my Cosin is much out of the way in this matter but if thou Please I will speak with him and see if I can get him to be quiet then I desired him he would and I told him withall that although I knew that neither I nor my husband owed Fran. Bugg one penny neither was there any due upon that account he Demanded yet for Peace sake rather then my husband and friends should be any longer disquieted about it I would part with some Money if it cannot be done without although my husband knows nothing of it then Geo. Smith told me he would take an opportunity and speak with him and he did not question but to make an end of the business with little Money if any at all This is the truth of the matter to shew how farr I was Concern'd therein Eliz. Cater An Account given by George Smith concerning the Mony which Fra. Bugg deceitfully obtained from him concerning Samuel Cater THese are to certify all into whose hands this may come That whereas there was a difference long depending made by Fran. Bug with Sam. Cater about a Fine which the said Fran. Bug demanded of Sam. Cater which he had not Freedom to pay him looking upon his demand therein to be unjust and I coming to Sam. Caters
in this matter thinking to have peace and thereby hast lost thy Mony I will pay thee it all again So all the whole 15 Pound he did willingly pay with the 3 Shillings also which thou tookest for use of the 10 Pound which I borrowed but for half an hour and thou keepest it and caused Me to give thee Bond for it for 3 Months with 3 Shillings use for it or else I could not have paid the Man his Mony again which I borrowed to make a Tender of to thee and promised he should have his own Mony again in half an hour All which proceedings of thine I have given a true account and let the Reader judge into whose Hands it may come whether thou hast done like a Man that pretends so much to Christian Liberty and Honesty or indeed like a Man that hath common Honesty or rather in this matter art a shame to both For which I can truly say I am grieved to see and know and could have been glad at my Heart if thou hadst never given me this cause thus to write of thee neither do I believe I should what ever I had suffered by thee were there not a true concern of Conscience upon Me for the clearing of Truth and the satisfying of all that desires the certain knowledge of this matter that so the Innocent may not be blamed and all mistakes may be prevented And now I do yet say what canst thou think of Me I could be truly glad and I am sure my Heart would greatly rejoyce in it if yet thou mayest come to true Repentance of these things of which thou standest guilty and which the Enemy of thy Soul hath led thee into without which thou canst never hate true Peace with God Which is all at present from thy grieved and Abused Kinsman George Smith Francis Bugg I Having lately received a Paper of thine sent by thee to G. Whitehead and the rest of the Second days Meeting in London a Copy of the same thou says thou sent to me and I returned it to thee back without opening it and I am glad I did so for thereby all may see that comes to understand it that this old Controversie is on Foot again between Geo. Smith my self and thee and also it will appear who is the cause thereof and that it is not me nor Geo. Smith but thy selfe that hast revived it again contrary to thy promise and engagement made to the Quarterly Meeting at Hadenham the 10th Month 1680. Where thou made agreement with the Meeting that from that day all defferences betwixt thee and Me and thy Cosin Geo. Smith should cease and all Papers by all parties relating to the said difference to be brought to Ely Prison the first of the 11th Month 1680. and there to be burnt whereunto accordingly thou camest to Me and brought a great bundle of writings and further said that there was all that was in thy Hands so far as thou knew that thou had'st written about that Controversie which thou there burnt and withal promised that if thou did'st find any more thou would'st burn them and that also where there was any in any friends Hands that thou knewest of thou would'st write to them to do the same and as to any thing of that Controversie that had been between us concerning the Fine and all other matters should be fully ended and done withall according to the agreement and thy promise to the Quarterly Meeting which promise thou made before two witnesses then and there But now contrary to thy engagement made also before so many faithful Friends without any Regard to thy word like a man that neither Regards Truth nor Honesty thou hast in the aforesaid Paper abused us again as formerly thou use to do before the said promise at that Meeting to be quiet without any Provocation given thee either by G. Smith or my self that I know of although we have had cause enough given us by thee First in thy not answering the expectation of the Meeting which did believe thou would'st have Paid the Money again which thou obtained so unjustly from thy Cosin Geo. Smith as several friends that came from the Meeting told me they did believe thou would and that it was the sence of the Meeting that thou oughtest to do it And Secondly when thou broughtest forth thy envious Book in Print so stuffed with Lies and ungodly Suggestions and Reflections against several Honest and Faithful Men who truly fear God and are Serviceable in their Places wherein God hath set them And whom thou didst account such before the Enemy of thy Soul filled thy Heart with envy against the People of God but thy end will be according to thy work if thou repent not and also thou sayes in thy aforesaid Paper that I was Conscious to my self of Guilt as thou supposes and therefore I would not open thy Paper but sent it to thee without looking in it which supposition of thine is as false as it is wicked for I could not be Conscious of Guilt knowing not what was in it neither had I ever done thee any wrong but have suffered much wrong by thee as I shall make appear before I have done with thee seeing thou hast broken thy promise again made both in Publick and also to Private Persons of being quiet with us and art become a common Enemy to the People of God and a false Informer against them And having detested thy folly in supposing Me Guilty of thou knowest not what because I did not bestow looking into thy abusive Letter Now I shall tell thee the reason why I did not unseal it to look into it I being truly sensible of thy restless state and Condition and how far thou art fallen and degenerated from the pure Divine Principle of Love and Life wherein my fellowship stands with the Children and Servants of God I did not believe that there was any thing in it that would Minister any Comfort unto Me but on the contrary as it doth appear now through thy restless attempts it s come to my Hand And I give thee to know that well knowing my own Innocency in matters whereof thou Suggest evil against Me in which I have true Peace with the Lord I should have been silent in making any reply thereunto until God that made thee stops thy Mouth and makes thy folly Manifest to all Men as he hath made it Manifest unto Me several years since were it not for the sake of them that desire a certain knowledge of the Truth of these things whereof there goes uncertain reports abroad that so such may know the plain Truth of the manner of thy dealings with Me in that matter which thou so long hast been quarrelling with Me about A plain Narrative of the whole matter I do now intend to give forth and leave it to the witness of God in all People to judge who hath done or who hath suffered the wrong either thee or I in this
advantage as is spoken of in Jude of them that fell from their first Habitation and which thou hast given just cause to believe thou hast done For although thou never wert so much in Truth as thou would have People believe by thy assuming to take upon thee to Treat about the Principles of Truth as received by us in the beginning whith thou never experimentally wert a witness of yet thou hast known more of Truth then thou hast obeyed or lived in And thou complainest to H. N. of the mischief of imposition amongst the Quakers what Redress thou expected by complaining to him is best known to thy self but what plainer imposition could ever be invented by a Man then this new Order of thine is which thou hath sent to Me to have Me set my Hand to and with as much severity imposest it upon Me as thy Capacity will afford thee to do Whereby it doth and will appear to H. N. Knight and others when they come to see what thou hast done both before and also since thou wrote thy Book that thou hast dissembled with them and endeavoured to delude the World to make them believe thou art against imposing new Orders and Prescriptions upon tender Consciences when it s no such matter as appears by thy Practice But a Liberty to thy self to Lie and Dissemble and abuse Honest Men as is plainly Manifested both by thy Book and thy aforesaid new prescription and thou art got to thy old accustomed Work of thine in abusing Me with Suggesting that since I was a Preacher and a Sufferer through receiving Gifts and Rewards I am become Rich but I never was counted a Rich Man by thee until thou turned Informer against Me and demanded 15 Pounds of Me unjustly for thy work And I not having Freedom to satisfie thy unjust demand and Friends blameing thee for desiring it thou then began to change thy Tale concerning Me that whereas thou used to speak of to whom thou pleased of my outward Condition below what it was so now ever since hast spoke of it at a large Rate and what end canst thou have in it but to be get a belief in People that S. C. is a Rich Man that thereby thy Offence may seem the less in that thou hast gotten 15 l. 3 s. of mine for that which neither the Law of God nor Man allows thee one penny But Fran. what I have as to the outward I came Honestly by and I wish that thou hadest no more in thy possession then thou camest as truly and as justly by as I have come by what I have and then it would be better for Me and mine by near 20 Pounds And as to what I have is best known to my self and I never complained to thee nor any other of want neither have thee or others ever heard Me Boast of what I had in this World but am well contented with such things as I have I praise the Lord for it and If than couldest have been so thou wouldest never have troubled Me and others so much as thou hast done for that which is none of thy own And again Fran. thou Suggests in the aforesaid Malicious Paper of thine as if since I was a Preacher and a sufferer I am become Rich thereby to that I answer I have been a Preacher of Truth according to my Measure and a sufferer for the same before thou knewest any thing of the Truth or Me either in all which time it s well known to God and to faithful Friends both at Home and Abroad my Conversation hath been without coveting any thing that was other Mens but have from time to time taken an Honest care for Me and mine that we might not be Burdensome to any its known to the Lord and all Honest Friends who hath known my Conversation longer then thou hast done who can witness to the Truth of what I say in this matter and therefore what such railing Rabshecahs as thou sayest is little to Me who hast forsaken the Truth and art turned aside to Lies And now in answer to thy unjust charge and Slander in this kind I do say that I was never inriched as to the things of this World either by Preaching or Suffering in that manner as is by thee Suggested and I do say thy charge is false and Scandalous and proceeds from a Lying Spirits clear thy self as well as thou canst and if thou thinkest thou canst prove the contrary by Honester Men then thy self thou mayest go about it I ask no Favour at thy Hand as thou knowest I have told thee before now for I have Truth and the witness of a good Conscience on my side in these things whereof thou falsly accuses Me wherein I have true Peace And now whereas thou askes if thou hadst no colour of right to the Mony before mentioned which thou defrauded thy Cosin G. S. in the Gaining of Answer that will appear by the Narrative whether thou hadest or not to all that desire to know the certainty of that business when they come to know the Truth as it is and then I shall leave it to the witness of God in all their Consciences to judge who hath done and acted like a Christian Quaker or like an Honest Man whether thee or I in this matter wherein thou hast been so long troublesome to Me. Which is all at present but to let thee know that I have given a full and true Narrative from the beginning From him who is a Sufferer by thee as I am under the Envious Priests for the Testimony of a good Conscience in which I have true Peace Samuel Cater Ely Prison the 3d. of the 8th Month 1682. POSTSCRIPT FRan Bugg thou hast falsly insinuated as if thy Cosin G. Smith had hard work to get his Mony again of Me notwithstanding adds thou thy Wife sent him as thou told Me thy self Which insinuation of thine is false and thy Cosin G. S. will prove it so and for thee to say I told thee my Wife sent him is a lie of thy own making which thou hast put in to make out thy matter as thou wouldest have it an evil thou art too much accustomed unto for I never told thee so but do well remember still what I said which was that I know nothing of G. S's treating with thee but my Wife did as I understood after thou hadest got the Mony as will appear in the Narrative c. S. C. S. Caters Letter to F. Bugg Thine I have received Dated the 8th of the 10th Month 1682. Wherein thou sayest thou didst not send thy other Letter before this for controversie not to revive the old one But Fran. that is false and thy Letter and the use thou makes thereof proves the contrary to any that have seen or may see the same for thou hast not therein written to Me and thy Cosin Geo. Smith in order to make us satisfaction for the wrong thou hast formerly done us but thou
should not stand to what they did if they went contrary to the Agreement whereunto he had set his hand So the meeting desired us to go out so we withdrew and then they chose the 12 Friends out of the meeting in manner following viz. the Meeting chose one Friend and agreed that he should chuse whom he pleased next and so the last man chosen was to chuse the next until the 12 were all chosen and when they had chosen the 12 they sent for us into the meeting and told us how they had chosen them and read their Names unto us then I told them I was well satisfied with the Choise and what they did in the matter wherein they were to be concerned between F. B. and my self I would be contented to stand-by their Judgments and F. Bugg promised he would do the like then they withdrew to a Friends house to draw up their Award and F. B. asked me if I would not go and open my Cause to them I told him He might do what he pleased in the matter for himself but I see no need for it for it had been spoken of so often before them that they could not be without a Knowledge of it but he went to them and spake what he pleased and so left them to give Judgment so when they had agreed and drawn up their Award they sent for us and read their Award to us the substance thereof was THey found Samuel Cater clear of that Demand of Francis Buggs Therefore Awarded that he was to Pay F. B. Nothing c. And that all Differences that have arisen between them about that and all other things be from this Day fully ended and that they may be Lovers and Friends as they were before the Difference happened These be the Arbitrators Names John Ainsloe Wil. Brazier John Webbe Robert Smith John Prine Peter Watson Rich. Read Sam. Fulbugg Phillip Taylor Edward Firth Jacob Baker Edward Love Now when they read this Award F. B. said they had given away his cause but however he would be quiet and meddle no more But he soon broke his promise again and in a little time after he began to threaten the Arbitrators and wrote to them to that purpose that they had given away his mony and thereby had done him wrong and although that by their Arbitration he had now done with S. C. But now he intended to begin with them for there was a Law in the Nation That if Arbitrators did not do that which is Equal and Just when so Chosen the Party Grieved might recover Damage of them and they should have no more favour then the Law would afford them Then about this for a time he made a great adoe and gave a Lawyer Brevitts ☞ whereby he instructed him how to plead against Friends and of the state of his cause to come to our Quarterly Meeting to plead his cause which said Breviats the Lawyer shewed to William Penn and Thomas Rudyard after which the matter fell and the Lawyer never came to our Meeting then he began again with me and sent to me to have another Arbritation and Quarrelled with me again for the Fifteen Pound But I not having freedom to grant his desire nor to meddle with him any more so that he could not have his will of me Then he Threatened to prefer A Bill in Chaucery against me for his Mony and went to William Penn and shewed him one that he had prepared as I was Informed Then William Penn being grieved that the Enemies of Truth should have such cause given them to rejoyce over us by having such a cause as that brought before them he with another Friend wrote to me that if I could to get an end of this Business it might be well for although they believed that his Demands was very unjust and there was nothing due to him upon that account and that he was much to blame yet for Peace sake if it could be made an end of it might be well then I knowing he had desired another Arbitration I condiscended to it and sent him word that seeing he was yet disquiet about this mony if he knew how to have another Arbitration which would please him amongst Friends I would condiscend to it and put my Innocent cause once more upon Tryal then he seemed to be pleased and came over to my House and pretended all would be ended for whether he had any money or not he would be tcontented so he said he would chuse 6 and I should chuse 6 also and withall he said he would be bound with me to stand to the Award which Bonds were made and sealed But when the Arbitrators came to meet although they were neer to Agreement yet they did not agree for after F. B. understood that they were like to agree and his will not answered he said none should give away his Mony for if it must be given away he would give it away himself And when the Arbitrators were come to an Agreement and were drawing up the Award then F. B. came in amongst them without being desired and called Edward Neal one of the said Arbitrators to speak with him and when he came in again from him he would not stand to what he had Agreed to before then they could go no further for F. B. made the Bonds himself they were made so that if all the 12 or so many of them as there met were all to agree or else their Award was not to stand good whereby it appears although he was willing to be bound to stand to the Award yet he had made such provision that if he had not his will end Answered he would have nothing done for be having provided such a Man as would do what he would have him or nothing as it did plainly appear to all honest Friends that were there present Which thing was as wicked of F. B's part and him that joyned with him in his deceitful practice as it was before when he promised and gave it under his hand to stand to and abide by the Award of the other 12 Friends chose by the Meeting and after they had done it he promised to be quiet and meddle no more in the matter so awarded and so foully and ungodly went from his Word whereby all may see that reads this Narrative of his Words and Actions whether he hath not proved himself a false deceitfull Man both to God and Man and whether he hath not wickedly wronged his own Conscience by Covenant-breaking Lying and Deceit from time to time for the sake of Money whereby all may perceive that have any sense of truth and honesty how unfit he is to take upon him to treat about the Principles of true Religion and to plead for Liberty of Conscience against Imposition who hath thus wilfully abused and defiled his own Conscience for unjust gain Then after they could not end it I was much grieved to see the trouble that Friends and
Judgment that all Friends that Ministers in the Name and Power of the Lord are to be left to do in that as in their Faith and Freedom they shall see Meet they will answer it to God and are not to be Limited by F. Bugg nor any other what to say nor what answer to make when Informers and Persecuters come into a Meeting where they are Ministring Thirdly I do believe that this new invented Order of Fran. Bugg's tends to the exercising Rule and Lordship over the Faith and Consciences of our Bretheren and therefore I cannot set my Hand to it Fourthly I do account it a low and base thing of Fran. Bugg to make such a Law and to proffer Me 15 Pound to make Me his Proselite or to be an Abettor of his evill Inventions a thing altogether out of truth and contrary to the Antient practice thereof for Friends to make or to be made Proselites for the love of Money and I should Sin if I should condescend to his desires therein and therefore I deny to do it Fifthly I do know the 15 Pound that Fran. Bugg pretends so freely to give Me if I will signe his new Invented Order he hath wrongfully by defraud got into his Hand of my Mony for which he prepares this new Order and Imposes upon Me to Sign to keep Me out of the Mony as it appears if I did not Sign it And if I did Signe it to make a Deceitful cover for this his unjust Practice and Deceitful Dealing with his Cosin Geo. Smith which I have not freedom to do although he keeps Me still without my Mony And now I Query of F. Bugg and his Abetters if any he have seeing he is against new Orders and all Impositions as he pretends which have no Footing in the Scriptures Why I should not have my 15. Pound and 3. Shillings again seeing I cannot for Conscience sake Subscribe this his new Invented Order that he hath prescribed for Me to Signe and which I do say as before I have not freedom to do for the aforementioned reasons And whether Fran. Bugg does not appear a Persecuter of tender Consciences contrary to what He pretends if he keeps my Mony because I have not freedom to Subscribe to this his new Rule And thou saiest if this be not a condescention sufficient that is either to Sign this Order of thine or a new Arbitration thou then askest Me what will Please Me but that which will be well Pleaseing to God that is for thee to Truly Repent of thy Lies and Deceitful Dealings and acknowledg thy infaithfulness both to God and Man and make Satisfaction for the wrong thou hast done This is that which I expect and thou must do it before thou can'st come to have Peace with God and true Unity with his People run whether thou wilt and climbe as High as thou can'st the Hand of the Lord will find thee out and His Power will bring thee down as he did the Angels of Old who kept not their first Estate but lost their own Habitations which the Lord hath reserved in everlasting Chains of darkness unto the Judgment of the great day such the Apostle calls raging Waves of the Sea Foaming out their own shame wandering Starrs unto whom is reserved blackness and darkness for ever Now Fran. notwithstanding all thy Malice that thou hast shewn against Me and wrong thou hast done Me both by word and deed I could be glad I could perceive that there were so much regard by thee to the Light of Christ Jesus that thou mightest come thereby to see how near thou dwells to these fallen Angels and how much thy state and condition now resembles theirs for thou hast left thy Peaceable Habitation in the truth which the People of God injoys and thy Life is now in strife and contention as appears by the Fruit thou brings forth Thou art gone from the Love that thinks no evil into hatred and strife in which thou makest and inventest all the evil thou canst against the Servants of the Lord as is manifest by the Fruits thou hast brought forth How hast thou been Inventing Lies and Slanders not only against Me but many more of the Servants of the Lord whereby thou Foamest out thy Shame for its a Shame for a man to tell Lies and break Promises from time to time as thou hast done both before God and honest Men. And he that lives in the feare of God dare not do it but they who departs from the true fear and awe of God what will they not dare to do as appears by this wicked Work of thine and also by thy Book by which thy scoffing Rude Spirit is Manifest and thy hard Heartedness against the People of God whom now in thy Envy thou Endeavours to render them to be like the worst of Men even such as formerly thou accounted good Men and truly serviceable in the Church of Christ who are he same still But Envy hath blinded thy Eye so that thou canst not see them in their Places because thou hast lost the knowledg of thy own place which thou shoulded have continued in even in low humility before the Lord to have still waited upon him for his Wisdom to have Guided thee and to have felt his Power through the daily Cross to Crucifie that Earthly wise comprehending part in which thou comprehended the Truth in thy Head but never came to enjoy the life of Truth in thy Heart and Soul through the Death to thy own will in which unruly will thou speaks and Acts like an evil unruly Beast whose Mouth God will stop in his own time to thy sorrow without unfeigned Repentance And Francis thou tells Me of giving Me 15 Pound to Sign this Paper of thine but where is the Liberty of Conscience thou Treats so much of in thy Book Dedicated to Hen. North. Knight Wherein thou pretendest that all ought to be left free to the Liberty of their Conscience and not to be compel'd to any thing that they have not Freedom in themselves to do But in this Paper thou art far otherwise minded for thou speakest nothing of leaving Me to my Freedom in that matter of the 15 Pound But I must either contrary to my Freedom set my Hand to that Paper that thou hast contrived or else condescend to have another Arbitration about it which I cannot do for the Reasons aforesaid otherwise I must unavoidably lose my Mony which is far from leaving Me to my Freedom which in the aforesaid Book thou pretendest all ought to be left unto But Francis tell us when thou makest answer was the Dedicating of thy Book according to our Ancient principles which thou pretends to own or did Friends in the beginning Dedicate their Books in that manner or is it not rather the making of a Man that hath lost his Habitation in the power of Truth and now is creeping and Flattering with Men of the World and admiting Mens persons because of
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
and be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid that no Person shall by any clause of this Act be liable to pay above 10 l. for any one Meeting in regard of the Poverty of any Person or Persons What can be Plainer then this but in Contradiction hereunto says F.B. Justice Shelly and his other Counsellors told him that for neglect of the Speaker a Preachers declaring his Name and Habitation one Person may be Fined 15 or 20 l. for his offence or to this Effect Francis Justice Shelly was a Man I had no acquaintance with but I have heard he was a Judicious understanding Man and I much question whether he spoke to that purpose but rather take it to be of thy own Hatching yet since Justice Shelly is Dead if thy other Counsellor be alive let him give his Reasons under his Hand with his Name to it that we may know where to find him for the time is coming thou wilt stand in need of the Assistance of such a Counsellor that can make lies seem true bring something out of nothing and make a foul false Cause look fairly And what I have said is not to Vindicate or commend Edw. Swanton wherein he hath done amiss not yet condemn F. B. for well-doing neither do I know whether there will be any necessity to make use of his Certificate in Order to Manifest thy deceit since thou hast confessed so much but if there be because the Statute Backs what he Certifies the Justice said it will be as credible as any thing thee and thy Counsellor can say which so plainly Contradicts the Statute And now since thou hast done as thou hast how canst thou Escape the just imputation of Folly or Knavery Thou mentions much charge and cost thou hast been at in Journeys and otherwise whose fault was that Oh! but thou hast a smooth turn for that too because thou couldest not have Arbitrators indifferently chosen or to that effect I Query were they not such as thou accepted of And didst thou not engage to stand to their Award Nay further didest thou not say after thou knew their Award that thou wouldest sit down by it or stir no further in it or to that purpose But to return notwithstanding all thou canst say for thy self I take notice what the Widow Root said of thee and how confident she was of thy Honesty that thou wouldest not take 15 l. having 5 l. returned thee again see how some honest Friends are betraied into a conceitedness of thy Honesty so smooth and subtle have thy carriage been I have also perssed the Act to find what colourable pretence thy Counsellor can have to say that 15 l. or 20 l. may be Levied upon any one Person for the Preachers not declaring his Name and Habitation and the Act is worded thus and if the said Preacher or Teacher so convicted be a stranger and his Name and Habitation not known or is fled and cannot be found or in the Judgment of the Justice Justices or chief Magistrate before whom he shall be convicted shall be thought unable to pay the Sum the said Justice Justices or chief Margistrate respectively are hereby impowered and required to Levy the same by Warrant as aforesaid upon the Goods and Chattels of any such Persons who shall be present at the said Conventicle c. Now had the word Persons been in the singular number it had made something to the purpose but Francis thy covering I do think will be too scant to cover thy deceit and I do believe it had been better for thee every way that thou hadst not so earnestly hunted after S. C's 15 l. But since thou hast gone so far in it there is little hopes of any better Service in thy miscarriages then that others may thereby beware that they enter not into the like Temptations and so be caught in the same Snare Joshua Bangs At Hallywell-Row in Mildenhall the 13th of the 12th M. 1683. Edward Swantons Certificate of F. B's having 5 l. of the 15 l. Fine repayed Him by the Justice THis may Certifie all whom it may concern that whereas Fran. Bugg of Mildenhall in the said County Avereth that he Paid 15 Pounds or above for his being present at a Conventicle or Meeting in Laken-Heath some years last past which I do believe to be true but I do affirm that Five Pounds of the aforesaid Sum was Allowed and paid unto him back again by Justice Shelly or his order as the said Mr. Shelly Informed Me and this I am ready to Testifie upon Oath at any time when by Lawful Authority thereto called Given under my hand this Ninteenth day of January Anno Dom. 1682. Laken-Heath in Suffolk Edward Swanton Reader By this Certificate thou mayest see Fran. Bugg hath retained Five pound to himself and Edw. Swanton says if he be so confident as to deny it notwithstanding what he hath herein given forth he can produce more if need require to Assertain the truth of it A short Reply to Francis Bugg's Foul Slanders cast upon me and his Cousin George Smith in his Book called the Painted Harlot Stripped and Whipped Printed 1683. Wherein not only his Folly but also his bitter Envy is discovered against us and others who never gave him just cause so Maliciously to Abuse us First I take Notice of F. B's saying that I Revived the Controversie which was formerly between him G. S. and my self after saith he It was ended by Friends at Hadenham the First of the 10th Month 1680. Which saying of his is false and his own Letter Dated August 10th 1682. plainly proves the contrary and gives him the Lye For before he sent me that Letter nor some time after I never wrote a word to him nor any other Man from the time of that Hadenham Meeting whereby to stir up any thing of that Nature neither was I willing to have meddled with it any more and that he himself very well knew notwithstanding he thus saith for when he sent me that Letter Dated as before wherein he did not only Invite me to begin again about that Controversie which he said was ended but in that Letter used many Scurrillous words whereby to Provoke me and G. S. thereunto as it plainly appeared thereby when we came to see it but I understanding it came from him I never opened it but sent it him back again not being willing to concern my self in any Controversie which was also the cause I did not meddle to answer any part of his former Book Intituled De Christiana Liberiate wherein he much abused me with the rest of Friends in this Isle of Ely and although I refused to meddle with his Book and Letter whereby he might have occasion to be Quarrelling with me again he sent the second Letter to London to Friends there that he had sent to me and a Copy also thereof to Cambridge to A. D. and complained to her that he had sent me the like and I would not Read