Bible there came in some Souldiers and fetcht them before the Captain who askt them several questions to ensnare them about the King and would have forced them to drink the Kings health and when he saw they would not be subject to his will he began to rage and enquired for the stocks and then he called for a halter and put it about one of the Friends neck and so they put it over an iron hook and strained it as if they would have immediately taken away his life and then he committed them into the hands of the Constable and about two hours after they were brought before him again and he asked them about the King again and being not answered according to his will he was much enraged against them and struck them several times on their bare heads with his Pistol and then after much threatning he let them go And the same Captain Abbington came that day to Nailsworth where Friends Meeting was and got Bear and would have had one Friend to drink the Kings health but he refused and said if the King were there himself he did believe that the King would not require it of him then one of the Souldiers presented a Pistol towards him and threatned to shoot and struck fire and the same Souldiers beat and abused other friends at that time and one of the Souldiers fell upon one Friend and drew his sword and threatned to run him through and afterwards put a rope about his neck as if that they would have hanged him At another meeting of Friends on the first day of the 4th moneth 1660. the same Souldiers with a drum beating came violently into the meeting place with their swords drawn and Guns and other weapons and one of the Souldiers with a naked sword in his hand puld down the friend that was a declaring and forced him out of the room and took away him and most of the men that were there as Prisoners and the Mayor of Gloucester committed two of them to prison where they yet remain On the third day of the fourth Month Friends being peacably met together to wait upon the Lord at Chillingham there Game a Souldier under Captain How and said he had Orders to Break up the meeting and hailed one out and because he could not break up the meeting himself he said he would fetch more Souldiers who when they came said they had Orders to break up such meetings then the Friends asked them to shew their Orders but one replyed his sword was his Order and asked whether they would have it adn so fell upon them and haled them forth violently out of the meeting and one of the Souldiers drew his sword at a Friend and said he would run him thorow Cambridge upon the eight of the second Month called April 1660. The Scholers with other rude People came into our meeting place where we were met to worship God did fall violently upon us beating us until they drew the blood of many pulling us out by the hair of the head having no regard to old or young men nor women with child but tearing their cloaths casting them into the nasty and loathsome Channels in the streets and those things they continued to us as a practice in our meetings upon the thirteenth of the third Month called May in the like manner they came into our meeting and violently broke the Locks and boults with great hammers shamefully abusing many and no Magistrate appearing to suppress these things but Alderman Blakely whom they also abused in the like manner throwing him in the Channel Again upon the twenty seventh of the same Month the Scholers joyned themselves together in a great number falling upon us with sticks and struck Friends on the heads faces and hands to the hurting of many a Justice of peace being in the room charged them in the Kings Name several times to be quiet and to keep the peace but they not regarding that Authority proceeded in violence and got a Smiths great hammer and broke open four doors and broke a wooden window and took pieces of the boards and beat us with them and drew us out into the streets and there knocked several of us down shedding the blood of twenty four persons that the blood lay upon the stones in the street in the sight of the People and thus having broke down all the seats windows and stairs that the people could not get up into their lodging chambers and having pulled us out into the streets some they held untill others put dirt into their mouths at the same time also they stabbed two women in the street as it is judged with penknives the one being an Aldermans Wife in the Town the other a widow woman And in the like manner every first day of the week do they continue abusing of us more or lesse And the Mayor of the Town who should discourage and punish these evil doers doth countenance and incourage them in it setting his Officers to stop us from our meeting saying we shall have no more meetings and hath given order unto his Officers to hinder us the next first day These are but a hint of things to represent the whole Witnesses hereof Henery Forster William Allen John Smith John Webb Samuel Nottingham Mathew Blakely Edward Salmon John Moone Eusebius Read Thomas Golden John Peace Thomas Read Thomas Hawkes George Nash Philip Williamson Clement Crabb John Harte Ruben Stevens Jeremiah Rose Richard Steaton Edward Wright Samuel Cater Robert Letchworth Gregory Tingy James Blakely Alderman John Cranwell John Parnell Bark-shire the twenty seventh of the third Month called May 1660. Friends being peacably met together at Kingstone-lye in that County there came to the meeting place many rude people four of whom went into the meeting with swords drawn to break up the meeting and one friend desiring to know their Order for so doing their answer was their swords was their order and so they violently abused Friends as followeth Richard Greenway was dragged by the hair of the head out of the meeting and thrown into a standing poole of stinking water and mud Richard Ballers was wounded with a sword John Clerk was pricked with a sword Edward Ballard was pricked with a sword Robert Crook had his head broke and was thrust into a pond and Edward Walter had his head broke Barth Mayling and Thomas Coeburn were both thrown into a pond and beat Robert Samson was beaten Adam Lawrence thrust into a pond and beat Andrew Pearson thrown into a pond head-long these were all dragged to the pond by the hair of the head and many others were abused York-shire the thirteenth of the third Month called May 1660. Friends being met together at Bellerby in the County aforesaid in the worship and service of God there came to the door divers armed men crying where be these rogues we have order to break up your meeting some of them saying we will cut you as small as bread whereupon a
them Rogues and threatened to kill them And one Friend was thrust into a pond and knockt down in it and there kept a pretty space and when they had so done they drave the Friends like Beasts out of the Town with staves and huncht them and puncht them and hurt them and no Officer neither Magistrate nor other would stir to preserve them or keep the peace which the rude people broke though some of them were told of this cruel usage and feared that some of them might be killed At another meeting on the 7th day of the same month the rude people came again and threw much dirt and Cow-dung upon them and some was upon the face and into the mouth of him that was speaking and declaring the Truth and when they saw this would not disturb them so as to cause them to break up their meeting they fired a Gun or Pistol three times upon them At another meeting on the tenth day of the same Moneth the rude people came again to the house where they were peaceably met in the Fear of the Lord and with a Scoop-shovel cast in scoop-fulls of dirt and dirty water upon them which did so wet and daub them with them that they were almost covered therewith insomuch that they appeared as though they had been dragged through a dirty Channel And when the rude people had so done then they cryed out see how like Witches they look with other filthy and bruitish words not fit to be mentioned all which the people of God bore with patience without making any resistance And when this was done then they threw in clods of dirt upon them and drew them forth of the meeting and tore some of their cloaths and threw down others and stoned others and brake the windows of the house and the fence of the Friends ground where they met and drove them through the Town And some of the Friends after all this in going to a Justices house were sorely beaten and some had their blood shed and were in danger of their lives and those rude people cryed out let the Justice kiss their breech Hartford-shire At a peaceable Meeting of the people of God at Sawbridgworth the rude people of the Town amongst whom were some of the Servants of him who is called Justice Hewet came to the door and threw in water rotten eggs mans dung and stones of which the said Justice Hewet being informed and desired to preserve the people of God from violence and the rude multitude in peace he the said Justice Hewet instead of performing the duty of a Magistrate and preserving the people in peace so incouraged the rude ones that the hands of the wicked were strengthened and encouraged in their mischief and he refused to do Justice according to his place Northampton-shire The people of God being peaceably met together to wait on the Lord in a Close near the house of William Lovel and upon his own ground there came one Captain Pinkard and many of his Troopers on Horse-back and entred upon the ground and in a brutish and in humane manner rode amongst the Friends and many of them received much hurt with their Horses and otherwise and they broke up the Meeting and took away the said William Lovel and others and senâ— them to prison where divers of them were kept two Moneths and the said William Lovel kept prisoner nine Moneths and he was more cruelly used then can be briefly exprest for no other cause but for having a meeting at his house Warwick-shire There being a peaceable Meeting of the people of God at a place called Grin at the house of the Widdow Meeks the said Widdow for suffering a Meeting there was turned out of her house and the house its self pul'd down York-shire There being a peaceable meeting of the people of God at the house of Friend Blacklin in York-shire where were met about thirty persons the rude people came into the Meeting and violently pulled them out one by one and knockt many of them down and wounded many of them Nottingham-shire A peaceable Meeting of the people of God was by wicked and ungodly men broken up at Newark and the Friends received much hurt and much of their blood was shed by the rude multitude and about four score of them were haled out of the meeting one by one and were cruelly beaten and abused Sommerset-shire There being a peaceable meeting of about two hunded of the People of God at Martock upon the second day of the second Month 1657. five men who called themselves Minsters and who are called Mr. Hallet Mr. Stephenson Mr. Duke Mr. Collens and Mr. Thomas Lye come to the place where the meeting was and brought with them a great company of rude people with long staves Pikes and such like Weapons and fell on the Friends who were met in the fear of the Lord and beat them and pulled them and tore their Garments and made loud out-cryes and the rude peoples hands were so strengthened by the company and countenance of the Priests and their rage and madness such against the people of God that had not the Lord wonderfully appeared in his peoples deliverance some might have lost their lives At a meeting of the people of God on the first day of the fifth Month 1659. at Threshford the rude People came with Kettles Panns and blowing horns and with Pipes Lowbels and a Drum to make a noise and a cause a disturbance and the noise they made was great so that friends could not hear the truth declared Amonst which rude company there was one who is called a Minister and he to manifest him himself ruder then the rest beat the drum himself to make a greater noise then was made before who with the rude multitude flung stones and dirt and water at friends and some of them affirmed that they were hired to do so and that they that hired them stood by and encouraged them giving them Bear and Ale for their service Now let the understanding Reader judge who were chief Instruments in chis wickedness c. And whether such serve our Lord Jesus Christ or their own lusts and whether the end of such is not destruction Northumberland As divers of the People of God were met together in his fear at a place called Elledsdon there came a company of rude men and women amongst whom was the Priests wife of the Town of Elledsdon who came from the steeple-house and in great violence haled forth of the meeting about twenty friends and forced them out of the Town and over a little River But after some season the rage of the rude people abated and so by permission of the chief Actors the people of the Lord met together again then the Priest himself came from his steeple house and having a stone in his hand of two or three pound waight he desperately threw it at one of the friends and his wife also threw stones at friends and they did
so encourage the rude multitude that they made a fresh assault upon them and with great fury dragged and haled friends out of the meeting again and threw them down and dragged them on the ground and the Priest encouraged the rude people to stone the Friends and said it was warrantable by the Scriptures and he would bear them out in it and that if ever they came again he would set his mastiff dog at them Wrexham in Wales the eight day of the eleventh Month 1659. The people of the Lord being met together to wait upon the Lord many rude Souldiers that belonged to the Irish Brigade came to the meeting place with staves and crab-tree cudgels and thrust and pusht one another upon Friends and one standing up and bidding them be civil and quiet they cryed out pull him down and out with him and so fell upon him and the rest of Friends and forced them out of the meeting place striking them with their staves and some friends getting up into some upper rooms the Soldiers followed them up broke open the door and came to them and there beat them abused them very much and at that time they drove some Friends into the water and one they pusht down in the water and bruised him so that the Blood ran down another mans head was broken and his blood shed in the street Middle-sex the sixth day of the third Month 1660. Some of the People of God being met together c. in the house of one John Elson in St. Johns street so called there came a great company of rude people who violently threw stones at the said John Elson and other Friends and broke his windows very much and endeavoured to break down his door and after the meeting was ended the rude multitude fell upon one man and pluckt off much of his hair and shed much of his blood and rent the clothes of others and threw dirt in the said John Elsons face and eyes and spit upon him Wilt-shire the 13. of the 3d. month called May 1660. Many Friends being assembled together in the fear of God in Cummerwell in the Parish of Bradforth there came several Troopers of Captain Edward Hungerfords Troop who forced into the meeting and pul'd out one Robert Storr and had him to the City of Sarrum before the Commissioners who upon examination of him said they found that he had been at an unlawful meeting and so committed him to prison Gloucester-shire the 8. day of the 3d. month 1660. Friends being peacably met together in Mase-moor to wait upon the Lord there came one John Coney of that place with a sword in his hand and violently thrust open the door and came into the room and said be gone and struck one Nicholas Wasfield several blows with his sword in his scabbard after which he drew his sword and thrust violently at the said Nicholas Wasfield and gave him many sore blows on the shoulders with his naked sword and being asked by whose order he did this he said by the Mayors order At another meeting of Friends at Cirencister in the County aforesaid on the 15. day of the 3d. Month 1660. and on the 16. day at Nailsworth there came a wicked man that is a great Professor with some others with him with their swords drawn and their pistols cocked and lighted matches in their hands into the meeting and laid hands on one Friend and had him before the Mayor of Glocester who said to the Marshal he should take him away and set a strong guard of Musketeers to look to him and this they did upon suspition that he was a Jesuit Wilt-shire the 16. day of the 3d. Month 1660. Friends being met together in the fear of the Lord at Calne there came into the meeting several rude Souldiers with two Serjeants who are under the command of Colonel Edward Bainton and of his own company commanded by Captain Lieutenant John Lavington and commanded Friends to depart their meeting who desired to see their order for breaking up their meeting they being peacably met together but the Souldiers answered their swords was their authority and so with violence did hale Friends out of their meeting using threatening words and came in amongst Friends with drawn swords and muskets cockt although Friends made no resistance Cumberland At a meeting of Friends at Carlisle the Souldiers came to the meeting and with violence haled and thrust out Friends out of their own house and carried some to their guard and one Friend they pluckt out by the head when he was at prayer and pluckt him down Lanca-shire the 13. day of the 3d. Month 1660. John Thomas a servant of Sr. George Middleton so called set upon three women with impudent scoffs said he would kisse one of them and did abuse them and wrong them and pluckt their coats loose And the same man did abuse Friends and he would have cut Friends with an Ax but that he was restrained by some of his fellows and the same Knights man set upon six friends as they were going to a Meeting to wait upon the Lord who beat them and abused them and bruised their faces and shed much of the blood of two of them Che-shire 17. day of the 3d. Moneth 1660. Friends being at a Meeting at Northwich there came one John Cumberbatch of Nantwich with many others of the new raised Militia and haled out three of our friends and carried them before the Commissioners and keeps one a Prisoners and shewed much abuse to friends York-shire 12. day of the 3d. Moneth 1660. Friends going to a Meeting at or near Bellerbe the Militia Souldiers beat them and broke their Meeting and violently abused them and struck them with their naked Swords and would not suffer them to meet and this they did in the Name of the Higher Powers Cambridge 8. of the 3d. Moneth called May 1660. At a Meeting of Friends in Wesbidge Thomas Lecock had his head broke that the blood ran down and was knockt down also another man was feld down with stones also a maid was shot in the neck with a Pistol which did receive much harm and one William Allen was pluckt out of the Meeting and when they had got him out they cryed fall on and few there was of our Friends that passed away without receiving much hurt and it was judged by friends that a load of stones and dirt were thrown into the Meeting room at Friends At a Meeting of Friends in Cambridge on the twentieth day of the 3d. Moneth 1660. there came a great company of Scholars and other rude people to the meeting and did exceedingly abuse Friends by dragging them out of the Meeting and kicking them and throwing them against the ground both old and young men and women and tore one Friends heir off his head and abused others so that it is a shame to relate Gloucester-shire 25 of the 3d. Moneth 1660. Two Friends being in a house reading in the
hail and teare and push us sorth adoors and ran against us as wee passed along the streets we acquainted them that the King had promised no such thing so they brought us to prison and thrust us in and gave the Jaylor orders to keep us there untill the Comissioners came to Town and at present there we remain prisoners for the truths sake Thomas Onyon Robert Newcome Walter How lings John Roberts Philip Gray Richard Townsend Thomas Barnfield John Silvester Thomas Elridge William Hinton Richard Bartlot John Ovendell Henry Stacy Richard Bowly Thomas Knight John Clark Thomas Bowly John Cripes Jacob Howlings Roger Sparks William England Durham Darlington the third of the tenth Month 1660. Where we the people of God called Quakers had a meeting peaceably and waiting upon the Lord in the aforesaid Town the Captain sent some Souldiers and violently broke up our meeting and carried away forty or more of us to the Castle of Durham and as we were passing along we met the Captain and the Justice who threatened us much in high expressions and five of us they single out and said we should go to prison if we did not give bond for our good behaviour and four of them is sent to Durham Castle for no other cause but for meeting together to worship God in spirit according to Christs Doctrine which now is come to be fulfilled and witnessed Portsmouth the second of the tenth Month 1660 As the people of the Lord were met together to worship God in the spirit peaceably in the said Town Captain Sprag sent several files of armed men with firelocks and violently haled out of our meeting eighteen men and women and punched them dragged them along shut the Gates men and wives were turned from their habitations and children and families and callings and are not permitted to come in again though some came in again yet were turned out of the Town again from their Families and imployments some desiring to have their Instruments to labor withal was not permitted besides were kept in a house where Friends met by a guard nineteen daies denyed to see their wises Families Children and gave commandment no victualls should be brought to them and a Officer said if they turnd us out of the Town and set Souldiers to plunder our houses they served us well enough though we never acted any thing against this Goverment Ireland FOr speaking the truth to people in Steeple-houses Markets and other places have sufferred in the Nation of Ireland and for other causes herein exprest have been fined whipt Stockt Imprisoned and suffered loss of their goods 94 persons For meeting together in the fear of the Lord in their own houses according to the practice of the Apostles and the true Churches in the Scriptures mentioned have been Imprisoned c. nineteen persons For speaking the truth to the people in Steeple-houses and Markets and other places have been Whipt and Imprisoned and some stockt and shamefully beaten and abused thirty four persons For not swearing as Christ commands they should not swear two persons had goods taken from them worth eight pounds ten shillings and one had taken from him seventy barrels of Salt For not paying Tythes for conscience sake that bears Testimony to the everlasting Priest-hood that ends the first that takes tythes eight persons for two pounds sixteen shillings four pence demanded for Tythes have had taken from them goods worth thirty four pounds ten shillings Stopt as they were passing the streets and high ways about their occasions and Imprisoned twelve Persons For receiving Friends and for visiting Friends in Prison one was Imprisoned and another fined five pounds Sufferers for other causes for the truths sake eleven Persons An Account of the sufferings of Friends in Scotland where there hath suffered for the causes hereafter exprest in all ninety one Persons SCOTLAND For denying the Priest practices have been Excommunicated forty five Persons For meeting together in the fear of the Lord have been stoned and beaten eleven persons For speaking the truth to people in Steeple-houses and Markets and asking Priests questions have been Imprisoned and some stockt and whipt and some banished in all fifteen Persons There was likewise Imprisoned and otherwise abused and some banished and no cause why shewed in all eighteen persons A Declaration of some Part of the Sufferings of the People of God in scorn called Quakers from the Professors in New-England onely for the exercise of their Consciences to the Lord and obeying and confessing to the Truth as in his light he had discovered it to them TWo honest and innocent women stripped stark naked and searched after such an inhumane manner as modesty will not permit particularly to mention Twelve strangers in that Country but freeborn of this Nation received twenty three whippings the most of them being with a whip of three cords with knots at the ends and laid on with as much strength as they could be by the arme of their executioner the stripes amounting to three hundred and seventy Eighteen Inhabitants of the Country being freeborn English received twenty three whippings the stripes amounting to two hundred and fifty Sixty four Imprisonments of the Lords people for their obedience unto his will amounting to five hundred and nineteen weeks much of it being very cold weather and the Inhabitants kept in Prison in harvest time which was very much to their loss besides many more Imprisoned of which time we cannot give a just account Two beaten with pitcht roops the blows amounting to an hundred thirty nine by which one of them was brought near unto death much of his body being beat like unto a Jelly and one of their own Doctors a member of their Church who saw him said it would be a miracle if ever he recovered he expecting the flesh should rot off the Bones who afterwards was banished upon pain of death there are many witnesses of this there Also an Innocent man an Inhabitant of Boston they banished from his Wife and Children and put to seek a habitation in the Winter and in case he returned again he was to be kept Prisoner during his life and for returning again he was put in Prison and hath been now a Prisoner above a year Twenty five Banishments upon the penalties of being whipt or having their Ears cut or branded in the hand if they returned Fines laid upon the Inhabitants for meeting together and edifying one another as the Saints ever did and for refusing to swear it being contrary to Christs Command amounting to about a Thousand pounds besides what they have done since that we have not heard of many families in which there are many children are almost ruined by these unmerciful proceedings Five kept 1â— dayes in all without food and 58. dayes shut up close by the Jaylor and had none that he knew of and from some of them he stopt up the windows hindering them from convenient aire One laid neck and heels in Irons