look on it as a breach of a Rule to slight and undervalue Authority and I said that Paul gave Festus the title of Honour though he was a Heathen I do not say these Magistrates are Heathens I said then when the man was on the Ladder who looked on me and called me Friend and said Know that this day I am willing to offer up my Life for the Witness of JESUS Then I desired leave of the Officers to speak and said Gentlemen I am a stranger both to your Persons and Country and yet a friend to both and I cryed aloud For the Lord's sake take not away the man's Life but remember Gamaliel's Counsel to the Jews If this be of man it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow its but be careful ye be not found fighters against God And the Captain said Why had you not come to the Prison The Reason was because I heard the man might go if he would and therefore I called him down from the Tree and said Come down William you may go away if you will Then Capt. Oliver said it was no such matter and asked What I had to do with it and besides bad me to be gone And I told them I was willing for I cannot endure to see this I said And when I was in the Town some did seem to sympathize with me in my Grief But I told them that they had no Warrant from the Word of God nor President from our Country nor Power from his Majestie to hang the Man I rest Your Friend Thomas Wilkie To Mr. George Lad Master of the America of Dartmouth now at Barbados THE END * The Common Law gives no such Libertie but requires a Man to choose the Particular unto which he will stand but the Civil and Proceedings of State allows and uses it upon a particular Salvo in the first Exhibition and not afterwards Mary Fisher Ann Austin the Fifth Moneth 1656. Mary Prince Sarah Gibbens Mary Weatherhead Dorothy Waugh Christopher Holder Thomas Thirstone William Brend John Copeland The Seventh day of the Sixth Moneth 1656. Robert Lock Nicholas Upshall Richard Smith Simon Kempthorne Mary Fisher Anne Austin * John Hall William Ames John Higgins Samuel Fisher John Stubbs Samuel Fisher * Christopher Brickhead * William Salt * Christopher Brickhead * John Perrot John Love * John Perrot John Love Samuel Fisher John Stubbs Mary Fisher Mary Prince * Samuel Fisher John Stubbs John Perrot John Love John Perrot John Love Mary Fisher Thomas Thirstone Josiah Cole Thomas Chapman * Thomas Thirstone Nicholas Upshall Christopher Holder Thomas Thirstone John Copeland William Brend Sarah Gibbens Dorothy Waugh Mary Weatherhead Mary Prince Nicholas Vpsh 29th of the 6th Month Mary Clark John Clark a Merchant-Taylor in London Christopher Holder John Copeland 21 day 7th month 1657 23 day 7th month 1657 Samuel Shattock Law Southick and his Wife Richard Dowdney Lawrence Southick Cassandra his Wife Josiah their Son * 3d day 12th Month 1657. Edw. Harnet and his Wife Another aged Family William Shattock First Month 1658. John Burton Josiah Southik John Small Sarah Gibbens Dorothy Waugh 13th 2d Moneth 1658. 1. d. Moneth 1658. Horred Gardner 11th 3d. Moneth 1658. * Mary Staunton Sarah Gibbens Dorothy Waugh Thomas Harris of Barbadoes 19th day 5th Month 1658. William Brend William Leddra Law Southick Cassandra his Wise Josia their Son Sam Shattock Joshua Buffum Sam Gaskin * 2d day 5th Month 1658. Will. Brend Will. Leddra Samuel Shattock Sam. Gaskin Josh Buffum Cassandra Southick Law Southick Josiah his Son William Brend William Leddra VVilliam Brend Humphry Norton John Rouse Will. Leddra Tho. Harris Sam. Shattock Lawrence Southick Cassandra his Wife Josiah their Son Joshuah Buffum Samuel Gaskin July 1. 1658. Humphery Norton John Rous. Appeal to England denied in open Court Lawrence Cassandra Josiah Southick Nicholas Phelps Samuel Shattock Nicholas Phelps Joshua Buffum Anne Needam A Tryal of 12. men according to the Law of England and of that Country when demanded denyed The People called upon to bear witnesse that they could not have Justice Dan. Denison's account of the Reason of your Proceedings so illegally against those People with such Cruelty 27th day 8th Month 1658. A Tryal by 12 men again demanded of the Court General or by the Court Gen. according to Law Such a Tryal denyed by the Court General Simon Broadstreet The Hat made a Character of One called a Quaker when no Principle or Practice could be had upon which they are put to Death The First of this Nature that the Eaâ—â—â— hath heard of Priest Chansey Divinity the Master of your Colledge and Way to Put Men to Death after the nature of Wolves indeed then he must go for one and bear the Penalty who to be one hath so manifested himself Twelve more had before the Court at Salem of the Inhabitants thereof and fined 40 l. 19 sh for Absenting from your Meetings Fines to the value of 100l or upwards laid by that Court William Marston of Hampton 8th Moneth 1658. A Horrible Cruelty 6th Moneth 1658. Christopher Holder Jo. Copeland John Rous 25. Sixth Month 1658. Christop Holder Joh. Copeland John Rous their Ears cut off 7th of the 7th Month 1658. 10th 7th Mon. 1658. * Dan. Denisons second Speech demonstrating their Resolution to root out those People because they were the stronger Another Solemn Appeal in Case of their Ears made to England and Denyed 16th of the Eight Month the Execution done Executions of Punishment as to Whipping and losse of Limb c. done in Private contrary to the Law of England and of God which orders them that are truly so that is Punishments to be otherwise that all may hear and sear And which is like to Justice which seeks no Corner And the Bishops cut off the Ears of W. Prynne Henry Burton and Dr. Bastwick in the Palace-yard at Westminster and upon a Scaffold before the People though it was done by Order of the Star-Chamber Lawrence Southick Cassandra Josiah Cassandra Southick Katherine Scot. 2d day 8th Month 1658. Lawrence Cassandra Josiah Southick Samuel Shuttock Nicholas Phelps Joshua Buffum Banished 3d. Month 1659. Some of the Passages of Proceedings in the procuring and passing that Law of Banishment upon Death Capt. Edward Hutcheson Capt. Thomas Clark a Merchant of Boston Enter their Dissents under the Law of Banishment upon pain of Death The Court of Deputies oposite to the Passing of the Law The Court of Magistrates for it of these Two as of Two Houses is the Court General made up Provision in the Law as to Death without Tryal of a Jury The Court of Deputies oppose it The Priests set it on * The Law pass'd for Life without Jury in the Court of Deputies by One Vote Thirteen for it The Speaker and Eleven against it Deacon Wozell sorely troubled that his Absence should occasion such a Law to pass To be tried by a special Jury added to
City viz. at Heidelberge where his Palace was and the Convocation of the Priests I shall find that he sent two of his Servants one after the other for him to come and dine with him the said Prince and when he came that he told him that he knew not of his being in the City before That the Priests had not so much Power as to send for him nor should have such Power That he had reproved the Priests for what they had done and bad him if ever they sent for him againe not to obey them That he rebuked one of the chiefest of the Priests of that Council for saying That they viz. the Priests would give out Queries in Writing to him to Answer and that he charged the said Priests in the presence of the said W. Ames that they should give forth none though William was as ready to answer as the Priests to give forth That the Prince used much Moderation as did also his Sister That she received very friendly what was spoken by him in way of Exhortation to her That neither of them were offended at what was spoken by him to them nor at the Hatt nor with plain Language Thou and Thee I shall there also Understand that when about the space of a year after he and another friend viz. John Higgins came to Visit him that he very lovingly received them That the Captain of the Prince his Life Guard told the said William that his Prince was very glad that he the said William was come into the Countrey again That he had given him the said Captain order to supply them though they neither wanted nor asked nor received with what ever they wanted either Money or Clothes in which his Love was seen and accepted That he very sriendly received divers Books from them both then and at times before And that when at another time Samuel Fisher and John Stubbs were there from England and had given notice to the said Prince his Secretary that they had something in Writing to present the said Prince That he the said Prince sent for them into the Presence Chamber where was also his said Sister and received it gladly from them and a Book enclosed their Hatts being on Expressing much Desire after Friends Books and receiving at another time a Great Book of George Fox's and a Letter from William Ames by the hands of John Higgins and charging him the said John to thank the said William for that his Book Moreover I shall find that he had much Discourse with them That he told them that he took their coming in Love That he believed they spake in love to their Souls That he gave them thanks for their Love That after a while being called to Supper he took them with him that he shewed them his House that he stayed them by him whilst he did eat That they had Discourse with his Chaplains and divers of his Great Men whilst they did eat That neither He nor any of them during all that time though it was a season of greater Pomp and State than ordinary the Prince and his Nobility being met about the Choice of a New Emperor manifesting any Offence at their Discourse or at their Hatts or at their standing Covered though according to their Custom the Prince and his Nobles sate with their Hats off but on the contrary the Prince mauifesting much satisfaction with what they said and enquiring after William Ames who also had the same liberty with him at his time of eating and with and before his great Men and how he did saying he was not well when he was last with him That in friendliness and love they departed That they had free Liberty to Meet in any part of his Dominions in the very heart of which there is a Meeting of Friends gathered into the Truth by the said William as aforesaid who Meet together with the said Prince's knowledge Whose Meetings are Peaceable Lastly I shall there find That when John Stubbs and Samuel Fisher were afterwards in Germany that the Land-Soriver the next Officer in Power under the Prince and divers of their Ministers sent to them to give Him and the said Ministers a Meeting That Samuel Fisher Met them alone John Stubbs not being well that he had much moderate Discourse with them and Liberty a pretty time and that he quietly passed away after that the Land-Soriver and Ministers had expressed much thankfulness to him for his Love who were not offended at his Hat nor plainness of speech All which make ye manifest Shall I journey hence into Lower Germany the United Provinces and into the Cities thereof and make an Inquisition through some of the Principal of them as Amsterdam Schedam Leiden Rotterdam Zutphen Middleburgh In Amsterdam I shall find a People gathered Meeting in Peace and free Liberty of Passing up and down in those Provinces for the Declaring of Truth And at Middloburgh in Zealand I shall find a Friend speaking in a Steeplehouse after their Minister had done and a quiet Reasoning there for the space of half an hour in the presence of one of the Heer 's or Lords of that place who was very Moderate and in English Discoursed with that Friend for some space of time without offence taken at his Hat or plain Language and then desired further Discourse with him at the Ministers house and went with him to the said Ministers house he the said Heer on the one hand of him and the said Minister on the other to conduct him and I shall also find that there they had very moderate Discourse in the presence of many Persons of Quality who neither were offended at his being Covered nor with his plain Language but were very courteous to him and when they had done sent two with him to accompany him to his Lodgings And in the same City of Middleborgh another Friend being in Prison C. Brickhead of Bristol in England by Name an Information being given thereof by some Friends to the States General Lord Ambassador Newport then Resident in England I shall find that the said States General Lord Ambassador wrote to the Magistrates there and the Magistrates thereupon setting him at Liberty thus Condemning Ye Shall I take shipping from Flushing and pass to Calais on the one hand and return back to Holland and so to Geneva and Switzerland on the Other and foot it through some of the chief Cities of France viz. Lyons Paris Valence Orange Rochel Morliax and to Tyrole in the Alpes and so into Italy to Legorn in Tuscanny to Venice and to Rome time would fail me to instance all There I shall meet with Friends Possing and Repassing Safely continuing in divers Cities sometimes and passing through them even in Italy the most Complemental of any and returning into England though they were Examined before divers in Authority in those complemental Places who neither scrupled at their Pussage nor at their Hats At Paris one of them being in
the Bastile in Prison was served daily with the same Provisions as was a Noble Man of theirs then in the same Prison at the Kings charge and afterwards set at Liberty At Morliax another of them being in Prison for reproving their Maskings which are tollerated by Law and his Life vehemenely sought after by the Bayliff of that Town for so doing I shall find the King upon Information thereof by the Engilsh Ambassador Lockart by means of a Merchant of that Town whom the Lord stirred up in the thing I say I shall find the King sending a Letter under his hand and seal to set him presently at Liberty taking notice in the said Letter that he was Imprisoned for so Reproving of Maskings tolerated by the Law and when the King was informed that he was not yet set at Liberty I shall find him sending another Letter to the Duke of Meillerai to see it effected and that upon it he was free he being as it were become but as the Shaddow of a Man thorough the hardship of his sufferings At Rochel I shall find the Judge of the Criminals working the Liberty of another after he had been examined by the Bishop and continued a pretty space of time against the Judge of the Civels and Discharging him though he both spake and wrote against the Popish Religion At Legorne in Tuscany John Perrot and his Companion John Love being had to the Inquisition otherwise called the Popes Holy-Office and examined there by three Friars I shall there find That upon John Perrots giving an Account of his Call and Service and of the Books that he had sent to the Governour One of which was to the Great Turk which he had wrote in that place and another to the Jews and of what they had further to say to them that they set them at Liberty and discovered to them a Plot that some English had to Murder them and bad them beware of their Country-men That the Governour of that City not only received willingly several Books and Papers which they sent him by an Ancient Merchant there One Origine who was very friendly but expressed much tender regard of their safety saying That he would not have them come to any hurt in that Land And making no question at their Gesture nor finding any dislike at their not being conformable to their Customs when they were brought before them And that the English Agent there Resident for England was very friendly to them and off-times became himself Interpreter in the Disputes between them and the Jews at whose Synagognes they were and there reasoned with them whom to their Chamber from the Synagogue some of the Jewes followed where they were some of them Convinced and some Confounded At Venice I shall also find several of them Discoursing and reasoning on the Exchanges and having much Entercourse and freedom in that City where none were Imprisoned and this with men of all sorts Jews and Papists and I shall find John Perrot speaking there with the Duke of Venice in his Palace and delivering to him several Papers and so departing with his Friend John Love from thence to Rome being sent from Smyrna by the English Ambassador as were divers others who would not suffer them to pass to Constantinople from thence whitherto they were moved of the Lord for fear of the Great Turk At Rome I shall find some of them viz. Samuel Fisher and John Stubbs to have been there for certain days and to be departed Others of them viz. John Perrot and John Love to be Imprisoned and one of them viz. John Love to be dead there and the other well entreated as a Prisoner of whose welfare we have lately by Letters under his own hand understood All which pass sentence upon you Shall I take upon me a long Journey from Rome to Constantinople from the Pope to the Turk and wade through the difficulties of such an Undertaking Shall I Traverse the Morea or that part of the Tarks Dominion which is called Grcece from Patra on the Sea shore towards Zaunt to Vestreetshaw and from thence to Corinth Eneca and Athens where Paul preached Shall I cross the Hellispont to Egrippa in the Island Negropoint and so to Sco and the other Isles to Smyrna in Asia and so back again to Venice Shall I return to Zaunt and the Morea again and Travel about 600. Miles from the Morea shoare to Adrianople and from thence to the Turkish Army Encamped near it and through the Army to the Grand Seignior himself and tell you of one Passage for all to Conclude ye for Ever Mary Fisher a Servant of the Lord a Maiden Friend being moved of the Lord to go and deliver his Word to the Great Turk who with his Army lay Encamp't near to Adrianople went thitherwards to Smyrna but being hindred in Her Passage that way by the English Ambassador who sent her back to Venice passed by Land from the Sea Coasts of the Morea to Adrianople aforesaid very Peaceably without any abuse or injury offered her in that long Journey of about five or six hundred miles Being come to Adrianople near unto which was the Great Turk and his Army she acquainted some of the Citizens with her Intent and desired some of them to go with her but when none of them durst to go fearing his Displeasure she passed alone and coming near the Camp procured a man to inform at the Great Viziers Tent or chief General of the Army that there was an English woman had something to declare from the Great God to the Great Turk Who soon sent her word that she should speak with him the next Morning So she returned to the City that night and the next morning came to the Camp and so to the Great Turk who being with his great Men about him as he uses to be when he receives Ambassadors sent for her in and she coming before him he asked her Whether it was so as he had heard sc That she had something to say to him from the Lord She answered him Yea Then he bad her speak on having Three Interpreters by him and when she stood silent a little waiting on the Lord when to speak he supposing that she might be fearful to utter her mind before them all asked her Whether she desired that any might go forth before she spake She answered Nay Then he bad her speak the Word of the Lord to them and not to fear for they had good hearts and could hear it and strictly charged her to speak the Word she had to say from the Lord neither more or less for they were willing to hear it be it what it would Which she speaking what the Lord had put into her mouth to say They all gave dilligent heed with much soberness and gravity till she had done and then He asking her Whether she had any more to say She asked of him Whether he understood what
But as for the People they returned from the Execution of the other Two sad and with heavie hearts those of them who were not sold unto wickedness as VV. Robinson had said unto them they should before his Decease and a Draw-Bridge rose up the one end of it and fell upon many and some were hurt especially a wicked Woman who was an Enemy to those People and was observ'd to have Reviled those Servants of the Lord at their Death Whom it greatly bruised and her Flesh rotted from her bones and her stink was so noisom that People could hardly come at her in which miserable condition she remained till she dyed A sad Example of the Vengeance of the Lord who renders to every man according to his work Three also of Priest VVilson's Grand-children died within a short time after ye had put these Two Servants of the Lord to Death as something upon his head who cared not how he bereaved the Mother of her Son and the Children of their Father and the Wife of her Husband The Judgment of the Lord in both of which is to be taken notice of Thus have I gone through the Executions ye made of the Innocent and the Relation of your shedding of the Blood of those who feared the Lord who were in a Capacity by your Laws as ye judged for such Executions I shall now return from your Field of Blood to your Bloody Prison and there take an Account of what ye did to the rest of their Brethren whom they there left behind And here by the way you may see the Insufficiency of your Gallows to restrain the Spirit of the Lord in this Remarkable Passage to wit of one John Chamberlen one of your Inhabitants of Boston being at the Execution of these aforesaid who beholding of their Faith and Constancy and Comfort at their Death in the Innocency of their Cause whose heart there the Lord opened to receive and imbrace the Truth for which they suffered and in whom Love was raised towards the Sufferers that it drew him to visit those then left in Prison for the which he was Apprehended and put in Prison and soon tasted of your Cruelty who hath been much and long Imprisoned by You and although still you have sorely shot at him yet his Bow abides in strength who was enabled to bear all your Cruelty and stands a faithful Witness for the Lord against You By which you may see how insufficient your Endeavours are to stop the way and course of the Spirit of Life which neither Your Whips nor your Gallows is able to reach There was one Edward Wharton of the Town of Salem in the first place whom ye had Committed for going up and down from Town to Town with those two Servants of the Lord whom Ye had Murdered Upon whom ye fastned and because he could by no means own the Guilt of their Blood Nay not for all the World as he said when ye charged it upon him and sought by Consequence to prove it because said you he travelled with them and because he said The Guilt thereof was so great and heavy that he was not able to bear it ye drew his Blood with Twenty fore Lashes with your Whip of Cords as aforesaid and his Purse with Twenty Pounds Fine as a Peremptory Fellow for so speaking as aforesaid to clear himself and an Enemy to the Country ye laid upon him though he had formerly taken the Oath of Fidelity as you call it And this was on the third day of the Ninth Moneth he being apprehended the last day of the Moneth before at Salem and brought to Boston where he was continued Prisoner till a Friend of his against his Will and at the Peril of his said Friend as he told him paid it for him And as for the rest of the Prisoners there of whom I have spoken On the Eleventh of the Ninth Month following viz. Christopher Holder Daniel Gold Robert Harper and W. King in the Forenoon and in the Afternoon Alice Cowland Margaret Smith Mary Trask Hannah Phelps Hope Clifton Mary Scot and Providence Southick whom having Examined and said to Them what ye would ye sent to Prison again And on the Morrow having them before ye Rawson your Secretary read to them their Sentence which was Daniel Gold to be Whipt Thirty stripes Robert Harper Fifteen William King Fifteen Margaret Smith Ten Mary Trask Ten Provided Southick Ten which your Executioner soon laid on them with great Cruelty in the Open Street and till now your Executions were done in Private but having gone over the Lives of the Innocent in the Open Field Ye were bold to Declare your Sin as Sodom and stuck not to draw the Blood of the Rest in the Sight of the Sun beginning with Daniel Gold whose Cloaths he stript off and having tyed him to the VVheel of a Great Gun stript off the Skin from his Back and beat his Flesh on his Bones with the number of stripes as aforesaid and so he dealt by the Rest So having drunk this other Draught of Blood and delivered over Alice Cowland Hannah Phelps Mary Scot and Hope Clifton to your Governor to be admonish'd and sentenc'd Christopher Holder to Banishment upon Pain of Death for coming into your Jurisdiction to passe for England as aforesaid Ye ended this your General Court the Prisoners being returned from whence they came to answer your Jaylors Fees and there continued till some friendly People Engaging for it of their Own Accords gained their Liberty And so I have walked step by step through the cruel and merciless Order of your gradual Proceedings from Imprisonment to Death to see if I could find any thing of Law any thing of Fact any thing of Justice any Regular Proceeding according to either on which ye might ground and by which ye might warrant what ye have done but I find none and let the sober Reader see if he can or any other thing than the monstrous shape of Cruelty and Blood under the Profession of Religion and the greatest Inhumanities and most barbarous Acts as hath been produced by any Age in the Earth For this let me say That though more Blood hath been shed and with greater Executions and in some sence more cruel by those who have not pretended to Religion at least to Liberty of Conscience from whom no other thing could be expected being delivered to their Wills Yet from Men pretending to Religion and to Conscience who suffered for Religion and their Consciences who left their Native Country Friends and Relations to dwell in a Wilderness for to enjoy their Conscience and Religion From Professors who have made so much ado about Religion and for their Conscience and set themselves up as the Height of all Profession of Religion and the most Zealous Assertors of Liberty of Conscience and for that Cause have expected to be had in Regard viz. Because of Conscience and Religion as