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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A30048 To the most reverend the archbishops and the right reverend bishops humbly presented Bugg, Francis, 1640-1724? 1699 (1699) Wing B5398; ESTC R34388 3,557 2

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To the most Reverend the Arch-Bishops and the Right Reverend Bishops Humbly Presented My LORDS SINCE it hath pleased God of his great Mercy to convince me of my former Errors it hath pleased him to incline my Mind to meditate upon and to study the Holy Scriptures and the more I have been intent hereupon the more my Judgment has been confirmed in the Truths of the Christian Religion professed by the Church of England and thereupon I have thought it my Duty to Discover and Oppose destructive Errors which tend to overthrow the Christian Faith as well as to vindicate according to my small Talent my mother-Mother-Church from those Calumnies undeservedly cast upon her by unsound Schismaticks and I am afraid I may say self-condemn'd Hereticks since my Reason tells me they must needs persist wilfully But notwithstanding all this and what else may be said on this Foot I do nor pretend to an extraordinary Call but a●count my sel● under your Lordships Command believing that as in the State so in the Church their must be Government and consequently Governors to whom we ought in point of Duty to submit so that if your Lordships shall command my Silence I shall as in Duty bound readily obey and so on the contrary if my Labour herein shall be thought useful in opposing the Errors of this Domineering Sect I shall with all Faithfulness continue it with due regard attending continually upon this very thing having Respect to the necessary Circumstances such a Work require in this depraved Age and thereupon least this Book of mine now presented should not have met with that Reception which I thank God it has both your Lordships and the Clergy in general might safely have said you knew nothing of it to that end also I mentioned the Bounty receiv'd of the Gentry the Justices and Protestant Dissenters to take off Occasion from them that seek Occasion for as to the last they never gave me above 50 s. and the Gentry and Justices not 5 l. but my Support I thankfully acknowledge hath principally been the Bounty of your Lordships the Universities and particular Clergymen for which I bless God on your Behalf praying for your Health and Prosperity every way And having been exercised herein I humbly beg Leave to give your Lordships an Account of what I have done since December 1698. And as I have never let mortal Eye see the last Letter to your Lordships so I hope I shall be so cautious in this as will preserve all in its due place for I have a Printer I can confide in First As to the Conference at West-Dereham the Quakers were the Aggressors they being before that very troublesome to the Clergy in that Country by frequent Challenges Up●n which both Mr. Park and Mr. Meriton wrote to me to come to their Assistance we had a Meeting at my House where was also Mr. Archer our Minister and Mr. Erasmas Warren and my Advice was that I might challenge them and stand the Brunt least any thing should happen that might reflect upon the Church to which all agreed I did so and it was accepted But on second Thoughts the Quakers threw off me and turned the Challenge upon the Clergy yea to any of their Cloth to give them a Charge and to appoint Time and Place and they 'd give them a Publick Trial They did so but then their London Leaders fearing the Consequence thereof shuffled and evaded the same Upon which a Petition was prepared and sent up but not being thought meet to be presented they grew bold and since then have wrote divers Books an Account of them that have come to my View are as follow with the Numbers which I think in Probability might be Printed 2000 a. 30000 b. 5000 c. 1000 d. 4000 e. 5000 f. 5000 g. 52000   I. An Apology for the People called Quakers and an Appeal to the Inhabitants of Norfolk and Suffolk c. I suppose in number 2000 a. II. A Letter to the Clergy of the Diocese of Norfolk and Suffolk under the Sham-Name of a Member of the Church of Enggland Which was so universally spread in all the great Cities Towns and Villages in England and Wales not only in their ordinary Way of sending two to each Meeting throughout their Territories but in Norwich I was told they were carry'd in Wheel-Barrows by whole Reams for it was but one Sheet for that one County and left in many Places with their Agents nay even with common Tapsters and Hostlers to be dispersed Gratis that I cannot think the Number Printed less than 30000 b. III. A Defence of the People called Quakers being a Reply to the Priests in Norfolk c. Not fewer I think than 5000 c. IV. An Apostate Conscience expos'd which also in some Places tho' not about our Town for there they 'd not receive them However I do suppose 1000 d. V. A Defence of the Apology for the People called Quakers in Norfolk c. I guess in number 4000 e. VI. Truth and Innocency vindicated c. I do think not so few in number as 5000 f. VII Anguis Flagillatus c. which contain 548 Pages in a large Octavo beside the Preface 500 of them well bound were dispatch'd away to Members of Parliament to prepare them against this Session 500 of them in one Ship sent to Pensilvania besides those given to Judges Lawyers Justices and indeed to Men of all Ranks besides their ordinary way Two to each Meeting selling them in Shops in London and by their Agents in the Country and furnishing Ireland Scotland and other Plantations I cannot think they printed less than 6 or 8000 but I will say but 5000. g. For they are a Rich and United Confederacy and will compass Sea and Land to make a Proselite And now my Lords as I have given but a probable Guess of their Number which as I account is 52000 it may be less or more and in regard I see no Answer to any of them come out I thought it my Duty to return some short Answer to them and to disperse them as far as I could some to Oxford Cambridge and other Towns many I gave away at home and at Turners-Hall to the Parliament and where I judged it needful and this by the Assistance I have had and my Credit raised thereby which is as followeth viz. 1500 a. 4000 b. 2000 c. 0500 d. 2000 e. 1500 f. 11500   I. In answer to their first I wrote a Postscript to the Norfolk Clergy's Book A Brief Discovery c. and at their Charge number 1500 a. II. A Broad Sheet with Reasons for their Examination 4000 b. III. In answer to their Third Book I wrote mine intituled Quakerism expos'd to P●blick Censure c. in number 2000 c. IV. In answer to their Fourth Book I wrote mine i. e. Jezebel Withstood and her Daughter Anne Docwra Publickly Reproved c. in number 0500 d. to disperse besides that half part of it at the end of Quakerism Expos'd c. V. In answer to their Letter to the Clergy which I was loth to undertake knowing they could tar better do it themselves but whether it was that they do not think them considerable or least once engaging should lay a Foundation for a chargeable Continuance or whether they thought enough wrote already I cannot tell but at length when I see it so universally spread and read in their Meetings I wrote a small Tract against it stiled The Ministry of the Church of England Vindicated and Distinguished from that of Quakerism c. In number 2000 e. VI. In Answer to their Defence of their Apology by John Feild and their Truth and Innocency by George Whitehead I wrote my Modest Defence c. of which I presented between 5 and 600 to the High Court of Parliament c. in number 1500 f. which in all make 11500. VII I have still something preparing for a Brief Answer to some material Falacies in their Anguis Flagillatus which I do intend unless I meet with Advice to the contrary from my Superiors to let go as a Forerunner to a more compleat Answer which I do understand is preparing But in regard I know that altho' the Reverend Author of The Snake in the Grass can and I believe will do it so well as mine will scarce deserve to be called more than the Shadow of it yet my Lords it may be this Twelve Months er●e his come out and to have them Triumph till then I cannot think it proper and my Reason is because most of the late Converts of which there is Six of their Teachers and I think above an Hundred of their Hearers are very well disposed to the Church of England and I do think there is a great Work going on I pray God prosper it and that makes them rage and thus bestir themselves I have since I came to London had divers Letters from several Quakers in the Country which are come off giving me Thanks for my plain Dealing some encouraging me never to leave till I have stript this young Harlot But my Lords I know they are in their hot Zeal and as your Lordships shall advise me by the Reverend Dr. Stanly or Mr. Altham or any other or otherwise as to your Wisdom shall seem meet so shall I proceed and if nothing be said to the contrary by any Body I shall take it for granted that I may go on And now my Lords I have but one thing more to mention which is That if my Endeavours and Labours do find Acceptance at your Lordships Hands that you would please to let me have a present Assistance to pay what I owe for Paper Printing and Binding which is near 40 l. And if what I have done be not so well done as you could wish I still beg your Favour to accept the Will for the Deed or if it be but part of it so as to give them Content I desire nothing but to live And as your Lordships have been charitably inclined and very Bountiful towards my Support so do I hope I shall never minister Occasion for the contrary who am my Lords Your Lordships most Humble and most Obedient Servant Fran. Bugg Feb. the 16th 1699.