and living eternal Praises be given to the Lord God for evermore About three Moneths after this I was moved of the Lord to go and speak to her again and when I came to Houlter-Hall I asked for Thomas Preston's Wife and she came to the Door her self but I knew her not I asked her if she was the Woman of the House and she said No but if you would speak with Mistress Preston I will intreat her to come to you So she went into the House and brought another Woman with her and said Here is Mistress Preston Then the Lord made it known unto me that she was the Woman then I said Woman how darest thou Lye before the Lord and his Servant Thou art the Woman I came to speak to She was very quiet and did not open her Mouth Then I said Woman hear what the Lord's Servants hath to say unto thee Oh Woman harden not thy Heart against the Lord and his Servant for if thou dost he will cut thee off in his sore displeasure therefore take Warning in time and fear the Lord God 〈◊〉 Heaven and Earth that thou mayst end thy dayes in Peace So I parted with her very quietly and returned to my House in Peace About three Years after this as I was riding from Swarthmore near to Halkor Hall I met with a young Man who said unto me Friend I have something to say unto you which hath lain upon me this long time Truly Friend I am the Man that about three Years since at the command of my Mistress did beat you very sore for which I have been very much troubled more than any thing that ever I did in all my time For truly Night and Day it hath been often in my Heart that I did not well in beating an innocent Man that never did me any hurt or harm I pray you forgive me and desire the Lord to forgive me that I may be at peace and quiet in my mind And I said unto him Truly Friend from that time to this day I never had any thing in my Heart against thee nor thy Mistress but I Love the Lord forgive you both I desire that it may never be laid to your change for ye knew not what ye did So I parted with him 〈◊〉 Heart being exceedingly broken with the true Love of God who hath pleaded my Cause in the Hearts of my Persecutors Glory and Honour and Living Praises be given to the Lord my God for ever of all the Children of Light Again the Word of the Lord came unto me in the 10th Month in the Government of Oliver Cromwell in the year 1652 when I was walking among my Sheep saying Thou shalt not eat nor drink for the space of 14 dayes any thing but Water But fear not for I will feed thee with the Dew of Heaven and with the sweet Incomes of my Love my Word shall be unto thee sweeter than the Honey or the Honey-Comb and I will make thee to know that I am able to keep and preserve thee fresh and strong and able to do my Work without the Creatures as well as with it And so in the Name of the Lord I set on and fasted fourteen dayes without any Meat or Drink save only Water And indeed the Lord was good unto me for in all that time I was kept very fresh and able of Body so that no Friend nor other could discern that I wanted either Meat or Drink So the Lord hath made me a true and faithful witness that the Lord God is the Life and Substance of all the Creatures who is able to support our Bodies with them and without them Glory and Honour be given unto his eternal Name for ever of all the Children of Light Again the Word of the Lord came unto me in the Year 1653 in the 2d Month saying Set thy House in order and go thy way into Cumberland for I have a People there which I have loved from the beginning Whereupon I freely gave up and left my Wife and small Children House and Land and all that I had in this world And as I was going I met with a dear Friend and Brother James Lancaster and I told him what was laid upon me by the Lord and he told me that it was much in him to go with me so we concluded to go together and declared the Lord's eternal Truth in those parts So we went into several Towns and Villages and Steeple-Houses and spoke the Word of the Lord as we were moved and much Persecution fell to our share in that County but many were Convinced of the eternal Truth about Cockermouth and Pardsaw for the Lord 's eternal Word was with us according to his Promise and when we were free and clear of Cumberland we returned to our own Houses again and had great Peace with the Lord. Again the Word of the Lord came unto me in the year of our Lord 1653. in the fourth Month in the Government of Oliver saying Go thy way into York-Shire and declare my Word freely that I shall give thee and fear not the Face of my Man for I will be with thee according to my Promise and speak to the Mayor of York the Word that I shall give thee Then I went as I was commanded of the Lord into York-Shire and came to a Town called Setle from thence to Scripton where I suffered much Persecution for declaring there the Word of Truth and was sorely wounded and laid up for a dead Man nevertheless the Lord was good unto me and healed me by his Eternal Power of all my sore Bruises for within three Houres I was a sound Man to the great astonishment of my Persecutors and the convinceing of many that beheld me this working a very good Effect in the Hearts of the People Thence I went as I was moved of the Lord to Bradford Leeds and Hallifax and declared the Lord's Truth amongst them and much Persecution fell to my lot in those parts but the Lord was good unto me according to his Promise From thence I Travelled to the Town of Doncaster and was moved to go on a first Day to a Steeple-House in that Town and when their Worship was done I spoke as I was moved of the Lord to the Priest and People and they were in great rage and Persecuted me much and drove me out of the Town and being sorely Wounded and Bruised they left me for dead notwithstanding by the Power of God I arose up and got to a Friends House about a Mile from the Town and lay me down upon a Bed and immediately the Word of the Lord came unto me saying Arise and go thy way to yonder little Chappel and speak my Word freely that I shall give thee and I will make thee a sound Man Then I got up on my Feet as well as I could and came down out of the Chamber taking hold of the Walls to support me and setting on freely towards the Chappel I
Terror unto them and their Wisdom shall be confounded And presently I rose and took my Horse as I was Commanded and went into Furneiss to Captain Sand's House and there I found a great number of Professors gathered together and two Priests with them one Lampitt and one Camdford when I came into the House Lampitt was preaching but presently he was silent and within a pretty time Captain Adam Sands said Sir what is the matter Are you well And the Priest answered I am well but I shall speak no more as long as this dumb Devil is in the House A dumb Devil saith the Captain where is he This is he saith the Priest pointing with his Hand that standeth here Then the Captain said This Man is quiet and saith no thing unto you I pray you Sir go on in the Name of the Lord and if he trouble or molest you in my House I will send him to Lancaster â—astle The Priest answered I shall not Preach as long as this dumb Devil is in the House Then the Captain said Mr Camelford pray you Sir stand up and exercise your Gift and I will see that you be not disturbed But the Priest answered as the other I shall not speak as long as this dumb Devil is in the House Then the People cryed Lord rebuke thee Satan Lord rebuke thee Satan What manner of Spirit is this that stops our Ministers Mouths Then the Captain came to me and took me by the Hand and put me out of his House and in all this time I had not opened my Mouth for the Lord had made his Promise Good unto me in confounding their Wisdom when never a Word was spoken So I took my Horse and came to my outward being again and had grear Peace with the Lord my God Again the Word of the Lord came unto me in the sixth Month in the same year 1653 saying Go thy way into Bishoprick and New-Castle upon Tine and declare my Word freely that I shall give thee and be not afraid for my Powerful Presence shall be with thee and my right Hand shall uphold thee and speak thou to the Mayor and Priests and Rulers in that Town and tell them My Anger is kindled against them because they have shut my Kingdom against Men and will neither enter in themselves nor suffer them that would So I went as I was commanded of the Lord and spoke to the Priests Mayor and Rulers of New-Castel where I suffered much Persecution and was Imprisoned by them notwithstanding the Lord made his Promise good unto me for he made me a burthen some Stone to the Priests and Rulers of that Town for the Mayor was much troubled and sent for the Sheriff for it was they two which committed me to Prison and the Mayor said unto the Sheriff We have not done well in Committing an Innocent Man to Prison I pray your let us release him Then they caused the Goaler to set me at Liberty so I Laboured in the Work of the Lord in these parts and declared the Word of the Lord as I was moved and many were convinced of the Truth Then being free of these People and Places I returned to my own House again and injoyed my Wife and Children and had great Joy and Peace with the God of my Life Again the Word of the Lord came unto me as I was walking in my Feilds in the year 1654 in the first Month saying Set thy House in order and go thy way into Ierland and declare my Word that I shall give thee to speak in the Cities Towns and Villages in that Nation and go to the Heads and Rulers in that Nation and declare my Word freely that I shall give thee to speak and fear not the Face of any Man for my Powerful Presence shall be with thee and uphold thee in all thy Straits and Hardships according to my Word and Promise Then said I Lord I am an unleaned Man and not versed in the Scriptures and for Wisdom I have but little Then the Lord answered me My Honour and Glory shall be the more for when the wise Men of the World shall see thy Boldness thy Courage and Manhood that I shall give thee and though an unleaned Man they shall be made to confess and acknowledge my Powerful Presence to be with thee of a Truth Then I went towards Ierland and meeting with my dear Brother and old Companion a faithful Man and my fellow Labourer in the Truth James Lancaster the Lord made him very free to go with me and while we were speaking of it old Myels Bateman of Vnderbarrow heard and the Lord made him also very free to go with us so we took our Journey and went for Ireland as the Lord commanded and declared the Word of the Lord as we were moved in Cities Towns and Villages in that Nation and the Lords Presence was with us of a truth and we went to the Heads and Rulers of that Nation and declared the Word of the Lord to them freely as we had received it and many received our Testimony So when we were free of that Nation we came for England again and had great Peace with the Lord. Again the Word of the Lord came unto me in the same year 1654 in the 3d Month saying Go thy way into Scotland and declare my Word that I shall give thee to the Heads and Rulers of that Nation and fear not for my right Hand shall uphold thee and I will be with thee in all thy Straits and Hardships according to My Promise and speak thou unto the Souldiers in Cities and Towns and unto the Commanders and tell them My Anger is kindled against them for they have done very deceitfully with me and not performed their Promises with me which they made to me in the day of their deep distress even when their Enemies encompassed them on every side for then I delâ—vered them and gave them Power over their Enemies yet they have rewarded me Evil for my Good-will to them and have drawn their Swords against me and done Violence Against my Sons and my Daughters whom I have sent to declare my Word amongst them therefore I wall cause them to flee before their Enemies and their Harts shall fail them for fear Then I went toward Scotland as the Lord had commanded me and as I was going I met with my dear brother James Lancaster who was very free to go with me so we came to Dumfreece and on a first Day went to a Steeple-House in that Town where many People were gathered together in a deceitful manner Howling and Crying making a great Lameniation as though they had been touched with a sight of their Sins but my Soul was sore grieved with their Deceit and Hypocrisie and when their Worship was done I spoke as I was moved of the Lord and many of them were in great rage and we were persecuted by them very sore and they drove us out of the Town near
Reward according to his Work Glory and Honour and living eternal Praises be given to the God of my Life for evermore who is the good Shepherd of my Soul who hath enabled me to do his Work and Service and hath brought me by his eternal Arm and Power safely to my own House again and hath given me Joy and Peace that all the Persecutors in all the World cannot take from me as I dwell and abide faithful unto him who is the good Shepherd and Bishop of my Soul who is my Light my Life my Joy and Peace and eternal Portion for evermore Amen Again in the Year 1669 in the Reign of King Charles about the 5th Month the Word of the Lord came to me saying Go thy way into Cumberland Northumberland and Bishoprick and Yorkshire where I have sent thee formerly to declare my Word and to shew them the Way as thou hadst received it of me that leads to Life and Peace that all the World are but Talkers of and many in that day did receive thy Testimony with gladness of Heart Go thy way and take thy Horse and pass into these Countries and speak my Word freely to my own People my Sons and my Daughters whom I have called and chosen out of the World and the barren Mountains thereof to serve me in Truth and in Righteousness all their dayes Lift up thy Voice like a Trumpet and speak to my own People and charge them in my Name to prepare themselves for I will come and take account of them even from the greatest to the least and he that hath ten Tallents given him shall count for ten and he that hath five Tallents given him shall count for five and he that hath two given shall count for two and every one of my Servants Sons and Daughters shall count for what they have received of me So I was very free in my Spirit to tell my dear Brother Robert Withers a faithful man a fellow Labourer in the Lord's work what lay upon me from the Lord and he was made free to go with me So in obedience to the Lord we were made very willing to go into these Countries to speak to the Lord's People who had received the Lord's Truth in the love it and many of our dear Friends and Brethren were exceedingly broken and their Hearts tendred with the Lord's Testimony and with the true sence of God's everlasting Love and tender fatherly Care to them who hath sent his Servants to give them warning that the Lord God of Heaven and Earth will come and take account of every one of his Servants both Sons and Daughters from the greatest to the least that they may be prepared to meet the Lord with Joy and Rejoycing that they may give their Account with gladness of Heart and so receive the blessed Sentence that the Lord hath prepared for all the Faithful and Upright in Heart that they may finish and end their dayes in Peace and lie down in the Bosom of the Father with all the holy Men of God So when we had been in all these Counties and had many good and pretious Meetings amongst our dear Friends and Brethren to the strenthening and refershing one another in the holy Faith Being free of the Lord's burthen we returned to our outward beings again and had great Peace with the Lord. A true Account of Myles Halhead of Mount-Joy concerning the Payment or Non-payment of his Tythes from the first I was Convinced of the Truth which was in the Year of our Lord 1652 to this present Year 1673. WIthin one year after I had received the Lord's Truth I was moved of the Lord to speak to Tho. Wilson of Heversham-hall he coming to my house to demand Tythe-Wooll and Lamb I said unto him Friend I have paid thee thy Tythes for Wool and Lamb as truly as any man hath done ever since I had Goods of my own to this day but now the Lord God of my Life hath out of his eternal Love to me opened my Understanding and let me clearly see the Unjustness and Unlawfulness of Tythes therefore I dare pay them no more lest I grieve and provoke the God of my Life therefore Friend do what thou pleasest with me for I cannot pay thee Tythes any more The man was very quiet and moderate and said He did believe that I had paid him very truly and he thought that I denyed them not out of any self end therefore if it were not for the Example of others I would not have any Tythe of thee for my time And when I had freed my self of this Testimony I was moved and made willing by the Power of the Lord to leave my House and Family and go as I was commanded to declare the Word of the Lord in Ireland and Scotland and in my own Country and stayed two years together in the Lord's Service and was very little at my own House for many years but what my Wife did then being not convinced of the Truth it is very likely she payed or agreed with him And now of late years when I grew old and infirm and my Eye-sight faileth me I have been sometime at my own house when Jo. Archer sent his men to demand Tythe-Wooll and Lamb I desired his men to let their Man know that he might do what he pleased with me for I could pay him none no more then I could do to Tho. Wilson of Heversham-hall which was in the same place before him Given forth by MYLES HALHEAD of Mount-joy IN the year 1673 in the Reign of King Charles I being in my Bed at a Friend's house in Plymouth in the County of Devonshire the Word of the Lord came to me saying Arise and go thy way and speak to John Lambert the words that I shall give thee so I went to a Friend to desire him to procure a Vessel that I might pass over to a little Island near to the King 's great Fort in Plymouth that I might speak to John Lambert who was Prisoner in that Island and a Vessel we procured and passed to the Island the same day and there we found a strong Guard of Soldiers a Lievtenant asked me What was my Business to the Island I said I desire to speak to John Lambert and then he asked me If I was ever a Captain under his Command and I said No the Soldiers were very quiet and moderate I desired the Lievtenant to bring me to John Lambert and so he did and when I came before him I said Friend is thy Name John Lambert and he said Yea then I said unto him Friend I pray thee hear what the Servant of the Lord hath to say to thee Friend the Lord God made use of thee and others for the Deliverance of his People and when you cryed to him he delivered you in your Distresses as at Dunbar and other places and gave you an opportunity into your hands to do good and you promised what great things you would do for the Lord's People but truly John Lambert you soon forgot your Promises you made to the Lord in that day and time of your great Distress and turned the Edge of your Sword against the Lord's Servants and Hand-maids whom he sent forth to declare his eternal Truth and made Laws and consented to Laws and suffered and permitted Laws to be made against the Lord's People Then John Lambert answered and said Friend I would have you know that some of us never made Laws nor consented to Laws to persecute you nor none of your Friends for Persecution we ever were against I answered and said John Lambert it may be so but the Scripture of Truth is fulfilled by the best of you for although that thee and some others have not given your Consent to make Laws against the Lord's People yet ye suffered and permitted
and Brethern I beseech you in the Bowels of dear and tender Love that you walk as dear Children faithful to him who hath called you with an honourable calling and loved you from the beginning with an Everlasting Love that all your Friends and Neighbours and Men of this World that see your Life coupled with fear may be made to confess and acknowledge to the Honour and Glory of the living Lord that the God whom ye serve and fear is the only true God of Israel and herein you become a pretious savour unto the living eternal God and sweet smelling savour unto all the Children of Light and no good thing will the Lord God withhold from you the Mouth of the Lord God of Hosts hath spoken it whose Promises are Yea and Amen to his own Seed for evermore Given forth the 14th day of the 6th Month 1655 when I was Prisoner at the Prison-House at the City of Exceter in the County of Devnoshire for the Testimony of Jesus and the Word of God Myles Halhead IN the year 1663 in the Reign of King Charles the second I was Summoned to appear at one of the Bishops Esclesiastical Courts before his Chancellor Doctor Cradict holden at Kendal and I was free in the Lord to go with many of my dear Friends and Brethren who were likewise Summoned to be their I waited in the Court obove three hours and at length I was called to give my answer why I came not to the Steeple-house to hear the Priests Then I desired the Court they would hear me and I would give them a plain answer in the fear of God and uprightness of my Heart and they promised me they would be quiet and still I told them I was about fifty years of Age and I had spent thirty of it in hearing the Priests and in all that time I had not profited by them but finding them preaching one thing one year and another year preaching quite the contrary therefore I cannot now hear them Then I said to the Doctor now I appeal to that of God in thee and to all moderate Men that hear me this day if I have not given thee a plain answer in the fear of the Lord to thy own Question He answered I had come as near him as any had done that day So this is recorded in the Bishop's Court against me That I went thirty years to the Church and in all that time I had not profited at all So I stand Excommunicated in the Bishop's Court. Again the Word of the Lord came unto me in the year 1667 in the fourth Month in the Reign of King Charles the second Saying Go thy ways into the City of Bristol and Glostershire and Wiltshire and Summersetshire Devonshire and Cornewall where thou hast been formerly and declared my Eternal Word amongst them and suffered hard and sore Imprisonments for my Name sake and speak to my own People my Sons and my Daughters whom I have called and chosen in this the Day of my Love out of the World and the barren Mountain thereof to serve me in Truth and in Righteousness all their dayes and bid them prepare themselves for I am coming to take account upon them all my Sons and my Daughters even from the greatest to the least of my Children and he whom I have given Ten Tallents shall count for Ten and he to whom I have given five Tallents shall count for five and be to whom I have given two shall count for two so every one both Man and Woman shall count for what he hath received So I command thee to go and speak to my own People whom I have chosen to serve me the Words that I shall give thee and though thou be weak and feeble of Body yet fear thou not for I will uphold thee in all thy weakness by my eternal Arm and Power and I will put my Word into thy Mouth what thou shalt say unto my chosen People my Sons and my Daughters whom I have called in this the Day of my Love and they shall receive thee as my Servant and confess and acknowledge that I have again sent thee in dear and tender Love and Fatherly Care unto them So I took my Horse and went to the City of Bristol and into those other Counties as the Lord had required and spoke to the Churches as I was moved and though I was but very weak of Body yet the Lord made his Promise good unto me in all my weakness Glory and Honour and Living eternal Praises be gvien to the Lord my God for ever of all the Children of Light And when I was about ten Miles off Plimouth I was brought before the chief Rulers in Devonshire and Cornewall and they asked me my Name and from whence I came I said out of the North. They asked me Out of what Country in the North And I said Westmorland Then they asked me What business I had in Devonshire I answered to see my old Friends whom formerly about ten Years since I had acquaintance with One of the Rulers answered I am a Devonshire man I pray you what are the Names of your Friends you had acquaintance with ten Years since in Devonshire I answered one Sr John Coplestone who was then High Sheriff of Devonshire and one John Page who was then the Mayor of Plimouth and one Justice Vowell who was then the Judge of the Sessions of the City of Exceter and one Colonel Buffit who was a Justice at that time Then one of the Rulers said Truly Gentlemen though this man call these men his Friends surely they have been his Persecutors Then another of the Rulers said Would you know how it is with these your old Friends No man in all Devonshire nor Cornwall can give you a more perfect nor truer Account than I can Your old Friend Sr. John Coplestone hath sold his Land and I know not where he may be found And as for your Friend John Page who was the Mayor of Plimouth he is become a broken Merchant and is fled out of his own Country and as I hear is gone for the Barbadoes And as for your Friend Justice Vowell he is gone to his long home And as for your old Friend Colonel Buffit he was committed to Prison at Bridge water in Summersetshire for high Treason and is stolen away from the Goaler and is quite gone and dare not be seen in his own Country And so Friend I have given you a true Account of your old Friends And truly Friend if these men were your Persecutors you may be sure that they will trouble you no more for if they that trouble you and persecute you have no better fortune than these men I wish that I nor none of my Friends may have any Hand in Persecuting of you So I took my leave of these moderate men and travelled to Cornewall Thus hath the Lord pleaded my Cause according to his Word and Promise who will give to every man a just