out of some of their Pockets and kept it from them Again on the 10th day of the Moneth aforesaid being the first day of the Week the Souldiers viz. the Red-coats Guarded with a party of Horse came to the aforesaid Meeting House at Horsly Down where our friends were again peaceably Assembled in the fear of the Lord to Worship him And the said Souldiers took many of them out of their peaceable Meeting and being carried unto the Guard at Margeâ—s Hill the aforesaid Justices so called came and proceeded to try them as aforesaid by the late Act but when the Witnesses came they could not at all prove that they were met under any pretence of Worship or Religious Exercises yet notwithstanding the said Justices imposed Fines on them of five pound a piece And for refusing to pay the said Tines they were committed and sent to the White Lion Prison aforesaid to the number of 13. of them there to remaim without Bail or main prize for the space of three Moneths And upon the 17th day of the fifth Moneth aforesaid according to our usual manner our friends were peaceably Assembled together at our own hired House at Mile-end-Green and in the time of their Meeting there came several armed Souldiers rushing in through the yard and set Guards at the doors that none might pass out or come in and after a while a servant of the Lord stood up to declare the word of the Lord to the people and as he was speaking and mâ—â—â—ioning the name of the Lord there Came in â—â—llâ—am 〈…〉 and one of them in enmity and conâ—emp◠〈…〉 name of the Devil And commanded the Soul 〈…〉 down that was speaking which was accâ—â—â—â—… 〈…〉 â—ook the rest of Men-friends to the 〈…〉 them into another room of the same 〈…〉 and Rider called Justices or the Peace wâ—o there exâ—miâ—ed them of their names places of their â—â—de and â—ge c. and read to them some part of the aforesaid Act made to prevent and suppress Seditious Convenâ—â—â—â—es in which Insurrections are plotted and contrived which Act doth not at all reach us we being no such people which that Act maketh mention of yet they proceeded to charge several Fines upon us which we refusing to pay beâ—â—use we were not transgressours They committed us to Prison in Newgate in London there to remain without Bail or Main prize for the space of three Moneths which is the utmost Penalty for the first offence as they call it of the late Act aforesaid Again upon th 24th day of the 5th Moneth aforesaid our Friends being met together peaceably in the fear of the Lord to wait upon him and to Worship him at their usual Meeting place near Wheeler-street in Spâ—ttle-Fields there came one called Captain Longman and with him two Files of Musquettecrs and two Constables with their guard of Halberds Javlins and o-other weapons And the said Longman using many evil words to friends led the men one by one and committed them to the Constables and Souldiers with the rest of their Guard who brought them to a house not far off the Meeting place and there kept them till two called Justices came to them viz. one C. Pitfield of Hoggsdowne and Richard Abell who examined them of their names and wherefore they met c. And then Fined them to the number of 18. some 5 s. some 2 s. some 1 s. which for Conscience sake they could not pay being no Offenders and so was by the aforesaid Pitfield and Abell committed and sent to Newgate there to remain without Bail or Main prize for the space of six days and with them were committed ten more taken at the same Meeting whose names they knew not And this is to be observed by the Reader that their committing friends for so short a time is not because of any tenderness in the Magistrates towards friends but contrarywise because they may the sooner get them in Prison again upon the second and third offences as they call it in order to the fulfilling of their envious wills which is to expel us out of the land of our Nativity Again upon the 24th of the 5th Moneth aforesaid being the first day of the Week according to our usual manner and at our usual Meeting-house at Mile-end-Green in the Parish of Stepney our friends were Assembled in the fear of the Lord to wait upon him and to Worship him in Spirit and in Truth and when they were thus Assembled there came a Constable with a Company of Souldiers and Watch-men armed and violently rushed into our Meeting and the Constable commanded the doors to be shut and without producing any warrant for what he did he ordered the said Souldiers and Watch-men every one to lay hold of a man which accordingly they did and led them forth of the Meeting and so to the Tower and there kept them a while and then and there brought them before those called Justices who demanded their names places of abode c. to which answer was given and then because for Conscience sake they could not pay the several Fines unrighteously imposed on them they were committed and sent to Newgate Prison there to remain without Bail or Main prize for the space of six days Again upon the 31th day of the 5th Moneth aforesaid being the first day of the Week our friends were again Assembled in the fear of the Lord to wait upon him and to Worship him in the truth at our usual Meeting-house at Mile-end-Green in the Parish of Stepner where ohn Higgins was Ministring the word of truth to the people and there came divers Constables and other armed men who violently rushed in upon them and without producing any warrant for what they did they said violent hands on them and halled them out and had them to an Alehouse where was William Rider and George Marsh called Justices with divers others and being brought before them they asked their names c. to which answer was given according to freedom then they imposed a Fine upon them some five shillings some more some less for Meeting together to Worship God which they say is an offence of their Law which for Conscience sake friends could not pay being indeed no transgressours of any just or righteous Law whereupon they were committed and sent to the common Prison at Newgate there to remain without Bail or Main prize for the sprce of five days Again upon the 7th day of the 6th Moneth being the first day of the Week after our friends were parted from their Meeting place near Wheeler-street the most part of them only some remaining behind were seized in the Street and Alley at the command of one C. Pitfield and T. Swallow Justices so called and were brought to an Alehouse and from thence committtd to Newgate by the said Pitfield and Swallow there to remain without Bail or Main prize for the space of six dayes some of them being as they said for the first offence and some for
six of our friends being passing through an alley between John street and Jâ—anses the same day aforesaid were taken by Constables and carried to Hickses-hall before 3 called Justices who proceeded against them as usually they do when they take us out of our meetings and sent them to Newgate there to remain without Bail or main prize for the space of 3 days only one of them to be kept on the 3d offence as they call it till the next Goal-delivery in order to Transportation Again upon the 28 aforesaid our friends being peaceably assembled at the Bulâ— and Mouth according to their wonted manner to worship God there came Antâ—â—… Baâ—eman Mayor and our old adversary R. Brown who hath not yet answered for the bloud of many that was not long since even stifled up in noysome holes and prisons through his occasion and with their usual guards of both civil and military officers and placed themselves near the door and caused friends to be brought out before them where they examined them according to their usual manner and for refusing to pay the several fines by the said Magistrates unrighteously imposed on them they were committed to the number of 60 at least and sent to Newgate a back-way and not through the streets that their works of darkness might the less appear to the view of the world there to be kept without bail or main prize for the space of 4 days such of them as are for the 1 and 2 offence as they call it others of them that are on the 3 account the Keeper of the prison into whose custody they are usually sent receives orders from the Magistrates to observe their names and to secure them till Goal delivery and as the Keeper saith he hath now in his custody about 19 which are as he saith to come to their tryal for their 3 offence so called this present Sessions And this is still observable that R. Brown according to his wonted manner did the day abovesaid tear the hair of friends heads with his own hands and pinch the women and abuse many in a very inhumane and sad manner And this is very observable that because their works of darkness which they may well be ashamed of should not appear or be much taken notice of their usual manner is after the time is expired that friends are committed for to put them out of prison in the night season So here all may see and take notice how vigilant some of the Magistrates of this City of Lond. are in suppressing the meetings and assemblies of the people of God whose gathering and assembling is for no other end but only to wait upon the Lord and to worship him in spirit and truth according to the practice of the primitive Christians and because we know and are perswaded in our Consciences we cannot forsake this godly exercise whatsoever we suffer for the continuance thereof And we may appeal unto all sober people through this Nation and to the witness of God in the hearts of our persecutors who have known our manner of life and conversation whether or no we have deserved these things at the hands of these men or whether they are righteously or unrighteously inflicted upon us And although they may say they have a Law for what they do c. And according to their Law they ought to do it and if they should neglect the putting this Law in execution they shall not be accounted the Kings friends c. I answer so said the Jews concerning Christ We have a Law and by our Law he ought to die and further said unto Pilate if thou let this man alone thou art nof Caesars friend yet their saying they had a Law c. did not make their proceedings just no more this Law by which these Magistrates of London doth now proceed against us to prison us in order to banishment and so to death if we return again bear them out in what they do or render their proceeddings just in Gods account in the day when the Lord shall arise to make Inquisition for the bloud of his Saints and servants and to render to every one a just reward according to their doings neither in that day can the Law-makers bear out the Executioners of it but every one must give an account to God for his own doings therefore it concerns the Executioners of this Law who have taken in hand this unrighteous as it will prove and cruel work to consider what they are doing and whether they can stand justified in the sight of God in what they do For certainly whether you will believe or no the Lord is with us and will take our part and will plead our cause and what is done unto us he takes as done unto himself And they that strive to suppress us do not strive against us only but against the Lord also who is our strength and in the end he will surely be too hard for them and will grind them to powder and bruise them as in a morter except they speedily repent And furthermore it may be seen how the enmity of the devourer doth appear in these proceedings who the sooner to hasten this work of banishment and death upon retuâ—n doth usually commit friends for a very few days nay sometime but for 24 hours that so they may have them soon again upon another account Oh sad times indeed when according to appearance the greatest favour that can be shewn us if they proceed against us at all by the late Law is to keep us in prison as long as they can when in the mean time Drunkards and Stage players and I may say all kind of Vice tolerated and no notice taken of it by these men who are so zealously bent against an innocent and harmless people that cannot run with them into the same excess of Riot THE END
A TRUE INFORMATION To the Nation from the People called QUAKERS Being a Brief account of the PROCEEDINGS Of some of the Magistrates in and about this City of LONDON Against the aforesaid People from the third day of the 5th Moneth called July to the last day of the 6th Moneth called August 1664. Composed and Published for Satisfaction of those who desire to be Informed Concerning this Matter By J. C. And Haman said unto the King there is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed amongst the people in all the Provinces of thy Kingdom and their Laws are divers from all people neither keep they the Kings Laws therefore it is not for the Kings profit to suffer them If it please the King let it be written that they may be destroyed c. Ester 3.8 9. Let all who read consider what this Counsel brought forth Printed in the Year 1664. A true Information to the Nation from the People called Quakers c. MAny and great have been the sufferings and persecutions that wâ— the people and servants of the Lord called Quakers have undergone and sustained since we were gathered out of the world to be a peculiar people unto God and many Laws and unrighteous Decrees have been made and prosecuted against us by every power as they have come up one after another thereby thinking to root us out from being a people unto God in this Nation or to destroy and root out the holy seed and righteous plant which the Lord God Almighty hath planted in us and amongst us and we have everâ—â—â—â—n the â—utt for all the Babylonish Archers to shut at not only 〈…〉 â—his land or our Nâ—â—â—vity but also in every Region whe◠〈◊〉 Lord by his power hath brought us to bear witness of his 〈…〉 and poweâ—… and we have been aways lookt upon bâ— man◠〈…〉 as the Apostles were in their days and so have been everâ— where spoken against and Antichrist in his Membeâ—s had bestirred himself even where ever we come to raise perfecâ—â—◠〈◊〉 against us and to seek our total ruine and extirpation iâ— pâ—ssible and thus great opposition we have met with on every hand and these things we have sustained not for any evil doing but only for the exercise of our Consciences in Matters of Worship and Faith towards God but the Lord who first separated us from our Mothers womb and gathered us from amongst the men of this Generation to be a people to himself he hath been always with us and in all our sufferings which we have sustained from the hands of our cruel enemies he hath given us courage and boldness and valour so that we have been able to bear all things with patience and he hath clothed us with the Armour of his own righteousness and put the sword of the spirit into our hands with which we have wrestled with the spiritual wickedness that has been in the high places and they have not prevailed against us to bring to pass their several Decrees and Determinations but through the power of the Lord we have conquered and overcome and have seen the end of many who have risen up against us And through all these tryals and sufferings and persecutions the word of God hath grown and encreased and the blessed truth which we profess and bear witness to hath greatly flourished and spread forth its self and many have been and are daily gathered into it and our number is daily added unto and encreased blessed be the Lord Almighty so that we do find as the Apostle did in his day that our bands and sufferings serve for the futherance of the Gospel of Christ and for the exaltation of the worthy name of the Lord which is the main thing we aim at so that what ever become of these our earthly Tabenacles or how ever they may be disposed of we have our desire and expectation in chat the truth prospereth and flourisheth And we do not at all doubt nor question but that as the Lord hath been with us in times past unto this day and hath born us up in the midst of our sufferings and tryals which we nave undergone for his name sakes and as he hath renowned his worthy name and spread forth his truth thereby so he will be always with us to sustain us bear us up and carry us through all sufferings and tribulations whatsoever that for the future may come upon us for the Gospels sake and that our sufferings shall still as in times past make for the furtherance of the glorious Gospel of Christ and for the spreading exaltation and growing of his blessed truth which we profess and bear witness to And in the faith of this we are resolved to rest in patience waiting to receive the end thereof and we doubt not but there are several thousands in this Nation that are like minded with us in this matter And now it is in my heart for the Information and Satisfaction of such who may desire to be informed concerning the present proceedings of the Magistrates in and about this City of London against us the people of God called Quakers to give a brief Relation of the Heads of their proceedings that the unrighteousness and cruelty thereof may be rightly understood The third day after the late Act came in force which was made to prevent Seditious Meetings of such who under colour and pretence of Relgious Worship do in their Meetings Plot and Contrive Insurrections Being the first day of the Week and the third day of the 5th Moneth 1664. our friends were peaceably Assembled together at their usual Meeting place at Horsly Down in Southwark to wait upon God and to Worship him where a servant of the Lord was declaring the truth to the people at which time there came a ompany of arm'd Souldiers very rudely into the Meeting and as they passed in through the Entry one of them shot of his Musquet up into the House and the Bullet went through several Sealings and came very near a Cradle where a Child use to lie And afterwards they halled friends out of their Meeting and brought them before three called Justices v z. John Bromfield John Lenthall and George Moore who proceeded against them according as is provided in the aforesaid Act against such who under pretence of Religious Worship do contrive Insurrections although it s well known to most people in this Nation that we are no such people that in our Meetings use such practices but have oft given a publick testimony against them so because friends could nor for Conscience sake pay the several Fines which was five pounds a piece which they unjustly imposed upon them they were to the number of 7 of them committed to the â—hite Lion prison in Southwaâ—k there to remain without Bail or main prize for the space of three Moneths And that same night after they were brought into the Prison they were put into the common Ward amongst the Felons who took Money by violence
the second and yet they had no witness or evidence to prove that they had met together And upon the 7th day of the 6th Moneth aforesaid friends being again peaceably met together not under colour of Religious Exercises to plot or contrive Insurrections but really to Worship God in spirit and in truth at our aforesaid Meeting-house at Mile-end-Green where there was a friend that was Ministring the truth to the people there came divers Constables and other armed men violently in amongst them and halled them out before William Rider and Thomas Player called Justices to the number of 31. and after some examination imposed several Fines upon them for their Assembling together as aforesaid which being altogether Antichristian they could not for Conscience sake pay whereupon they were committed and sent to Newgate there to remain without Bail or main prize for the space of four days some being for the first offence as they called it and some for the second and several of them who did not declare their names they committed to Prison there to remain till they were delivered by due course of Law Again on the 14th day of the 6th Moneth aforesaid being the first day of the Week our friends were Assembled according to their wonted manner at their usual Meeting-place at Mile-end-Green where there was a friend that was Ministring the truth to the people in which time there came divers Constables and other armed men and by force and violence halled them out of their peaceble Meeting and brought them before the aforesaid William Rider and George Marsh who examined them whether their coming there were to Worship God to which they could not deny but innocently confess it and vindicated their right and privilege so to do being peaceable subjects of this Nation and in no wise disturbers of the peace for which they were declared by the said Marsh and Rider to be convicted as transgressours of the late Law made to suppress seditious Conventicles some of the first offence some of the second as they call it and some others that were for the third and for refusing to pay the several Fines then imposed upon them for their thus Meeting to Worship God they were committed and sent to the common Goal in Newgate there to remain without Bail or main prize for the space of two days such as were for the first and second account and such as were on the third account to be kept till the next Goal-delivery on order to their tryal for Transportation And upon the 14th day of the 6th Moneth aforesaid being the first day of the Week we being peaceably met together at our usual meeting-place at the Bull and Mouth in London the Sheriffs with a certain number of Military officers and with guards consisting of the Mayors-officers Sheriffs-men City Marshals and their men with the Constables Guards came and entred our meeting and in a furious manner prest towards the place where a friend was declaring the way of truth and salvation unto the people and commanded him to come down which he being not free to do at their command two of the officers stept upon a form near unto him and in a great fury drew their Swords and one of them with his hanger smote him and others of them laid on several friends with their swords and staves till one of them broke his sword and so when they had pulled out the friend that was speaking they came in more of them and halled out friends both men and women and brought them one and two and three and four at a time to the number of about 200 in all to Guild-Hall and several friends they took in the streets that only stood to behold the cruelty of their proceedings towards us and brought them also to the same place where they were kept close prisoners till about mid-night and so that their works of darkness might not arpear to the publick view of the people they ordered the Marshal of the City with a very great guard of halberd-men to conduct us to Newgate about that time of night which with Torches lighted was accordingly done though no Mâ—ttimus at all was sent with us and the next day about â—o of us were called for again to Guila-Hall where they were brought before the Mayor and being examined concerning their meeting contrary to the late Act several Fines were imposed on them which because for Conscience sake they could not pay being no transgressours of any just Law they were recommitted one for three moneths and another for one monech and others for 14 days though that which they called their offences were all alike And on the 14 day following they called for about 12 more of us that were taken the first day of the Week aforesaid to the Guild-Hall before the Mayor and Thomas â—â—…ams Alderman where we were examined apart concerning our meeting contrary to the late Act as they said and when they had imposed several Fines on us and we refused to pay as transgressour we were recommitted to Newgate there to remain for the space of 14 days and the 6th day of the same week about 60 more of the same Company that were taken at the Bull and Mouth the first day of the week aforesaid were called for to the Old Bail where the Mayor was with some others who examined them concerning their meeting as aforesaid which being done and the several Fines imposed on them refused to be paid they were recommitted to the prison at Newgate there to remain for the space of 9 days without Bail or main prize so the illegalness of their proceedings against us may hereby be understood for they kept many or usâ—full five days without any warrant or being brought before any Magistrate which is contrary to any known Law of England Also it is observable that the witnesses that came in against us when we were examined at the Guild-Hall were such that made no Conscience of their words for when friends that were taken in the street were brought before the Mayor and examined these witnesses would testifie chat they took them in the meeting Moreover on the 16th day of the moneth aforesaid being the 3d day of the week when we were met together in our prison room to wait upon God and worship him one of the Keepers men came in amongst us and fetcht him away that was speaking and put him in the hole where murtherers use to be put after sentence of death and there kept a certain time And on the 18th day of the moneth aforesaid being the 5th day of the week as we were again assembled in our prison room in the same manner and to the same end aforesaid the Keepers man came in amongst us again and because he could not come at the friend that was speaking by reason of the throng of friends that stood about him he fell laying on both men and women with a great staff and some of the Felons that were with him did