Hall 1662. heard of a Plot, and had written against it. Then Old Prefton asked me, Whether I had an hand in that Houlker Script? I asked him what he meant? He faid, in the Battledoor? I answered, Yes. Then he asked me, Whether I did underftand Languages? I faid, Sufficient for my felf; and that I knew no Law, that was tranfgreffed by it. I told them alfo, That to understand thofe outward Languages, was no matter of Salvation: for the many Tongues began but at the Confufion of Babel: And if I did underftand any thing of them, I Judged and knockt them down again, for any matter of Salvation, that was in them. Thereupon he turned away, and faid, George Fox knocks down all the Languages: Come, faid he, we will examin you of higher Mat ters. Then faid George Middleton, You deny God, and the Church, and the Faith. I replied, Nay: Iown God, ⚫ and the true Church, and the true Faith. But what • Church doft thoù own, faid I? (for I understood he was a Papift.) Then he turned again, and faid, Tou are a Rebel, and a Traytor. I asked him, Whom he fpake to or whom did he call Rebel? He was fo full of Envy, that for a while he could not fpeak: but at laft he faid, He fpake it to me. With that I ftruck my Hand on the Table, and told him; I had fuffered more than Twenty fuch as he, or than any that was there for I had been caft into Derby'Prifon for Six Months together; and had fuffered • much because I would not take up Arms againft this King before Worcester Fight And I had been fent up Prifoner out of my own Country by Col. "Hacker to 0. Cromwell, as a Plotter to bring in King Charles, in the Year 1654; and I had nothing but Love and Good Will to the King, and defired the • Eternal Good and Welfare of him and all his Subjects. Did you ever hear the like, faid Middleton? Nay, faid I, ye may hear it again, if ye will. For ye talk of the King, a Company of you; but where were ye in Oliver's days? and what did ye do then ⚫ for · for him? But I have more Love to the King for 1663. his Eternal Good and Welfare, than any of you have. Then they asked me, Whether I had heard of the Plot? And I faid, Tes, I had heard of it. They asked me, How I bad beard of it? and whom I knew in it? I told them, 'I had heard of it through the High• Sheriff of Torkshire, who had told Dr. Hodafon, That there was a Plot in the North; and that was the way I heard of it: But I never heard of any fuch thing in the South; nor till I came into the North. And as for knowing any in the Plot, I was as a Child in that; for I knew none of them. Then faid they, Why would you Write against it, if you did not know fome, that were in it? I faid, 'My Reafon was, Because you are fo forward to mash the Innocent and Guilty together; therefore I writ against it to clear the Truth from fuch things, and to ftop all forward foolish Spirits from running into fuch things. And I fent Copies of it into Westmorland, Cumberland, Bishoprick and Torkshire, and to you here: And I fent another Copy of it to the King and his Council; and it is like, it may be in Print by this time. One of them faid, O! this Man bath great Power! I faid, Yes, I had Power to write against Plotters. Then faid one of them: Tou are against the Laws of the Land. I answered, 'Nay; for I and my Friends direct all the People to the Spirit of God in them, to mortify the Deeds of the • Flesh: This brings them into the Well-doing, and from that which the Magiftrate's Sword is againft; ⚫ which eases the Magiftrates, who are for the Punithment of the Evil-Doers. So People being turned to the Spirit of God, which brings them to mortify the Deeds of the Flefh, this brings them from un-.. ⚫der the occafion of the Magiftrate's Sword: and this muft needs be one with Magiftracy, and one ' with the Law, which was added, becaufe of Tranfgreffion, and is for the Praise of them that do well. So in this we eftablish the Law, and are an Eafe to Houlker- 1663. the Magiftrates; and are not againft, but ftand for 'all Good Government. Houlker Then Geo. Middleton cried, Bring the Book, and put the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy to him. Now he himself being a Papift, I asked him, 'Whether he “· had taken the Ŏath of Supremacy, who was a Swearer? But as for us, we could not Swear at all, becaufe 'Chrift and the Apoftle had forbidden it. Some of them would not have had the Oath put to me; but have let me have my Liberty: but the reft would not agree to that: For this was their laft Snare, and they had no other way to get me into Prifon; for all other things had been cleared to them. But this was like the Papifts Sacrament of the Altar, by which they enfnared the Martyrs. So they tendered me the Oath, and I could not take it: Whereupon they were about to make my Mittimus, to fend me to LancasterJail But confidering together of it, they only engaged me to Appear at the Seffions; and fo for that time difiift me. Then I went back with Margaret Fell to Swarthmore: and foon after there came Col. Swarth Weft to fee me; who was at that time a Juftice of the Peace. He told us, He told fome of the rest of the Fufiices, that he would come over to fee me and Margaret Fell; but it may be, faid he to them, fome of you will take Offence at it. I asked him, What he thought they would do with me at the Seffions? And he faid, They would tender the Oath to me again. more. Now whilft I was at Swarthmore, there came William Kirby into Swarthmore-Meeting, and brought the Conftables with him. I was fitting with Friends in the Meeting, and he faid to me; How now, Mr. Fox! you have a fine Company here. Tes, faid I, we do meet to Wait upon the Lord. So he began to take the Names of Friends; and them that did not readily tell him their Names, he committed to the Conftables hands, and fent fome to Prifon. The Conftables were unwilling to take them without a Warrant; whereupon he threatned to fet them by the Heels: But the Conftable told him; He could keep them in his Prefence; but but after he was gone, he could not keep them without 1663. a Warrant. iter. Lanca The Seffions now coming on, I went to Lancaster, Lancaand Appeared according to my Engagement. There was upon the Bench that Juftice Flemming, that had bidden Five Pounds in Weftmorland to any Man, that would apprehend me: for he was a Juftice both in Weftmorland and Lancashire. There was alfo Juftice Spencer and Col. Weft, and Old Juftice Rawlinfon the Lawyer; who gave the Charge, and was very fharp against Truth and Friends: but the Lord's Power ftopt them. The Seffion was large, and the Concourfetter Sef of People great and way being made for me, I came fons. up to the Bar, and stood there with my Hat on; they looking earnestly upon me, and I upon them for a pretty space. Then Proclamation being made for all to keep Silence upon pain of Imprisonment: And all being quiet, I faid twice, Peace be among you. Then fpake the Chair-man, and asked; If I knew, where I was? I faid, 'Yes, I do; but it may be, faid I, my 'Hat offends you: that's a low thing, that's not the 'Honour, that I give to Magiftrates; for the true 'Honour is from Above; which, faid I, I have received; and I hope, it is not the Hat, which ye look upon to be the Honour. The Chair-man faid, They looked for the Hat too; and asked, Wherein I fhewed my Refped to Magiftrates, if I did not put off my Hat? I replied; In coming, when they called me. Then they bid one, Take off my Hat. After which it was fome time before they fpake to me, and I felt the Power of the Lord to arife. After fome Paufe, old Juftice Rawlinfon (the Chair-man) asked me, If I did know of the Plot? I told him, I had heard of it in Torkfhire by a Friend, that had it from the High-Sheriff. Then they asked me, Whether I had declared it to the Magiftrates? Ifaid, "I had fent Papers abroad against Plots and Plotters; and alfo to you, as foon as I came into the Country, to take all Jealoufies out of your Minds concerning me and my Friends: For it was and is our Principle, to declare against fuch ⚫ things. 2 Lanca fter Seffrons. 1662. things. They asked me then, If I knew not of an Alt against Meetings? I faid, 'I knew there was an Act, that took hold of fuch as met to the terrifying of the King's Subjects, and were Enemies to the King, and held dangerous Principles; but I hoped, they did not look upon us to be fuch Men: for our Meetings were not to terrifie the King's Subjects, neither are we Enemies to him, or any Man. Then they tendered me the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy. I told them, I could not take any Oath at all, becaufe Chrift and his Apoftle had forbid it: And they had had fufficient Experience of Swearers, (I told them) firft one way, then another; but I had never taken any Oath in my Life. Then Rawlinfon the Lawyer asked me, Whether I held it was unlawful to Swear? This Queftion he put on purpose to enfnare me; for by an Act that was made, fuch were liable to Banishment, or a great Fine, that should fay, it was Unlawful to Swear. But I feeing the Snare, avoided it; and told him, "That in the time of the sed to Law, amongst the Jews, before Chrift came, the Law 'commanded them to Swear: but Chrift, who doth ⚫ fulfill the Law, in his Gofpel-time commands, not to fwear at all; and the Apoftle James forbids Swearing, even to them that were fews, and that had 'the Law of God. So after much other Difcourfe had paffed, they called for the Jailer, and committed me G. F. to Prifon. I had about me that Paper, which I had commit written as a Teftimony against Plots, which I defired Brifon. they would read, or fuffer to be read in open Court, but they would not. So I being Committed for refufing to Swear, I bid them and all the People take notice, that I fuffered for the Doctrine of Chrift, and for my Obedience to his Command. Afterwards I understood, the Juftices did fay, that they had private Inftructions from Col. Kirby to profecute me, notwithstanding his fair Carriage and feeming Kindness to me before, when he declared before many of them, That he had nothing against me. There were Leveral Friends befides Committed to Prifon, fome for |