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THE

YORKSHIREMAN,

A

RELIGIOUS AND LITERARY JOURNAL

BY A FRIEND.

PRO PATRIA.

No. XXVIII. FIFTH DAY, 29th EIGHTH Mo. 1833. PRICE 4d.

ART. I.-A Chronological Summary of events and circumstances connected with the origin and progress of the doctrine and practices of the Quakers.

A. D,

(Continued from p. 21.)

In this year William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, 1659. and in the following year Mary Dyer and William Leddra, quakers, suffer martyrdom at Boston Massachusets; being hung for returning to the Jurisdiction of the General Court of Boston, after banishment by its authority on pain of death.

This persecution began three years before, of which the Reader will find some notice in vol. 1, p. 354. The offence of these persons was strictly religious; consisting merely in the assertion of their right of residing in the Colony, prosecuting their business, and visiting their friends. The Council at Boston held the 11th of July, 1656,' in proceeding against Mary Fisher and Ann Austin, referred to 'several laws long since made and published in the jurisdiction, bearing testimony against hereticks and erroneous persons,' and its object seemed to be to get rid of the parties and their books by summary and effectual process. On the 14th of October following, the General Court held at Boston (a) made an order against the quakers, as a cursed sect of hereticks lately risen up in the world-who take upon them to be immediately sent of God, and infallibly assisted by the Spirit, to speak and write blasphemous opinions, despising government and the (a) Besse's sufferings, vol. 2, p. 179.

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order of God in the Church and Commonwealth, speaking evil of dignities, reproaching and reviling Magistrates and Ministers, seeking to turn the people from the faith, and gain proselytes to their pernicious ways.' The order imposed a fine of £100 on any shipmaster bringing them to the Colony: on the quakers themselves imprisonment and whipping, with penalties on such as should defend them, or spread their publications. A special order followed, on the 20th, to send eight of them on shipboard for banishment: which was executed, as before noticed.

In 1657 we meet with further severities and barbarous whippings occurring upon the return of some of the banished, and the arrival of other quakers: and on the 14th of October, again, a further Order against importing them (b) the penalties on returning being now the scourge, cutting off first one ear and then upon a second offence the other, and lastly, upon the third, boring through the tongue with a hot iron; with imprisonment until sent away, as before. These cruelties so affected many of the inhabitants of this Colony, that they withdrew from the public assemblies, and met on the First day of the week to worship quietly by themselves; for which they were fined five shillings per week and sent to prison, having also their goods distrained. (c)

In 1658 the Meetings began to be proceeded against in the usual manner. A third Law, directed against the quakers' way of worship, was made at Boston the 20th of May;' in which they are called accursed hereticks, and their doctrine, diabolical. This year presents various instances of persecution: among them the inhuman treatment in prison of William Brend, a man in years,' after a conference with the priest at Newbury under assurances of safety; and the cutting off (in prison and in defiance of an appeal to the Courts in England) of the right ears of John Copeland, Christopher Holder and John Rouse, quakers' under the Law before mentioned.

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On the 20th October in this year, in pursuance of a Petition presented to that effect by John Norton and other priests, the General Court at Boston made the Act' (d) for banishing quakers on pain of death, under which the before mentioned executions took place. (e) It is remarkable that, in this Act, the new charge is introduced (after the mention of many dangerous and horrid tenets') that they 'do take upon them to change and alter the received laudable customs of our nation, in giving civil respect to equals or reverence to superiors' which actions were said to tend to undermine the Civil government.'

(b) Besse, ii, 183.

(c) Id. ii, 184. (d) Id. ii, 191.

(e) Mary Dyer was sentenced to death and taken to execution in 1659, along with Robinson and Stevenson, but her son interceding for her, and the people being discontented at her sentence, she was reprieved and sent away home, but returned in the following year. The behaviour of this devoted woman, and her friends who suffered with her, may be best learned from the authors here cited viz: Besse's Sufferings, ii, 197-207. Sewel, Hist. 8vo. vol. 1, p. 382-396, or Book v. Gough, Hist. Chap. xvi, xvii. Piety Promoted, part 1.

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And it became evident in the proceedings, that the real struggle lay between a firm and conscientious adherence to a persuasion of duty (in a matter in no wise criminal) on the one hand, and a determined spirit of intolerance and arbitrary rule in Church and State, on the other. Insomuch that Robinson found occasion to say to the people under the gallows, Mind you, it is for the not putting off the hat that we are put to death and Leddra afterwards, in Court, Will you put me to death for speaking English, and for not putting off my clothes? The government there, moreover, accounted it a sufficient ground for banishment on pain of death, that persons came to the colony quakers, or were found such within it: and they appear to have required no further evidence against them than their appearance and address.

A. D. General Monk being in command of the army, and the soldiers 1659. being troublesome in many places, he issues an order in Friends' favour.

The Order was as follows: St James's the 9th of March, 1659. I do require all officers and soldiers to forbear to disturb the peaceable meetings of the Quakers, they doing nothing prejudicial to the parliament or commonwealth of England: George Monk.

George Fox, having visited his Friends in Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and other counties, travels in the Western parts of England.'

'At Dorchester-the constable and officers of the town came' says George under pretence to look for a Jesuit, whose head (they said) was shaved: and they would have all to put off their hats, or else they would take them off, to look for the Jesuit's shaven crown. So they took off my hat (for I was the man they aimed at) and they looked very narrowly; but not finding any bald or shaven place on my head, they went away with shame; and the soldiers and other sober people were greatly offended with them. '

Again While I was in Cornwall, there were great shipwrecks about the Lands-end. It was the custom of that country, at such a time, both rich and poor went out to get as much of the wreck as they could, not caring to save the people's lives: and in some parts of the country they called shipwrecks God's grace. It grieved my spirit to hear of such unchristian actions; considering how far they were below the Heathen at Melita-Wherefore I was moved to write a paper and send it to all the parish priests and magistrates, to reprove them for such greedy actions.The paper occupies a page and a half in folio, and he says of it, 'This paper had good service among people, and friends have endeavoured much to save the lives of men in time of wrecks, and to preserve the ships and goods for them. And when some who suffered shipwreck have been almost dead and starved, friends have taken them to their houses to succour and recover them, which is an act to be practised by all true Christians.' (f)

(f) Journ. p. 292–298.

A. D.

Edmund Burrough and Samuel Fisher pass over to Dunkirk, 1659. where they have disputes and conferences with the Religious orders in that town, and return to England.

Committee of Safety: Richard Cromwell, who had succeeded

to the place of his father, deposed.

There being movements in this year in favour of the exiled king, and some of the people called quakers in danger of being drawn into the army under Lambert, George Fox wrote a paper of caution and warning to his friends on the subject. (g)

A. D.

The Monarchy restored, under Charles II. About the begin1660. ning of this year George Fox visits Bristol, and afterwards holds large General Meetings, one near that city, another at Balby and a third at Skipton, Yorkshire. (h)

The last is said in the Journal to be a Meeting of Men friends out of many counties-about business relating to the Church both in this nation and beyond the seas.' 'Several years before (he adds) when I was in the North, I was moved to recommend to friends the setting up of this Meeting for that service; for many friends suffered in divers parts of the nation, their goods were taken from them contrary to law, and they understood not how to help themselves, or where to seek redress. But after this Meeting was set up, several friends who had been Magistrates, and others who understood something of the law, came thither, and were able to inform friends, and assist them in gathering up the sufferings; that they might be laid before the justices, judges, or parliament. This meeting had stood several years, and divers justices and captains had come to break it up; but, when they understood the business friends met about [especially that relating to the care of the poor] had passed away peaceably,' Here we have the rudiments of the Yearly Meeting and Meeting for Sufferings now held in London.

After a fourth General Meeting at Arnside for all the friends in the counties of Westmorland, Cumberland and Lancaster' George Fox passes on to Swarthmore, and is there by warrant from Henry Porter, justice, taken up and committed a close prisoner to the common gaol at Lancaster.

A copy of the mittimus was refused him, but two friends who saw it reported the charges to be, that he was a person generally suspected to be a common disturber of the peace of the nation, an enemy to the king, and a chief upholder of the quakers' sect: and that he, together with many of his fanatic opinion had of late endeavoured to raise insurrections in those parts, and embroil the whole country in blood. Wherefore the gaoler was commanded to keep him in safe custody, till he should be released by order from the king and parliament. In which safe custody for the present we must leave him." (i)

George Whitehead is taken from a Meeting for worship at Pulham-Mary, Norfolk, and committed with other friends to prison in Norwich Castle. (k)

(g) Journal, p. 288.

(i) Id. p. 304.

(h) Id. p. 300.
(k) Christian Progress, Ed. 1725, p. 244.

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He says they were taken while calling upon the Lord in prayer, by one in the place of a Chief constable, with a company of horsemen and footmen, without any warrant-but with halberts, pistols, swords, pitchforks, clubs and hedge-stakes; and haled out of the Meeting!' Persecution being then generally stirred up [it was in the Eleventh month of this year] against friends especially-most prisons were filled with them, because of their religious meetings.

George Whitehead being thus committed, settled himself with three other friends in a hole in a corner of the Castle wall, called The Vicea place without a chimney holding two little beds only, and those exposed to dripping from the arch above, yet preferable to the nasty crowded jail-here they burned a little charcoal for warmth at nights, and walked in the day time under the wall; counting their prison a sanctuary (so does God bring good out of evil for his people!) and having good and comfortable meetings, to which several friendly people were admitted, on First days especially, without disturbance. William Barber and Joseph and John Lawrence, his companions, 'having been (two of them) men of note and captains in the Commonwealths' day,' were now willing cheerfully to suffer for Christ's sake, and could even be facetious on occasion. O Captain Lawrence (said his brother Joseph to him, one morning in their wretched bed) I have seen the day that thou wouldst not have lain here!'

(To be continued.)

ART. II.—Anecdotes of silenced Ministers, Continued. "Ejected at King's Norton, Worcestershire. Thomas Hall, B. D. 'He was born in the city of Worcester, 1610, and bred up in Oxon under Dr. Lushington. At King's Norton he applied himself in earnest to do good to souls: his salary was small (the great tithes being impropriate) so that had he not kept the Free-school and continued single he could scarce have subsisted. And yet, God owning his labours in the place he would not be persuaded to leave it, though solicited with a promise of greater preferment. In the time of the Civil war he was often accused, cursed [what is the nature of this cursing, and how is it administered-in the Church with bell, book, and candle, or how else-for I imagine 'tis done there, in some way?] threatened with death [and no wonder, if the wicked heard him publicly cursed!] many times plundered, and five times imprisoned.

He constantly preached twice on the Lord's day, and kept Lectures abroad, besides his expositions of Scripture, catechizing and private admonition, &c. He was a very hard student, a considerable scholar [having published a number of works] a well furnished divine: a man of a public spirit, intent on diffusing knowledge. He gave many valuable books to the Library at Birmingham, and persuaded his brethren to do the like. Aud when he had prevailed with his parish to build a public library, he gave his own study to it in his life time. He was of a free and liberal heart-and, when outward comforts failed, he lived by faith. In his last illness his stock [of money] was

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