evil. Christ saith, he came not to "destroy men's lives ;" and when his disciples would have had "fire come down from heaven," to have consumed those that did not receive him, he told them, " they knew not what spirit they were of," that would have men's lives destroyed; therefore he rebuked them, and told them, "that he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Now we are of Christ's mind, who is the great prophet, whom all ought to hear in all things, who commandeth his, "if they strike thee on one cheek turn the other, and render to no man evil for evil." This doctrine of his we have learned, and not only confess him in words, but follow his doctrine; and therefore we have suffered, and do suffer all manner of reproaches, scandals, slanders, spoiling of goods, buffetings, whippings, stripes, and imprisonments for these many years, and can say, "the Lord forgive them that have thus served us, and lay not these things to their charge !" We know the Jews' outward sword, by which they cut down the Heathen outwardly, was a type of the inward sword of the spirit, which cuts down the inward Heathen, the raging nature in people. And the blood of bulls, lambs, rams, and other offerings, and that priesthood which offered them, together with other things in the law, were types of Christ, the one offering, and of his blood, who is the everlasting priest and covenant, our life, and way to God, the great prophet and shepherd, the head of his church, and the great bishop of our souls, whom we witness come; and he doth oversee and keep his flock. For in Adam, in the fall, we know the striving, quarrelling, unpeaceable spirits are in the enmity one with another, and not in peace; but in Christ Jesus, the second Adam, that never fell, is peace, rest, and life. The doctrine of Christ, who never sinned, is to "love one another," and those who are in this doctrine hurt no man, in which we are, in Christ, who is our life. Therefore it is well for you to distinguish betwixt the precious and the vile, between them that fear God and serve him, and them that do not, and to put a difference between the innocent and the guilty, and between him that is holy and pure and the ungodly and profane; for they that do not so, bring troubles, burdens, and sorrows upon themselves. This we write in love to your souls, that ye may consider these things; for those that hate enemies, and one another, we cannot say they are of God, nor in Christ's doctrine, but are opposers of it. And such as wrestle with flesh and blood, with carnal weapons, are gone into the flesh out of the spirit. They are not in our fellowship in the spirit, in which is the bond of peace, neither are they of us, nor have we unity with them in their fleshly state, and with their carnal weapons. For our unity and fellowship stand in the gospel, which is the power of God, before the devil was, the liar, the murderer, the man-slayer, and the envious. Now Christ's mind and his doctrine being to save men's lives, we who are of Christ's mind

are out of and above these things. Our desire is, that in the fear of the Lord ye may all live, that therein ye may receive God's wisdom, by which all things were created, that by it all may be ordered to his glory.

This is from them that love all your souls, and

seek your eternal good.'

Being now a prisoner in Lancaster castle, a deep sense came upon me of a day of sore trial and exercise that was come and coming upon all who had been high in profession of religion; and I was moved to give forth the following paper as a warning to such:

Now is the day that every one's faith and love to God and Christ will be tried; and who are redeemed out of the earth, and who are in the earth will be manifested; and who is the master they serve, and whether they will run to the mountains to cover them. Now will it appear who are the stony ground, who are the thorny ground, and who are highway ground, in whom the fowls of the air take away the seed, the thorns and cares of the world choke, and the heat of persecution scorches and burns up your green blade; for the day trieth all things. Therefore, let not such as forsake truth for saving the earth say, that your brother priest only, "serveth not the Lord Jesus Christ but his own belly, and mindeth earthly things;" for themselves also do the same, and do hug and embrace self and not the Lord. Now it will be made manifest who is every one's God, and Christ, and Saviour, and their love will be manifest, whether it be of the world or the love of God; for if it be the love of the world, it is enmity, and the enmity will manifest itself what it is; and the day will try every spirit and his fruits. Therefore, all my dear friends, in the everlasting seed of God live, that is over all the house of Adam and his works in the fall: dwelling in the seed, Christ, that never fell, in him you all have virtue, life, and peace, and through him ye will overcome all that is in the fall. G. F.'

I wrote also another short epistle to Friends, to warn them to keep out of that spirit that wrought in John Perrot and his company against the truth.

DEAR FRIENDS,-Dwell in the love of God, and in his righteousness, that will preserve you above all unclean and changeable spirits, that dwell not in the truth but in quarrels. Avoid such and keep your habitations in the truth. Dwell in the truth, and in the word of God, by which ye are reconciled to him. Keep your meetings in the name of Jesus Christ, who never fell: then you will see over all the gatherings of Adam's sons and daughters, you being met in the life over them all, VOL. II.

6

in which is your unity, peace, and fellowship with God, and one with another, in the life, wherein ye may enjoy God's presence among you. So remember me to all Friends in the everlasting seed of God. And all they that are got into fellowship in outward things, their fellowship will corrupt, and rot, and wither away. Therefore, live in the gospel, the power of God, which power of God the gospel, was before the devil was. And this fellowship in the gospel, the power of God, is a mystery to all the fellowships in the world. So look over all outward sufferings, and look at the Lord and the Lamb, who is the First and Last, the Amen; in whom farewell. G. F.'

In the sixth month the assizes were held again at Lancaster, and the same judges, Twisden and Turner, came that circuit again; but judge Turner then sat on the crown bench, so I was brought before him. Before I was called to the bar, I was put among murderers and felons for about the space of two hours, the people, the justices, and the judge also gazing upon me. After they had tried several others, they called me to the bar and empanneled a jury. Then the judge asked the justices, Whether they had tendered me the oath at the sessions?' they said, 'They had.' Then he bid, Give them the book, that they might swear they had tendered me the oath according to the indictment.' Some of the justices refused to be sworn; but the judge said, he would have it done to take away all occasion of exception. When the jury were sworn, and the justices had sworn that they had tendered the oath according to the indictment,' the judge asked me, 'Whether I had not refused the oath at the last assizes?' I said, I never took an oath in my life, and Christ, the Saviour and Judge of the world, said, "Swear not at all." The judge seemed not to take notice of my answer; but asked me, 'Whether or no I had not refused to take the oath at the last assize?' I said, 'The words that I then spoke to them were, that if they could prove, either judge, justices, priest, or teacher, that after Christ and the apostle had forbidden swearing, they commanded that christians should swear, I would swear.' The judge said, 'He was not at that time to dispute whether it was lawful to swear, but to enquire whether I had refused to take the oath or no.' I told him, 'Those things mentioned in the oath, as plotting against the king, and owning the pope's or any other foreign power, I utterly deny.' 'Well, (said he,) you say well in that; but did you deny to take the oath? what say you? What wouldst thou have me to say? (said I,) for I have told thee before what I did say.' Then he asked me, 'If I would have these men to swear that I had taken the oath?' I asked him, 'If he would have those men to swear that I had refused the oath?' at which the court burst out into laughter. I was grieved to see so much lightness in

a court, where such solemn matters are handled, and thereupon asked them, If this court were a play-house? where is gravity and sobriety, (said I;) for this behaviour doth not become you.' Then the clerk read the indictment, and I told the judge, I had something to speak to it; for I had informed myself of the errors that were in it.' He told me, 'he would hear me afterward any reasons that I could allege why he should not give judgment.' Then I spoke to the jury, and told them, 'they could not bring me in guilty according to that indictment; for the indictment was wrong laid, and had many gross errors in it.' The judge said, 'I must not speak to the jury, but he would speak to them;' and he told them, 'I had denied to take the oath at the last assizes, and (said he,) I can tender the oath to any man now, and premunire him for not taking it; and, (he said,) they must bring me in guilty, seeing I refused to take the oath.' Then, (said I,) what do ye do with a form? ye may throw away your form then.' And I told the jury, It lay upon their consciences, as they would answer it to the Lord God before his judgment seat.' Then the judge spoke again to the jury, and I bid him 'do me justice.' The jury brought me in guilty. Whereupon I told them, 'That both the justices, and they too, had forsworn themselves, and therefore, they had small cause to laugh as they did a little before.' Oh! the envy, rage, and malice, that appeared against me, and the lightness; but the Lord confounded them, and they were wonderfully stopped. So they set me aside, and called up Margaret Fell, who had a great deal of good service amongst them, and then the court broke up near the second hour.

In the afternoon we were brought again to have sentence passed upon us. Margaret Fell, desired sentence might be deferred till the next morning. I desired nothing but law and justice at his hands, for the thieves had mercy; only I requested the judge to send some to see my prison, which was so bad they would put no creature they had in it; and I told him, that colonel Kirby, who was then on the bench, said, "I should be locked up, and no flesh alive should come to me." The judge shook his head, and said, When the sentence was given, he would leave me to the favour of the gaoler.' Most of the gentry of the country were gathered together, expecting to hear the sentence; and the noise among the people was, 'That I should be transported.' But they were all crossed at that time; for the sentence being deferred till next morning, I was had to prison again. Upon my complaining of the badness of my prison, some of the justices, with colonel Kirby, went up to see it; but when they came, they durst hardly go in, the floor was so bad and dangerous, and the place so open to wind and rain. Some that came up said, 'Sure it was a jakes-house.' When colonel Kirby saw it, and heard what others said of it, he excused the matter as well as he could,

saying, 'I should be removed ere it was long to some more convenient place.'

Next day towards the eleventh hour, we were called again to hear the sentence; and Margaret Fell being called first to the bar, she had counsel to plead, who found many errors in her indictment; whereupon, after the judge had acknowledged them, she was set by. Then the judge asked, What they could say to mine?' now I was not willing to let any man plead for me, but to speak to it myself; and indeed, though Margaret had some that pleaded for her, yet she spoke as much herself as she would. But before I came to the bar, I was moved in my spirit to pray, 'That God would confound their wickedness and envy, set his truth over all, and exalt his seed.' And the Lord heard and answered, and did confound them in their proceedings against me. And though they had most envy against me, yet the most gross errors were found in my indictment.

I having put by others from pleading for me, the judge asked me, 'What I had to say, why he should not pass sentence upon me?' I told him, I was no lawyer; but I had much to say if he would but have patience to hear.' At that he laughed, and others laughed also, and said, Come what have you to say? he can say nothing.' 'Yes, (said I,) I have much to say; have but the patience to hear me.'

Then I asked him, whether the oath was to be tendered to the king's subjects, or to the subjects of foreign princes?' he said, To the subjects of this realm.' Then said I, 'look into the indictment, and ye may see that ye have left out the word subject; so not having named me in the indictment as a subject, ye cannot premunire me for not taking the oath.' Then they looked over the statute and the indictment, and saw it was as I said; and the judge confessed it was an error. I told him, I had something else to stop his judgment,' and desired him to look what day the indictment said the oath was tendered to me at the sessions there. They looked, and said, 'It was the eleventh day of January.' 'What day of the week was the sessions held on?' said I. 'On a Tuesday,' said they. Then,' said I, 'look at your almanacs, and see whether there was any sessions held at Lancaster on the eleventh day of January, so called?' so they looked, and found that the eleventh day was the day called Monday, and that the sessions was on the day called Tuesday, which was the twelfth day of that month. Look ye now, (said I,) ye have indicted me for refusing the oath in the quarter-sessions held at Lancaster on the eleventh day of January last, and the justices have sworn that they tendered me the oath in open sessions here that day and the jury upon their oaths have found me guilty thereupon; and yet ye see there was no session held in Lancaster that day.' Then the judge, to cover the matter, asked, 'Whether the sessions did not begin

6