it good, that it is a merciful law; and not to execute summum jus, &c. upon me, and thereby condemn yourselves out of your own mouths. Judge. Jury, give in your verdict.

J. C. Let me have liberty first to speak, it is but few words, and I hope I shall do it with that brevity and pertinency my understanding will give me leave, and the occasion requires; it is to the point on these two heads, viz. Matter of law, and matter of conscience : to matter of law, I have this 'to say, First, as to the statute itself, it was made against the Papists occasioned by the gunpowder plot, and is entitled, for the better discovery and suppression of Popish Recusants: but they have liberty, and we are destroyed, what in you lies.- -(Interrupted by the judges, and disturbance of the court.) As to conscience, I have something to say, and that is, it is a tender thing, and we have known what it is to offend it; and therefore we dare not break Christ's commands, who hath said, Swear not at all, and the apostle James said, Above all things my brethren swear not. -(Interrupted) The court calling again to the executioner to stop my mouth; which he did accordingly with his dirty cloth, as aforesaid, and his gag in his hand.

Judge. Hear the jury; who said something to him, which was supposed to give in the verdiet, according to his order; for they were fit

for his purpose as it seems, they beginning to lay their heads together, before we had spoken any thing to them, only upon his words.

Judge. Crier, make silence in the court; then the recorder, taking a paper into his hand, read to this purpose, viz. The jury for the king do find that John Crook, John Bolton, and Isaac Gray, are guilty of refusing to take the oath of allegiance; for which you do incur a premunire, which is the forfeiture of all your real estates during life, and your personal estates for ever; and you be out of the king's protection, and to be imprisoned during his pleasure and this is your sentence.

J. C. tection.

But we are still under God's pro

Then the prisoners were remanded to Newgate, where J Crook found an opportunity to make a narrative of the whole trial, which was printed as aforesaid, together with the Latin indictment, in which he shewed several errors, either in wrong expressions, or omissions. Thus the injustice of these proceedings were exposed to public view, when this trial appeared in print; that the king himself might see thereby, how ill his subjects were treated. But at that time

there were so many among the great ones and bishops, who were inclined to promote the extermination of the Quakers, that there seemed

no human help. J. Crook shewed also circumstantially, how in many cases of the trial, they had acted against law; for he himself had formerly been a justice, and knew well how, and after what manner, justice ought to be administered and maintained. How long he continued prisoner I cannot tell. But by this trial alone the reader may see how the Quakers, so called, were treated in regard to the oath; and such kind of proceedings was the lot of many of them, because the intent of those in authority seemed to be to suppress them quite.

By this and the like treatment, we see how the persecutors endeavoured to root out the Quakers, if possible; for the effecting of which, alderman Richard Brown did whatever he could, continually letting loose the reins to his exorbitant malice, without regarding whether that which he was bent against was really punishable or not, whereof the following instance may serve for an evidence.

A certain mender of old shoes, who belonged to the society of the Quakers, was desired by a labouring man on the seventh day of the week, late at night, to mend a pair of shoes for him, that he might have them again in the morning, because he had no others to wear. cobler, to accomodate the man, sat up at work till after midnight; but the shoes not being

The

finished then, he went to bed, and rising early in the morning, went to his work again as privately as he could in his chamber; but an envious neighbour informed against him for working on a Sunday; whereupon he was had before the said Richard Brown, who committed him to Bridewell, to be there kept to hard labour. And he refusing to beat hemp, as being fully persuaded that he had not deserved such a punishment, was cruelly whipped, but he bore it with great constancy, and not yielding, he was turned up among those of his own society, who were imprisoned there on a religious account.

As this case which befel an honest man, was to be pitied, so there happened about that time, something among the Quakers in London, which was facetious and ridiculous; for several of them being taken out of their religious meetings were confined in Newgate, where in the night they lodged in a large room, having in the middle of it a great pillar, to which they fastened their hammocks at the one end, and to the opposite wall on the other, quite round the room, in three stories high, one over another; so that they who lay in the upper and middle rows, were fain to go to bed first, being obliged to climb up to the higher, by getting into the lower; and under the lower rank of hammocks, by the wall side, were laid beds upon the floor. Such a multitude of bedding for so many per

sons in one room, could not but somewhat infect the air, and cause an unhealthy steam; so that some of the prisoners grew sick, and one of them died. This caused some bustle, and it was not without good reason, that an ancient, grave citizen, having seen the prisoners thus crowded up, said. "This is enough to have bred an infection among them." And this having been told to sir William Turner, one of the sheriffs of London, he came into Newgate, and bidding the turnkey bring down the said prisoners to him in the press yard, where he was, he ordered they should return to Bridewell, where they had been before.

Now among these was a shabby fellow, who, to get victuals without working, had thrust himself among the Quakers, when they were taken at a meeting, on purpose to be sent to prison, and to be maintained by them. This lazy varlet was no small burthen to our prisoners; for whenever any victuals were brought into them, either for their money, or sent to them by their friends, he did not stick to thrust in with his knife in hand, and make himself his own carver; and such was his impudence, that if he saw the provision was short, he would be sure to take enough, though others wanted. But how burthensome soever this lazy drone was to the prisoners, they could get no relief; to whom should they complain? Since the keepers, as well as others, were for vexing and

for