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While he struck me, I

window," though I was then far enough from it. was made to sing in the Lord's power; and that made him rage the more. Then he fetched a fiddler, and brought him in where I was, and set him to play, thinking to vex me thereby; but while he played, I was moved in the everlasting power of the Lord God to sing; and my voice drowned the noise of the fiddle, and struck and confounded them, and made them give over fiddling and go their way.

Justice Benson's wife was moved of the Lord to come to visit me, and to eat no meat but what she ate with me at the bars of the dungeon window. She was afterwards herself imprisoned at York, when she was great with child, for speaking to a priest; and was kept in prison, and not suffered to go out, when the time of her travail was come; so she was delivered of her child in the prison. She was an honest, tender woman, and continued faithful to the truth until she died.

Whilst I was in the dungeon at Carlisle, James Parnell, a little lad of about sixteen years of age, came to see me, and was convinced: and the Lord quickly made him a powerful minister of the word of life, and many were turned to Christ by him, though he lived not long: for, travelling into Essex, in the work of the ministry, in the year 1655, he was committed to Colchester castle, where he endured very great hardships and sufferings; being put by the cruel jailer into a hole in the castle-wall, called the oven, so high from the ground, that he went up to it by a ladder; which being six feet too short, he was obliged to climb from the ladder to the hole by a rope that was fastened above. And when Friends would have given him a cord and a basket, to draw up his victuals in, the inhuman jailer would not suffer them, but forced him to go down and up by that short ladder and rope, to fetch his victuals, (which for a long time he did) or else he might Have famished in the hole. At length, his limbs being much benumbed with lying in that place, yet being constrained to go down to take up some victuals, as he came up the ladder again with his victuals in one hand, and caught at the rope with the other, he missed the rope, and fell down from a very great height upon the stones; by which fall he was exceedingly wounded in his head and arms, and his body was so much bruised, that he died in a short time after.* When he was dead, the wicked professors, to cover their own cruelty, wrote a book of him, and said, "he fasted himself to death;" which was an abominable falsehood, and was manifested so to be by another book, which was written in answer to that, and was called “The Lamb's Defence against Lies."

James Parnell, according to the historian Sewell, was trained up in the schools of literature. Though young, he became a valiant soldier of the Lamb;

"In age a stripling, but in service old;"

and died a true martyr in a dungeon's gloom. Particulars of his barbarous treatment, and consequent death in jail, may be found in Sewell's History, vol. i., under date 1655; and fuller information in his Life by Callaway. In Barclay's Letters of Early Friends is one from James Parnell, written from Colchester Castle, wherein he says, They have laboured to make my bonds grievous, but my strength the Philistines know not: I am kept and nourished in the midst of mine enemies; glory be to God the Highest, who hath counted me worthy to bear the bonds of the gospel."

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Now when I saw that I was not likely to be brought to a public hearing and trial (although I had before answered, in writing, the particular matters charged against me, at the time of my first examination and commitment), I was moved to send the following paper, as a public challenge to all those that belied the truth and me behind my back, to come forth and make good their charge :

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IF any in Westmorland, or Cumberland, or elsewhere, that profess Christianity, and pretend to love God and Christ, are not satisfied concerning the things of God, which I, who am called George Fox, have spoken and declared, let them declare and publish their dissatisfaction in writing, and not back-bite, nor lie, nor persecute, in secret: this I demand of you all in the presence of the living God, as ye will answer it to him. For the exaltation of the truth, and the confounding of deceit, is this given forth. To that of God in your consciences I speak; declare or write your dissatisfaction to any of them, whom you call Quakers, that truth may be exalted, and all may come to the light, with which Christ hath enlightened every one that cometh into the world: that nothing may be hid in darkness, in prisons, holes, or corners, but that all things may be brought to the light of Christ, and by the light of Christ may be tried. This am I moved of the Lord to write, and send forth to be set upon the marketcrosses in Westmorland, and elsewhere. To the light of Christ in you speak, that none of you may speak evil of the things of God, which you know not; nor act contrary to the light, that gave forth the Scriptures; lest you be found fighters against God, and the hand of the Lord be turned against you." G. F.

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While I thus lay in the dungeon at Carlisle, the report raised at the time of the assize, "that I should be put to death," was gone far and near; insomuch that the parliament then sitting, which, I think, was called the Little Parliament, hearing, that a young man at Carlisle was to die for religion, caused a letter to be sent to the sheriff and magistrates concerning me. About the same time I wrote also to the justices at Carlisle, that had cast me into prison, and that persecuted Friends at the instigation of the priests for tithes; expostulating the matter with them thus :—

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FRIENDS, THOMAS CRASTON AND CUTHBERT STUDHOLM,

"Your noise is gone up to London before the sober people: what imprisoning, what gagging, what havoc and spoiling of the goods of people have you made within these few years! Unlike men; as though you had never read the Scriptures, or had not minded them! Is this the end of Carlisle's religion? is this the end of your ministry; and is this the end of your church, and of your profession of Christianity? you have shamed it by your folly, your madness, and blind zeal. Was it not always the work of the blind guides, watchmen, leaders, and false prophets, to prepare war against them that would not put into their mouths ? And have not you been the priests' pack-horses and executioners? When they spur you up, to bear the sword against the just, do not you run on against the creatures, that cannot hold up such as the Scriptures did always testify against? Yet will you lift up your unholy hands, and call upon God with your pol

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luted lips, and pretend a fast, who are full of strife and debate. Did your hearts never burn within you? Did you never come to question your conditions ? Are you wholly given up to do the Devil's lusts, to persecute? Where is your loving of enemies? Where is your entertaining of strangers? Where is your overcoming evil with good? Where are your teachers that can stop the mouths of gainsayers, and can convince gainsayers and such as oppose themselves? Have you no ministers of the Spirit, no soldiers with spiritual weapons displaying Christ's colours? But all the dragon's, the murderer's, the persecutor's arm of flesh; Cain's weapons, chief priests taking counsel; Judas and the multitude with swords and staves; Sodom's company raging about Lot's house, like the priests and princes against Jeremiah; like the dragon, beast, and great whore, and the false church, which John saw, should cast into prison, and kill, and persecute? weapons are you bearing? doth not the false church, the whore, make merchandize of cattle, corn, wine, and oil, even to the very souls of men? And hath not all this been since the true church went into the wilderness? Read Revelations the xiith, with the xviiith: do you not read and see what a spirit you are of, and what a bottomless pit you are in? And have not you dishonoured the place of justice and authority? What! turned your sword backward like madmen, who are a praise to the evil-doer, and would be a terror to the good, with all force and might to stop the way of justice! Doth not the Lord, think you, behold your actions? How many have you wronged? how many have you imprisoned and persecuted, and put out of your synagogues? Are you they that must fulfil the prophecy of Christ, Matt. xxiii. John xvi.? Read the Scriptures, and see how unlike you are to the prophets, Christ, and his apostles; and what a visage you have, like unto them that persecuted the prophets, Christ and the apostles. You are found in their steps, wrestling with flesh and blood, and not with principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness, and your teachers imprisoning and persecuting for outward things, you being their executioners; the like whereof hath not been in all the nations. The havoc that hath been made, the spoiling of the goods of people, taking away their oxen and fatted beeves, their sheep, corn, wool, and household goods, and giving them to the priests, that have done no work for them; more like moss-troopers than ministers of the gospel, they take them from Friends; sueing them in your courts, and fining them, because they will not break the commands of Christ; that is, because they will not swear. Thus you act against them that do not lift up a hand against you; and as much as you turn against them, you turn against Christ. But he is risen that will plead their cause, and you cannot be hid; for your works are come to light, and the end of your ministry is seen, what it is for-for means. You have dishonoured the truth, the gospel, and are they that make it chargeable? You have lost your glory. You have dishonoured yourselves. Persecution was ever blind and mad. Read the apostle, what he saith of himself, when he was in your nature. Exaltation and pride, and your lifting up yourselves, hath brought you to this; not being humble, not doing justice, not loving mercy. When such as have been beaten and bruised by your rude company, to whom you are a praise and encouragement, have come, and laid things before you, that you might do justice,

preserve and keep peace, you, knowing they could not swear, have put an oath to them. This hath been your trick and cover, that ye might not do justice to the just; but by this means you have gone on still further to encourage the evil-doer. But the Lord sees your hearts! If ye were not men past feeling, ye would fear and tremble before the God of the whole earth, who is risen, and will stain your glory, mar your pride, deface your beauty, and lay it in the dust. Though for a time you may swell in your pride, glory in your shame, and make a mock of God's messengers, who, for reproving sin in the gate, are become your prey, you will feel the heavy hand of God, and his judgments at the last. This is from a lover of the truth, and of righteousness, and of your souls; but a witness against all such as make a trade of the prophets', Christ's, and the apostles' words, and are found in the steps of them that persecuted the prophets', Christ's, and the apostles' life; who will persecute them, that will not hold you up, and put into your mouths, and give you means. Tithes were before the law, and tithes were in the law; but tithes, since the days of the apostles, have been only since the false church got up. Now Christ, who is come to end the law, and to end war, redeems men out of the tenths and out of the nines also. The redeemed of the Lord shall reign upon the earth, and know the election which was before the world began. Since the days of the apostles, tithes have been set up by the Papists, and by them that went forth from the apostles into the world; so set up by the false church, that made merchandize of people, since the true church went into the wilderBut now is the judgment of the great whore come, and the beast and false prophet, the old dragon, shall be taken and cast into the fire, and the Lamb and his saints shall have the victory. Now is Christ come, who will make war in righteousness, and destroy with the sword of his mouth all these inventors and inventions, that have got up, and been set up since the days of the apostles, and since the true church went into the wilderAnd the everlasting gospel, which is the power of God, shall be preached again to all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, in this the Lamb's day, before whom you shall appear to judgment. You have no way to escape. For he hath appeared, who is 'the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, the Alpha and the Omega; he that was dead, is alive again, and lives for evermore!"

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I mentioned before, that Gervase Benson and Anthony Pearson, though they had been justices of the peace, were not permitted to come to me in the prison; whereupon they jointly wrote a letter to the magistrates, priests, and people at Carlisle, concerning my imprisonment; which was thus:HIM, who is called George Fox, who is persecuted by rulers and magistrates, by justices, by priests, and by people, and who suffers imprisonment of his body at this present, as a blasphemer, and a heretic, and a seducer, him do we witness, who in measure are made partakers of the same life, that lives in him, to be a minister of the eternal word of God, by whom the everlasting gospel is preached; by the powerful preaching whereof the eternal Father of the saints hath opened the blind eyes, hath unstopped the deaf ears, hath let the oppressed go free, and hath raised up

the dead out of the graves. Christ is now preached in and among the saints, the same that ever he was; and because his heavenly image is borne up in this his faithful servant, therefore doth fallen man (rulers, priests, and people) persecute him. Because he lives up out of the fall, and testifies against the works of the world, that the deeds thereof are evil, he suffers by you magistrates; not as an evil-doer. For thus it was ever, where the seed of God was kept in prison under the cursed nature, that nature sought to imprison them in whom it was raised. The Lord will make him to you as a burthensome stone; for the sword of the Spirit of the Almighty is put into the hands of the saints, which shall wound all the wicked, and shall not be put up till it hath cut down all corrupt judges, justices, magistrates, priests, and professors; till he hath brought his wonderful thing to pass in the earth; which is to make new heavens and a new earth, wherein shall dwell righteousness; which now he is about to do. Therefore fear the Lord God Almighty, ye judges, justices, commanders, priests, and people; ye that forget God, suddenly will the Lord come, and destroy you with an utter destruction, and will sweep your names out of the earth, and will restore his people judges, as at the first, and counsellors, as at the beginning. And all persecutors shall partake of the plagues of the whore, who hath made the kings of the earth and the great men drunk with the wine of her fornications, and hath drunk the blood of the saints; and therefore shall you be partakers of her plagues. We are not suffered to see our friend in prison, whom we witness to be a messenger of the living God. Now, all people, consider whether this be according to law, or from the wicked, perverse, envious will of the envious rulers and magistrates, who are of the same generation that persecuted Jesus Christ; for, said he, as they have done to me, so will they do to you.' And as he took the love, the kindness, and service that was showed and performed to any of his afflicted ones in their sufferings and distress, as done unto himself, so the injuries and wrongs that were done by any to any of his little ones, he resented, as done unto himself also. Therefore you, who are so far from visiting him yourselves in his suffering servant, that will not suffer his brethren to visit him, ye must depart, ye workers of iniquity, into the lake that burns with fire. The Lord is coming to thrash the mountains, and will beat them to dust; and all corrupt rulers, corrupt officers, and corrupt laws, the Lord will take vengeance on, by which the tender consciences of his people are oppressed. He will give his people his law, and will judge his people himself, not according to the sight of the eye, and hearing of the ear, but with righteousness, and with equity. Now are your hearts made manifest to be full of envy against the living truth of God, which is made manifest in his people, who are contemned and despised of the world, and scornfully called Quakers. You are worse than the heathens, that put Paul in prison, for none of his friends or acquaintance were hindered to come to him by them; therefore they shall be witnesses against you. Ye are made manifest to the saints, to be of the same generation that put Christ to death, and that put the apostles in prison on the same pretence that you act under, in calling truth error, and the ministers of God blasphemers, as they did. But the day is dreadful

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