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was upon me to go to John Blakelin's in SEDBERGH, and to be next day at the meeting there; which is large, and a precious people there is. We had a very good meeting next day at Sedbergh; but the constables went to Ann Audland's meeting to look for me. Thus by the good hand and disposing Providence of the Lord, I escaped their snare.

I went from John Blakelin's with Leonard Fell to STRICKLAND-HEAD, where on First-day we had a very precious meeting on the common. That night we stayed amongst Friends there, and next day passed into NORTHUMBERLAND. After the justices had heard of this meeting at StricklandHead, they made search for me; but by the good hand of the Lord, I escaped them again, though there were some very wicked justices. We went to Hugh Hutchinson's house in NORTHUMBERLAND, a Friend in the ministry, whence we visited Friends thereabouts, and then went to DERWENTWATER, where we had a very glorious meeting. There came an ancient woman to me, and told me her husband remembered his love to me; she said, I might call him to mind by this token, that I used to call him "the Tall White Old Man." She said, he was six score and two years old, and that he would have come to the meeting, but his horses were all employed upon some urgent occasion. I heard he lived some years after.

When I had visited Friends in those parts, and they were settled upon Christ, their Foundation, I passed through Northumberland, and came to old Thomas Bewley's in CUMBERLAND. Friends came about me, and asked, "would I come there to go into prison ?" For there was great persecution in that country at that time; yet I had a general meeting at Thomas Bewley's, which was large and precious, and the Lord's power was over all.

One Musgrave was at that time deputy-governor of Carlisle. Passing along the country, I came to a man's house that had been convinced, whose name was Fletcher; and he told me, "if Musgrave knew I was there, he would be sure to send me to prison, he was such a severe man." But I stayed not there, only calling on the way to see this man; and then I went to William Pearson's, near WIGTON, where the meeting was, which was very large and precious. Some Friends were then prisoners at Carlisle, whom I visited by a letter, which Leonard Fell carried. From William Pearson's I visited Friends, till I came to PARDSHAW-CRAG, where we had a general meeting, which was large; all was quiet and peaceable, and the glorious, powerful presence of the everlasting God was with us.

So eager were the magistrates about this time to stir up persecution in those parts, that some offered five shillings, and some a noble a day, to any that could apprehend the speakers amongst the Quakers; but it being now the time of the quarter sessions in that county, the men who were so hired were gone to the sessions to get their wages, and so all our meetings were at that time quiet.

From Pardshaw-Crag we went into WESTMORLAND, calling on the way upon Hugh Tickell,* near KESWICK, and upon Thomas Laythes, where

* Hugh Tickell was born in Cumberland about the year 1610. Being convinced

Friends came to visit us; and we had a fine opportunity to be refreshed together. We went that night to Francis Benson's, in Westmorland, near Justice Fleming's house. This Justice Fleming was at that time in a great rage against Friends, and me in particular; insomuch that in the open sessions at Kendal just before, he had bid five pounds to any man that should take me, as Francis Benson told me. And it seems, as I went to this Friend's house, I met one man coming from the sessions that had this five pounds offered him to take me, and he knew me; for as I passed by him, he said to his companion, that is George Fox; yet he had not power to touch me, for the Lord's power preserved me over them all. The justices being so eager to have me, and I being so often near them, and yet they missing me, tormented them the more.

I went thence to James Taylor's at CARTMEL, where I stayed Firstday, and had a precious meeting; and after it I came over the Sands to SWARTHMORE.

me.

When I came there, they told me, Colonel Kirby had sent his lieutenant thither to take me, and that he had searched trunks and chests for That night as I was in bed, I was moved of the Lord to go next day to KIRBY-HALL, which was Colonel Kirby's house, about five miles off, to speak with him, and I did so. When I came thither, I found the Flemings, and several others of the gentry (so called) of the country, come to take their leave of Colonel Kirby, he being about to go up to London to the parliament. I was shown into the parlour amongst them; but Colonel Kirby was not then within, being gone out; so they said little to me, nor I much to them. But presently he came in, and I told him, that understanding he was desirous to see me, "I came to visit him, to know what he had to say to me, and whether he had any thing against me.' He said, before all the company, "As he was a gentleman, he had nothing against me. But," said he, "Mistress Fell must not keep great meetings at her house, for they meet contrary to the act." I told him, "that act did not take hold on us, but on such as met to plot and contrive, and to

by George Fox when he first visited Cumberland in 1653, he gave up his house for meetings, and entertained the Lord's messengers. He became a faithful and eminent minister, travelling up and down in the service of the Gospel, suffering much for it, both in the spoiling of his goods and in imprisonments. In 1664 he was cast into Carlisle jail, with four other Friends, by priest Marshall of Crosthwaite, and though he kept him in prison three years, yet he took tithe of his land. But afterwards this priest fell down stairs and broke his skull, upon which he died. Hugh Tickell was again imprisoned in Carlisle jail, when about sixty-eight years old, by Richard Lowry, another priest of Crosthwaite, because he could not pay him tithes, who kept him prisoner about nine months, part of it in a cold winter, and in a damp nasty place not fit for men to lie in. This priest Lowry was suddenly stricken, and had the use of one side of his tongue, and his understanding much taken from him, and so continued a long time-a remarkable judgment.

Hugh Tickell patiently bore all his sufferings, and willingly endured them for the testimony of Jesus and a good conscience. But in his last imprisonment he contracted a distemper of body, which, increasing upon him after he came home, he grew weak, but continued in great patience; and being sensible his end drew nigh, set his house in order, and, taking leave of friends and neighbours, he sweetly departed in great peace in 1680, being above seventy years of age.

raisc insurrections against the king, whereas we were no such people; for he knew that they that met at Margaret Fell's house, were his neighbours, and a peaceable people." After many words had passed, he shook me by the hand, and said again, "he had nothing against me;' " and others of them said, I was a deserving man. So we parted, and I returned to SWARTHMORE.

Shortly after, when Colonel Kirby was gone to London, there was a private meeting of the justices and deputy-lieutenants at Holker-Hall, where Justice Preston lived; and there they granted a warrant to apprehend me. I heard over-night both of their meeting and of the warrant, and so could have escaped out of their reach if I would; for I had not appointed any meeting at that time, and I had cleared myself of the north, and the Lord's power was over all. But I considered, there being a noise of a plot in the north, if I should go away, they might fall upon Friends; but if I gave up myself to be taken, it might stop them, and the Friends should escape the better. So I gave up to be taken, and prepared myself against they came. Next day an officer came with sword and pistols to take me. I told him, "I knew his errand before, and had given up myself to be taken; for if I would have escaped their imprisonment, I could have gone forty miles off before he came; but I was an innocent man, and so cared not what they could do to me." He asked me "how I heard of it, secing the order was made privately in a parlour." I said it was no matter, it was sufficient that I heard of it. I asked him to let me see his order; whereupon he laid his hand on his sword, and said, "I must go with him before the lieutenants, to answer such questions as they should propose to me." I told him it was but civil and reasonable for him to let me see his order; but he would not. Then said I, I am ready. So I went along with him, and Margaret Fell accompanied us to HOLKER-HALL. When we came thither, there was one Rawlinson, a justice, and one called Sir George Middleton, and many more that I did not know, besides old Justice Preston who lived there. They brought Thomas Atkinson, a Friend of Cartmel, as a witness against me, for some words which he had told to one Knipe, who had informed them; which words were, "that I had written against the plotters, and had knocked them down." These words they could not make much of, for I told them I had heard of a plot, and had written against it. Old Preston asked me, whether I had a hand in that script? I asked him what he meant? He said, in the Battledore. I answered, Yes. Then he asked me, whether I understood languages. I said, sufficient for myself; and that I knew no law that was transgressed by it. I told them also, that "to understand outward languages, was no matter of salvation; for the many tongues began but at the confusion of Babel; and if I did understand anything of them, I judged and knocked them down again for any matter of salvation that was in them. Thereupon he turned away, and said, "George Fox knocks down all the languages: come," said he, we will examine you of higher matters."

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Then said George Middleton, "You deny God, and the church, and the faith." I replied, "Nay, I own God and the true church, and the true faith. But what church dost thou own?" said I, (for I understood he was

a Papist). Then he turned again and said, "you are a rebel and a traitor." I asked him to whom he spoke, or whom did he call rebel: he was so full of envy that for a while he could not speak, but at last he said, "he spoke it to me." With that I struck my hand on the table, and told him, “I had suffered more than twenty such as he, or than any that was there; for I had been cast into Derby dungeon for six months together, and had suffered much because I would not take up arms against this king before Worcester fight. I had been sent up prisoner out of my own country by Colonel Hacker to Oliver 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 desired the eternal good and welfare of him and all his subjects.' "Did you ever hear the like," said Middleton. "Nay," said 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 him? But I have more love to the king for his eternal good and welfare than any of you have."

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Then they asked me, "whether I had heard of the plot ?" and I said, "yes, I had heard of it.' They asked me, how I had heard of it, and whom I knew in it? I told them, I had heard of it through the highsheriff of Yorkshire, who had told Dr. Hodgson that there was a plot in the north; that was the way I heard of it; but I never heard of any such 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 said they, "why would you write against it, if you did not know some that were in it." I said, "my reason was, because you are so forward to mash the innocent and guilty together, therefore I wrote against it to clear the truth from such things, and to stop all forward, foolish spirits from running into such things. I sent copies of it into Westmorland, Cumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire, and to you here. I sent another copy of it to the king and his council, and it is likely it may be in print by this time. One of them said, "O, this man hath great power!" I said, "yes, I had power to write against plotters." Then said one of them, "you are against the laws of the land." I answered, “nay, for I and my Friends direct all people to the Spirit of God in them, to mortify the deeds of the flesh. This brings them into well-doing, and from that which the magistrate's sword is against, which eases the magistrates, who are for the punishment of evil-doers. So people being turned to the Spirit of God, which brings them to mortify the deeds of the flesh, this brings them from under the occasion of the magistrate's sword; and this must needs be one with magistracy, and one with the law, which was added because of transgression, and is for the praise of them that do well. In this we establish the law, are an ease to the magistrates, and are not against, but stand for, all good government.'

Then George Middleton cried, "Bring the book and put the oaths of allegiance and supremacy to him." Now he himself being a Papist, I asked him, "whether he had taken the oath of supremacy, who was a swearer? As for us, we could not swear at all, because Christ and the apostle had forbidden it." Some of them would not have had the oath put to me, but

have set me at liberty. But the rest would not agree to that; for this was their last snare, and they had no other way to get me into prison, as all other things had been cleared to them. This was like the Papist's sacrament of the altar, by which they ensnared the martyrs. So they tendered me the oath, which I could not take; whereupon they were about to make my mittimus to send me to Lancaster jail; but considering of it, they only engaged me to appear at the sessions, and so for that time dismissed me. I went back with Margaret Fell to Swarthmore; and soon after Colonel West came to see me, who was at that time a justice of peace. He told us, "he acquainted some of the rest of the justices, that he would come over to see me and Margaret Fell; but it may be,” said he, “ some of you I will take offence at it." I asked him, "What he thought they would do with me at the sessions; " and he said "they would tender the oath to me again."

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Whilst I was at Swarthmore, William Kirby came into Swarthmore meeting, and brought the constables with him. I was sitting with Friends in the meeting, and he said to me, "How now, Mr. Fox! you have a fine company here." "Yes," said I, we 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 constables' hands, and sent some to prison. The constables were unwilling to take them without a warrant, whereupon he threatened to set them by the heels; but one of the constables told him, "he could keep them in his presence, but after he was gone, he could not keep them without a warrant."

The sessions coming on, I went to LANCASTER, and appeared according to my engagement. There was upon the bench Justice Fleming, who had bid five pounds in Westmorland to any man that would apprehend me ; for he was a justice both in Westmorland and Lancashire. There were also Justice Spencer, Colonel West, and old Justice Rawlinson the lawyer, who gave the charge, and was very sharp against truth and Friends; but the Lord's power stopped them. The session was large, and the concourse of people great; and way being made for me, I came up to the bar and stood there with my hat on, they looking earnestly upon me, and I upon them for a pretty space. Proclamation being made for all to keep silence upon pain of imprisonment, and all being quiet, I said twice, "Peace be among you." The chairman asked, "if I knew where I was;" I said, “yes, I do, but it may be,” said I, “my hat offends you; that is a low thing, that is not the honour that I give to magistrates, for the true honour is from above; which I have received, and I hope it is not the hat which ye look upon to be the honour." The chairman said, "they looked for the hat too," and asked, "wherein I showed my respect to magistrates, 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 some time before they spoke to me, and I felt the power of the Lord to arise. After some pause, old Justice Rawlinson, the chairman, asked me, "if I knew of the plot ?" I told him, "I had heard of it in Yorkshire by a Friend, that had it from the high-sheriff." Then they asked me, "whether I had declared it to the magistrates." I said, "I had sent papers abroad against plots and plotters,

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