they were not for non-resistance; but Providence acted very remarkably; for when a Popish Prince afterwards would introduce liberty of conscience, the eyes of the most moderate maintainers of the Church of England came to be so opened, that in the reign of King William III. they promoted a general liberty of conscience, by which the people called Quakers at length obtained liberty to perform their public worship without molestation.

Thus far the limits of this history are extended; and being arrived there, I did not think my self bound to enlarge any farther; what follows being no more than an overplus.

I have related nothing in this work, but what I believed to be unquestionably true: for what seemed doubtful to me I rather chose to pass by, having never been of so credulous a temper, as easily to take things on trust without due examination for we often see, that high-soaring imaginations make people believe things that are far from being true; but for all that, we ought not to reject as untrue, every thing that appears strange or unusual; since experience convinceth us of the contrary, viz. that sometimes we have seen a thing which if we had not beheld with our own eyes, we could hardly have believed. Wherefore I would not reject as untrue what was extraordinary or unusual, when it was told me by credible persons, or confirmed by

eye-witnesses. And therefore although my reader may meet with some very singular occurrences, yet this is true, that I have endeavoured to the utmost to relate nothing, but what, after a nice inquiry seemed to me to be true, or at least very probable. And yet I have silently passed over, some cases which I did not question to be true, lest any might think me too credulous As to the transactions of state affairs, I have taken them mostly from the history of the rebellion and the civil wars in England, written by Edward Earl of Clarendon, and from the memoirs of Edmund Ludlow: yet some few things relating to state affairs, that have not been mentioned by them, nor in any other public history that I know of, I thought worthy to be delivered to posterity by my pen.

For my stile, I know it is but indifferent: I do not pretend to elegance in the English tongue ; for being a foreigner, and never having been in England but about the space of ten months and that near fifty years ago, it ought not to be expected that I should write English as well as Dutch, my native language. If therefore my pen sometimes hath been guilty of a belgicism, I beg excuse of my reader. And since my absence hath hindered me from correcting the printer's mistakes, either in omissions or other errors, such faults I do not think myself responsible for, because I have been fain to trust

the oversight and correction of my work to others, who may have been more liable to let errors escape, than myself should have been. This I hope. will suffice to excuse me with discrete persons.

What the envious may judge of this work I little care for, well knowing that the most eminent Authors have been exposed to envy, and been obnoxious to the censures of Pédantic Cri ticks. Whatever any may think, this I am well assured of, that my chief scope hath been by the relation of many unusual occurrences, not only to delight my reader, but also to lead him to virtue. If I may be so happy as to have contributed thereto, I shall think my pains well rewarded; and if not I shall have at least this, satisfaction, that according to my ability I have, endeavoured to be beneficial to others, and to edify my fellow-mortals in that which is good, which I cannot but think to be well pleasing to God. And if I have performed any thing that is good, the honour and glory thereof belongs to Him, who is the giver of all good gifts; and it is. from Him alone I have received all my ability to do any good thing. Thus concluding, I wish the reader discretion, and an impartial judgment.

THE

HISTORY

OF THE

RISE AND PROGRESS

OF THE

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

THE FIRST BOOK.

THAT the wonderful work of reformation was small, and of very little account in its beginning, and yet hath been advanced with remarkable progress, will, I believe, be denied by none, that have with attention and due consideration read the history of its first rise; since God, the beginner and author of this glorious work, proceeding by steps and degrees, used therein such singular wisdom and prudence, that every circumstance duly considered instead of censuring any part thereof, we shall be obliged to cry out, Thou, O Lord, alone knowest the right times and seasons to open the eyes of people, and to make them capable of thy truth!

If we look to the first beginnings, to go back no farther than John Huss, we shall find, that though in many things he was considerably

enlightened, yet he remained still in several gross errors; for although he had a clear sight of the vain doctrines of purgatory, praying to, and worshipping of images, &c. nevertheless it is reported of him, that he favoured the invocation of saints, the seven sacraments, auricular confession, and other tenets of the Church of Rome; and yet christian charity constrains us to believe (though we find protestant writers who deny him the name of a martyr) that by his death, which he suffered in the flames at Constance in Germany, on the sixth of the month called July in the year 1415, he was an acceptable sacrifice unto God: and with what a sedate and well composed mind he suffered death, may he concluded from this, that, seeing a country fellow very zealously carrying wood to burn him, he said, with a smiling countenance, O holy simplicity! and after the fire was kindled, he sang with joy in the flames, his mind being firmly established on God; for he had been faithful according to his knowledge, and had not hid his talent in the earth, but improved it, having shewn himself a zealous promoter of that small illumination which God was pleased to grant him; it being without question great enough in that grievous night of darkness, when Idolatry had so universally blinded mankind, that morally speaking, it would have been impossible for