ad subjiciend, &c., under the custody of the sheriff of the county aforesaid; it is ordered, That the Return unto the habeas corpus be filed, and the defendant is committed unto the marshal of this court, to be safely kept until, &c. "By motion of Mr. G. STROUDE. "By the Court."

In the morning, I walked in the hall, till the sheriff came to me (for he trusted me to go whither I would), and it being early, we went into the court of the King's Bench, and sat there among the lawyers almost an hour, till the judges came in. When they came in, the sheriff took off my hat; and after a while I was called. The Lord's presence was with me, and his power I felt was over all. I stood and heard the king's attorney, whose name was Jones, who indeed spoke notably on my behalf, as did also another counsellor after him; and the judges, who were three, were all very moderate, not casting any reflecting words at me. I stood still in the power and Spirit of the Lord, seeing how he was at work. When they had done, I applied to the chief justice to speak; and he said, I might. Then I related the cause of our journey, the manner of our being taken and committed, and the time of our imprisonment until the sessions; with a brief account of our trial there, and what I had offered to the justices then, as a declaration, that I could make or sign, instead of the oaths of allegiance and supremacy. When I had done, the chief justice said, "I was to be turned over to the King's Bench, and the sheriff of Worcester to be discharged of me." He said also "they would consider further of it; and if they found any error in the record, or in the justice's proceedings, I should be set at liberty." So a tipstaff was called to take me into custody, and he delivered me to the keeper of the King's Bench, who let me go to a Friend's house, where I lodged, and appointed to meet me at Edward Man's in Bishopsgate-Street, next day. But after this, Justice Parker, or some other of my adversaries, moved the court that I might be sent back to Worcester. Whereupon another day was appointed for another hearing, and they had four counsellors that pleaded against me. George Stroude, a counsellor, pleaded for me, and was pleading before I was brought into court; but they bore him down, and prevailed with the judges to give judgment, that "I should be sent down to Worcester sessions." Only they told me, I might put in bail to appear at the sessions, and to be of good behaviour in the meantime. I told them, "I never was of ill behaviour in my life; and that they, the four judges, might as well put the oath to me there, as send me to Worcester to be ensnared by the justices, in their putting the oath to me, and then premuniring me, who never took oath in my life." But I told them, "if I broke my Yea and Nay, I was content to suffer the same penalty that they should who break their oaths." This alteration of the judges' minds in my case, proceeded, as was thought, from some false informations, that my adversary, Justice Parker, had given against me; for between the times of my former appearance and this, he had spread abroad a very false and malicious story, viz., "that there were many substantial men with me, out of several parts of the nation, when he took me; and that we had a design or plot in hand; and that Thomas

Lower stayed with me in prison, long after he was set at liberty, to carry on our design." This was spoken in the parliament house, insomuch, that if I had not been brought up to London when I was, I should have been stopped at Worcester, and Thomas would have been recommitted with me. But although these lies were easily disproved, and laid open to Parker's shame, yet would not the judges alter their last sentence, but remanded me to Worcester jail; only this favour was granted, that I might go down my own way, and at my own leisure; provided I would be without fail there by the assize, which was to begin on the 2d of the 2d month following. I stayed in and about London till toward the latter end of the 1st Month, 1674, and then went down leisurely (for I was not able to bear hasty and hard travelling), and came into WORCESTER on the last day of the 1st Month, 1674, being the day before the judges came to town. On the 2d of the 2d Month, I was brought from the jail to an inn near the hall, that I might be in readiness if I should be called. But not being called that day, the jailer came to me at night, and told me, "I might go home" (meaning to the jail). Whereupon Gerrard Roberts of London being with me, he and I walked down together to the jail without any keeper. Next day being brought up again, they set a little boy of about eleven years old, to be my keeper. I came to understand that Justice Parker and the clerk of the peace had given order, that I should not be put into the calendar, that so I might not be brought before the judge; wherefore I got the judge's son to move in court, that "I might be called ;” and thereupon I was called, and brought up to the bar before Judge Turner, my old adversary, who had tendered me the oaths and premunired me once before at Lancaster. After silence made, he asked me, "what I desired ?" I answered, "My liberty, according to justice." He said, "I lay upon the oath;" and asked, "if I would take it." I desired he would hear the manner of my being taken and committed, and he being silent, I gave him an account thereof at large, as is before set down, letting him also know, that "since my imprisonment I had understood that my mother, who was an ancient, tender woman, and had desired to see me before she died, hearing that I was stopped and imprisoned in my journey, so that I was not likely to come to see her, was so struck by it, that she died soon after: which was a very hard thing to me." When I had done speaking, he again asked me "to take the oaths;" I told him I could not take any oath for conscience' sake, and that I believed he and they all knew in their consciences, that it was for conscience' sake I could not swear at all. I declared amongst them what I could say, and what I could sign, in owning the king's right to the government, and in denying the Pope and his pretended powers, and all plotters, plots, and conspiracies against the government. Some thought the judge had a mind to set me at liberty, for he saw they had nothing justly against me; but Parker, who committed me, endeavoured to incense him against me, telling him, "that I was a ringleader; that many of the nation followed me, and he knew not what it might come to;" with many more envious words, which some that stood near took notice of; who also observed that the judge gave him no answer to it. However, the judge, willing to ease himself, referred me and my case to

the sessions again, bidding the justices make an end of it there, and not trouble the assizes any more with me. So I was continued prisoner chiefly (as it seemed) through the means of Justice Parker, who, in this case, was as false as envious; for he had promised Richard Cannon, of London, who had acquaintance with him, that he would endeavour to have me set at liberty; yet he was the worst enemy I had in court, as some of the court observed and reported. Other justices were very loving, and promised that I should have the liberty of the town, and to lodge at a Friend's house till the sessions; which accordingly I had, and the people were very civil and respectful to me.

Between this time and the sessions, I had some service for the Lord, with several people that came to visit me. At one time three nonconformist priests and two lawyers came to discourse with me; and one of the priests undertook to prove, "that the Scriptures are the only rule of life." Whereupon, after I had plunged him about his proof, I had a fit opportu nity to open unto them "the right and proper use, service, and excellency of the Scriptures; and also to show, that the Spirit of God, which was given to every one to profit withal-the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, and which hath appeared unto all men, and teacheth them that obey it to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; that this, I say, is the most fit, proper, and universal rule, which God hath given to all mankind to rule, direct, govern, and order their lives by."

Another time came a Common-Prayer priest, and some people with him. He asked me, "if I was grown up to perfection ?" I told him, "what I was, I was by the grace of God." He replied, "it was a modest and civil answer." Then he urged the words of John, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." And he asked, "what did I say to that ?" I said, with the same apostle, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us;" who came to destroy sin, and to take away sin. So there is a time for people to see that they have sinned, and there is a time for them to see that they have sin; and there is a time for them to confess their sin, and to forsake it, and to know "the blood of Christ to cleanse from all sin." Then the priest was asked, "whether Adam was not perfect before he fell? and whether all God's works were not perfect ?" The priest said, "there might be a perfection, as Adam had, and a falling from it." But I told him, "there is a perfection in Christ, above Adam, and beyond falling; and that it was the work of the ministers of Christ, to present every man perfect in Christ; and for the perfecting of whom they had their gifts from Christ; therefore, they that denied perfection, denied the work of the ministry, and the gifts which Christ gave for the perfecting of the saints." The priest said, "we must always be striving." But I told him, "it was sad and comfortless sort of sting to strive with a belief that we should never overcome." I told him also, "that Paul, who cried out of the body of death, did also thank God, who gave him the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ,' So there was a time of crying out for want of victory, and a time of praising God for the victory. And

Paul said, 'there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.' The priest said, "Job was not perfect." I told him, "God said, Job was a perfect man, and that he did shun evil: and the Devil was forced to confess that God had set a hedge about him,' which was not an outward hedge, but the invisible heavenly power." The priest said, "Job said, ‘He chargeth his angels with folly, and the heavens are not clean in his sight.' I told him, "that was his mistake; for it was not Job who said so, but Eliphaz, who contended against Job." "Well but," said the priest, "what say you to that Scripture, The justest man that is sinneth seven times a day.' "Why truly," said I, "I say, there is no such Scripture ;" and with that the priest's mouth was stopped. Many other services I had with several sorts of people between the assizes and the sessions..

The next quarter sessions began the 29th of the 2nd month, and I was called before the justices. The chairman's name was Street, who was a judge in the Welsh circuit; and he misrepresented me and my case to the country, telling them, "that we had a meeting at Tredington, from all parts of the nation, to the terrifying of the king's subjects, for which we had been committed to prison: that for the trial of my fidelity the oaths were put to me; and having had time to consider of it, he asked me, if I would now take the oaths ?'" I desired liberty to speak for myself; and having obtained that, began first to clear myself from those falsehoods he had charged on me and Friends, declaring "that we had not any such meeting from all parts of the nation, as he had represented it; but that (except the Friend from whose house we came, and who came with us to guide us thither, and one Friend of Bristol, who came accidentally, or rather providentially, to assist my wife homewards after we were taken) they that were with me were part of my own family, being my wife, her daughter, and her son-in-law. And we did not meet in any way that would occasion terror to any of the king's subjects, for we met peaceably and quietly, without arms; and I did not believe there could any one be produced, that could truly say he was terrified with our meeting. Besides, I told them, we were but in our journey, the occasion whereof I now related as before. Then as to the oaths, I showed why I could not take them (seeing Christ hath forbidden all swearing), and what I could say or sign in lieu of them, as I had done before." Yet they caused the oaths to be read to me again, and afterwards read an indictment also, which they had drawn up in readiness, having a jury ready also. When the indictment was read, the judge asked me, "if I was guilty ?" I said, "Nay, for it was a great bundle of lies, which I showed and proved to the judge in several particulars, which I instanced; asking him, if he did not know in his conscience that they were lies ?" He said, "it was their form." I said, “it was not a true form." He asked me again, "whether I was guilty ?" I told him "nay, I was not guilty of the matter, nor of the form; for I was against the Pope and Popery, and did acknowledge and should set my hand to that." Then the judge told the jury what they should say, and what they should do, and what they should write on the backside of the indictment; and as he said, they did. But before they gave in their verdict, I fold them, "that it was for Christ's sake, and in obedience to his and the

apostle's command, that I could not swear; and therefore, said I, take heed what ye do, for before his judgment-seat ye shall all be brought." The judge said, "this is canting." I said, "If to confess our Lord and Saviour, and to obey his command, be called 'canting' by a judge of a court, it is to little purpose for me to say more among you: yet ye shall see that I am a Christian, and shall show forth Christianity, and my innocency shall be manifest." So the jailer led me out of the court; and the people were generally tender, as if they had been in a meeting. Soon after I was brought in again, and the jury found the bill against me, which I traversed; and then I was asked to put in bail till the next sessions, and the jailer's son offered to be bound for me. But I stopped him, and warned Friends not to meddle; for I told them, "there was a snare in that :" yet I told the justices, that I could promise to appear, if the Lord gave health and strength, and I were at liberty. Some of the justices were loving, and would have hindered the rest from indicting me, or putting the oath to me; but Justice Street, who was the chairman, said, "he must go according to law." So I was sent to prison again; yet within two hours after, through the moderation of some of the justices, I had liberty given me to go at large till next quarter-sessions. These moderate justices, it was said,

desired Justice Parker to write to the king for my liberty, or for a Noli prosequi, because they were satisfied I was not such a dangerous person as I had been represented. This, it was said, he promised them to do; but he did it not.

After I had got a copy of the indictment, I went to LONDON, visiting Friends as I went. When I came there, some that were earnest to get me out of the hands of those envious justices, that sought to premunire me at Worcester, would needs be tampering again, to bring me before the judges of the King's Bench; whereupon I was brought again by a habeas corpus before them. I tendered them a paper, in which was contained what I could say instead of the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, as follows::

"THIS I do in the truth, and in the presence of God declare, that King Charles the Second is lawful king of this realm, and of all other his dominions; that he was brought in, and set up king over this realm by the power of God: and I have nothing but love and good will to him and all his subjects, and desire his prosperity and eternal good. I do utterly abhor and deny the Pope's power and supremacy, and all his superstitions and idolatrous inventions; and do affirm, that he hath no power to absolve sin. I do abhor and detest his murdering of princes or other people, by plots or contrivances. And likewise I do deny all plots and contrivances, and plotters and contrivers against the king and his subjects; knowing them to be the works of darkness, the fruits of an evil spirit, against the peace of the kingdom, and not from the Spirit of God, the fruit of which is love. I dare not take an oath, because it is forbidden by Christ and the apostle; but if I break my Yea or Nay, let me suffer the same penalty as they that break their oaths." GEORGE FOX.

But the business being so far proceeded in at Worcester, they would