Your Judges Judge for reward, And at this Yorke many wᶜʰ Committed murder escaped throughe frends & money, & pore people for Lesser facts are put to death; many Lighe in prison for fees yet; they Called their Assize a generall Gaole Delivʳie, but many was but delivʳed from the p̄sence of the Judges in to the hands of two greate Tirantes vizᵗ. the Gaoler & the Clearcke of the Assize & these two keepes many pore Creatures still in prison for fees, the Gaoler hee must have Twenty shillinge four pence for his fee; & the Clearcke of the Assize hee must have fifteene shillinges eight pence, & this they will have of pore Creatures; or els they must starve in prison, They Lighe worse then doggs for want of strawe, Many beinge in greate want, that they have not to releeve them wᵗʰall; yet these Tirants keepe them in this pore Condic̄on The Judges & Magistrates they might as well have put them to death at the Assize as put them into the hands of these two tirants who keepes men for money starveing them in a hole till they be ruined [?] or starved to death.
She next complains of the way she and her fellow sufferers for the Truth are treated and tells the Protector: “Wee have not that Libertie that Paull had of the Heathenish Romans.” She then appeals to him as follows:
O man what dost thou there except thou stand for the truth which is trampled under foote Who knowes but thou was Called to deliver thy brethren out of bondage & slaverie, & that the Truth may bee set free to speake freely, wᵗʰout money or wᵗʰout Prize.... O frend thou must lighe downe in the dust & Cast thy Crowne at the feete of Jesus, how Can you beleeve that seeke honor one of another & seekes not the honor wᶜʰ is of god onely; Distribute to the pore, & Denie thy honor, & take up the Crosse & followe Jesus Christ.
Much more follows in the same strain, mingled with warnings of the woes that will come upon him and the nation generally if justice is not done. The whole is a very good example of the epistolary methods of the period, and at the same time throws an interesting light on the condition of prisoners, and the way Justice was administered—or rather not administered—during the Commonwealth.
A Tract entitled, False Prophets and false Teachers described, signed by Thomas Aldam, Elizabeth Hooton, William Pears, Benjamin Nicholson,[22] Jane Holmes, and Mary Fisher; “Prisoners of the Lord at York Castle, 1652,” is an eloquent testimony to their unceasing activity in Truth’s service.[23]
Another detailed account of this imprisonment is given in a further letter, sealed and directed: “ffor Capt Stodard at his house in Long Aley in more fields this đ đ đ in London.” E. Hooton writes:[24]
Deare friends [paper torn] unto you Concerning yᵉ assise but we 3 sisters were not Called, but they keepe us still in prison, with the Rest of oure brethren, 3 of them was Called, but the corupt Judge sett fines vpon them, for Comeing wᵗʰ their hatts on, but they keepe yᵉ truth murdred, in a whole & will not suffered it to speake in shutting us vp, what yᵉ truth should be declared, Some of our brethren was bold & did speake freely to them, but my bro: Thomas [Aldam] they would not let him stay nor sufer him to speake, but we are maide to Rest in yᵉ will of god ... if we would submitt to their wills, then would they take of our fines, but we dare not deny yᵉ lord, for at yᵗ time yᵗ he hath apointed he will sett vs fre, from vnder yᵉ bondage of men, but our fredom is wᵗʰ yᵉ father & yᵉ sone, whom yᵉ sone hath maide fre is fre indeede.... O noble Captaine yᵉ lord hath manifested his love to the, & he hath maide the an instrument of good to his people, now it stands yᵉ vpon to stand vp for the leberty of yᵉ gospell, yᵗ them yᵗ hath frely Received it, may have fredome to preach itt, & hold it out to yᵉ world, yᵗ hierlings may be putt downe & have no more hier, for they through there deceits deceives yᵉ people & Raises vp yᵉ Magestraites for persecution, for they, yᵉ Clergy & yᵉ gentry, hath yᵉ lande betwixt them, & yᵉ people of god & yᵉ power doe they persecute & treade vnder feete, & those Corupt Magestraits wᶜʰ knowes noe true Justice, keepes yᵉ poore people in bondage & ꝑsecutes according to their own will, many of vs are put heare in prison, not ofending their owne way, Consider of these things and as thou art moved soe speake to yᵉ generall [Cromwell] yᵗ yᵉ truth may be sett fre, though we be willing to waite the lords laysure. I did sende some letters to yᵉ generall, & would know whether they ever was seene, or noe, & one to yᵉ Parlement, I would know wᵗ became of them, whether they were brought to light or noe, any of them.
Elizabeth Hooton,
A prisoner of yᵉ lord in Yorke Castle.