To the King & Councell
This is to let you understand how J haue beene in service to god & to the King & his Commissionᵉʳˢ in New England: My message for the Lord was to beare witnesse to his Truth against those persecuting people who fled from the Bishops because they would not suffer; And now in New England are become greater Persecuters then the Bishops were, both in fining imprisoning, Banishing, whipping & hanging some of those that came out of England, for vagabond Quakers, who cald their owne Country people vagabonds: And when the King sent his Commissioners amongst them J was in that Countrey, & oft had beene Jmprisoned, oft whipt, oft driven into the Wildernesse among the wild beasts in the night; yet did god preserve me, though J had many miles in it to goe amongst the wild beasts and many great waters; Now the Kings Commissionᵉʳˢ comming thither they would not receaue them soe freely as our friends did; & therefore they durst not trust their lives with them as they did with our friends. And moreover they made a decree against them, to rise in foure & Twenty houres against them, to fight with them; & when J heard that, J went among severall of their Church-members, & warnd them to take heed what they did, for if they did fight against them they would destroy themselues, for there were enough that would take the Kings Commissioners parts; And J said to them you had better (as we haue such an example) to suffer rather then fight, or else conforme as some of your brethren in old England doe; But if you doe fight you will destroy your Country.
And they seemed to looke lightly upon my words, yet they tooke them into Consideration, & George Cartwright they said he was a Papist or a Jesuit; & they had a purpose to seeke his life, But J told them J believd the man was an honest man, & noe papist, he was my neighbour at Mansfield, & J never heard any such things by him, therefore take heed what you doe, for the lord will giue you into their hands because you haue shed Jnnocent bloud, & persecuted the Just & J sent to the Commissioners at New Yorke to bid them beware how they came, & soe they came to the Towne by one at once to read the Kings Packet, & at that time there was a Court & they had their company about them, they sought for our friends very early in the morning & woke them in their beds, & had them before their Court, & Questioned them why they came thither, & one of them answerd, they came to visit the Kings Commissionᵉʳˢ & they said they would whip the Kings Commissioners upon the Quakers backs, because our friends were willing to receaue them & had a love to them, soe they whipt them out of their Coast towards Rhode Jsland, where we had liberty of Conscience, & the Kings Commissioners had their liberty too, & for me they had me out of prison to go to the ship to ship me away & soe warned the ship master he should let me come in noe more & brought me away to Barbados but the Kings Commissionᵉʳˢ they would not receive neither them nor their Commission, But it was reported they drove them out of the Towne, & once they did whip me, because J owned not their government, but the Kings.
And many more things J would declare, but it would be too much answering the Kings behalfe. And now J am come hither for some Justice & to haue my goods restord againe which were taken away in my absence or else my friends restord out of prison, which never did the King nor the Counsell any harme, And soe in love to all your soules J haue written this paper to let you know that by my going to New England J was made serviceable to the King & his Commissionᵉʳˢ Therefore reward not me evil for good, as some do threaten me; & let not our friends be put into the hands of wicked & unreasonable men; Nor into the hands of the Priests who would destroy all that we haue for Tythes; that take Tythes & make a spoyle of their Corne & keepe their bodies in prison many over England. Jf they will haue their Tythes, Let our friends haue their bodies at Liberty to worke for more: for husbandmen are Jmpoverisht much, & ready to throw up their farmes, by reason of Tythes Taxes & Assessments & great Rents. And if Husbandmen cast up their farmes what will ye all doe for there is great oppression in the Country & little money to be had for any thing. the Cattle & Corne will not pay their rents, & Taxes & Assessments, chimney money & excise is a great oppression: for the King J belieue hath not the Tenth part of what is taken for when they are not able to pay their chimney money they take away their Bedding in the Country; And soe consider this all ye that sit in Authority & let Justice & equity be done in the Country: for the Lord he will arise, & he will plead the cause of the Jnnocent.
J am a lover of your Soules who came not hither in my owne will
Elizabeth Hooton.
[Endorsed]
To yᵉ King & Councill Expressing her service to yᵉ Kings Comʳˢ in New England & thereupon pleading for justice to herselfe & liberty to friends
Further particulars of the seizing of her horse for the use of the King’s Commissioners are given in the following fragment; possibly her acquaintance with George Cartwright was largely responsible for the restoration of the animal. She says:[86]