Deare Freind Cap: Stothers[18] & the wife: my deare and tender love to yᵘ both, my deare freinds I am moved to writ to you my brethren, yᵗ wee are well, the lord is pleased to recover me and shew me abundance of his mercy, makeing me acquainted with Satans wiles and Cuning devices, to trap the simple Seed, and to ensnare and bondage the people of god, with his subtil bayts Continually, O deare frends, when the lord hath set you free and brought you into joy, then you thinke you have over come all, but there is a daiely Crosse to bee taken vp, whilst yᵗ the fleshly will remaineth, if any of yᵗ stand vncrucified, the Serpent there getts hould and brings into death, & darkenesse, soe yᵗ there is a continuall Warfare for there is noe thing obtained but throug Death & Suferings, which is by the power of Faith, which Caryes through all troubles, keepeing Close to it the power of darkenes cannot hurt, but lookeing out to satisfie the will of the flesh, there doth the Serpent get in & tells the Creature of ease, & liberty in the flesh. and say thou needest to take vp the Crosse noe longer, for thou art now come to thy rest, thou may eate & drinke and bee merry & I will give thee joy enough, & thus many a pore soule is drowned and runs on in lightnes & wantonnes, tho become odious both in the sight of god and men, & cause Scandalls to arise against yᵉ Church, & soe through backesliders we are rendered odious to the world putting on yᵗ which was once put of, disobedience is the beginner of these things: O deare frends beeware & exort others, yᵗ wee may sit doune in the lowest roome, taking vp the Crosse dayely and foloweing Christ & yᵗ hee may goe before vs & leade vs at his one pleasure, I have experience of the wiles of Satan, the lord hath exercised mee, but there is noe way but sit doune and submitt to his will, & there is rest and peace.
farewell. my love to Richard Hatter & his wife & to Will: Tomlinson.
your frend Elizabeth Hooton
The second of the two letters is a plea on behalf of James Halliday,[19] of Northumberland, imprisoned in York Castle:[20]
Yoᵘ that sitt on the Bench doe Justice and Equity to those honest hearted people Called Quakers whome yoᵘ putt in prison and Call them to the Barr & sett them at Liberty for they have done yoᵘ noe wrong nor hurt the cause is for worshiping of God as hee requires in Spᵗ & in Truth that they Suffer—James Holliday who hath Laine in Six Months being A North Country freind the Geoler hath very much Abused By Taking away his Victualls & Beateing of him till hee hath been black & Blew & his Skin broake & soe oʳ desire is that yoᵘ would sett this poore man at Liberty whome the Geoler keepeth for his fees
Elizabeth Hooton.
In a very vigorous and lengthy letter[21], endorsed by Fox: “e hoten at the gale at yorke to olefer Cromwell 1653,” in which she describes herself as a Prisoner of the Lord at York Castle, she reminds the Protector:
The Lord hath beene pleased to make [the] an Instruement of warr and Victorie; hee hath given the power over thy enemies & ours, hee hath given much into thy hand, & thou hast beene Looked vppon, & sett vpp wᵗʰ many, and wᵗʰ my selfe.
She denounces in no measured terms the corruptness of Judges, Magistrates, teachers and clergymen and all officers and gaolers and compares them to Herod and Pontius Pilate; and continues: