‘But if ye cannot make proof thereof, it is necessary for you to confess and acknowledge, that ye are fallen and degenerated from the true Christian weapons, which the apostles and primitive Christians used, saying, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God,” that is, spiritual, 2 Cor. x. 4.
G. FOX.’
To Innocent XI. Pope of Rome, S.
‘Behold, great prelate, a few questions written for the sake of thee, and thy adherents, a copy whereof we sent thee by the post, about three months ago; but being uncertain whether it was delivered into thy hands or no, we thought good to write the questions over again, and send them to thee, that it might not belong to us, that thou dost not read them. For we think it convenient, that thou shouldst earnestly concern thyself to inspect what was printed in Dutch, and inscribed to the pope and his adherents, which if thou shalt please to do, and also vouchsafe thy pains in answering them both by fact and writing, it will satisfy the author’s desire, and remove a doubt or scruple out of many persons’ minds. Farewell.
This I have written in the name of some
of my friends called Quakers.
WILLIAM SEWEL.’
Amsterdam, the 24th of the month called July, 1679.
This year there was a great commotion in England about a plot carried on by the Papists against the life of the king, who made his brother, the duke of York, go beyond sea for some time; for the parliament suspecting him, a motion was made in the house of commons to exclude him from the succession to the crown; but this project was quashed.