At that time Richard Farnsworth and James Nayler were at her house, and she desired them to speak to her husband; which they did very moderately and wisely: and though at first he was displeased, yet after he had heard them speak, he was better satisfied. And they making as if they would go away, she desired them to stay, because she expected G. Fox that evening; and she wished for an opportunity, that both he and they might speak to her husband, whereby he might satisfy himself further about them. Dinner in the meantime being ready, judge Fell, and his wife Margaret, sat down at table, and whilst they were sitting, an extraordinary power seizing on her, made such an operation on her mind, that he was struck with amazement, and knew not what to think of it; but he was quiet and still; and the children also were become so grave and modest, that they could not play on their music they were learning. At night G. Fox came, and judge Fell sitting in the parlour, Margaret asked him if G. Fox might come in; and he said, ‘Yes.’ George then coming in without any compliment, began to speak presently; at which the family, as well as J. Nayler, and R. Farnsworth, entered. He now speaking, declared what the practice of Christ and the apostles was in their day; and showed how the apostacy came in since; and what was the practice of the modern priests in the apostacy. He also answered all the objections of judge Fell, and so thoroughly satisfied him by the Scriptures, that he was convinced in his judgment, and asked if he was that George Fox whom justice Robinson had spoken so much in commendation of amongst many of the parliament men? To this G. Fox answered him, that he had been with the justices Robinson and Hotham in Yorkshire; that they had been very civil and loving to him, and that they were convinced in their judgments by the Spirit of God, that the principle he bore testimony to was the Truth; and that they saw beyond the priests of the nation. All this so satisfied judge Fell, that he was very quiet that night, and went to bed. The next morning came Lampitt, the priest of Ulverstone, and walking with the judge into the garden, spoke much to him there, to render the doctrine of the Quakers odious to him, having also said to others, that G. Fox held strange notions. But judge Fell had seen the night before so much, that the priest got little entrance upon him. And when Lampitt came into the house again, G. Fox spoke sharply to him, and asked him, when God spake to him, and called him to preach to the people. The priest not liking such questions, it was not long before he went away. And whilst some were speaking how several in those parts were convinced of the Truth now declared, and that they knew not where to get a meeting place; judge Fell hearing them, said of his own accord, ‘You may meet in my hall, if you will.’ So the next First-day there was at his house a meeting, and a large one indeed, being the first meeting of the people called Quakers, that was at Swarthmore; and so it continued to be kept there until the year 1690, when a new meeting-house was built there. Judge Fell not being willing to appear in that meeting, went that day to the steeple-house, and none with him but his clerk and his groom. Yet in process of time he came to be so well affected to the doctrine of the Quakers, so called, that though he did not enter publicly into their society, yet he loved them, and several years before his death, did not frequent the steeple-house any more.
After G. Fox had stayed some days at the house of judge Fell, he went to Lancaster, and there preached in the market; and on the next First-day, had a great meeting in the street, amongst the soldiers, to whom he declared the Truth; and in the afternoon went to the steeple-house; but speaking there, and directing people to the Spirit of God, he was hauled out, and stoned along the street.
Then having travelled about some time, and preached in some places, sometimes with rude opposition, he returned to Swarthmore, where discoursing with several priests at judge Fell’s house, he asked them, whether any of them ever heard the voice of God or Christ, commanding them to go to any people, and declare the word of the Lord to them. But none of them answered this with Yea: yet one saying, ‘I can speak of my experience as much as you;’ G. Fox told him experience was one thing, but to go with a message, and to have the word of the Lord, as the prophets and apostles had, was quite another. An ancient priest, whose name was Thomas Taylor, did ingenuously confess before judge Fell, that he had never heard the voice of God, nor of Christ, but that he spoke his experiences, and the experiences of the saints in former ages. This very much confirmed judge Fell in the persuasion he had already, that the priests were not what they pretended to be: for he had thought, as the generality of the people did then, that they were sent from God. At this time, the saying of G. Fox wrought so close on the mind of the said T. Taylor, that he was convinced, and travelled with him into Westmoreland; and coming into Crosland steeple-house, T. Taylor’s mouth was opened, so that he declared amongst the people, how he had been before he was convinced; and like the good scribe, brought forth things new and old from his treasury, to the people; and showed them how the priests were out of the way.
Now great rage arose among the priests, and they began as much as they could, to stir up to persecution; for not only T. Taylor after some time preached the gospel freely, but several others, viz. John Audland, Francis Howgill, John Camm, Edward Burrough, Richard Hubberthorn, Miles Halhead, and others, appeared zealous preachers among those called Quakers; and often declared the doctrine they professed in steeple-houses, and markets; whereby the number of their friends began greatly to increase.
In the meanwhile G. Fox returned into Lancashire, and went to Ulverstone, where Lampitt before mentioned was priest. He now seeing how the people called Quakers did set up meetings, and met in private houses, said they forsook the temple, and went to Jeroboam’s calves houses; whereas formerly he had preached of a people, that would own the teachings of God, and that men and women should come to declare the gospel. Now it was told him, that the old mass houses, which were called churches, were more like Jeroboam’s calves houses; though man strove to persuade people that such a building was the house of God: whereas Christ was the head of the church, and never was called the head of an old house; and that the apostle speaking of Christ said, “Whose house we are,” Heb. iii. 6. This passage puts me in mind, how some of the parliament soldiers, observing, over some of the steeple-house doors, these words of the patriarch Jacob, when God had appeared to him in a dream, ‘This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven,’ could not endure to see this gross conceit concerning those buildings, but rased out the words, ‘of God,’ and ‘of heaven;’ so that nothing was left, but ‘This is none other but the house, and this is the gate:’ and certainly their zeal was more reasonable than the conceit of those, who think that in the gospel days a building of lime and stone, may be called the house of God. It seems also a silly conceit, to call a meeting-house, furnished with a steeple, a church; and to deny that name to the congregation-houses of dissenters, calling them, and them only, meeting-houses. But this notion hath kept up the esteem of those mass-houses; and the priests, that they might not lose their gain of burials, have endeavoured to keep people in the belief, that the ground of these buildings was holy; and this save occasion to the people called Quakers, to call those buildings, steeple-houses. Now since a fantastical man I very well knew in Holland, conversing there among the people of that persuasion, undertook to translate that denomination into Dutch, Gespitste huyzen, it gave occasion to some Latin writers in Germany, to complain, that the Quakers scornfully called their temples Domus acuminatas.[2] And though Croese says also in Historia Quakeriana concerning them, Templa cuncti Quakeri contumeliosè vocabant æedes pyramidatas,[3] yet he knew better. But this digression has led me off from G. Fox, whom I left at Ulverstone, where he went to the steeple-house whilst priest Lampitt was preaching. And when G. Fox began to speak, John Sawrey the justice came to him, and said, if he would speak according to the scriptures, he should speak. G. Fox told him he should speak according to the Scriptures, and bring the Scriptures to prove what he had to say. But then Sawrey, contradicting himself, said he should not speak; and incensing the people against him, they fell upon G. Fox, knocked him down, kicked him, and trampled upon him. At last Sawrey came, took him from the people, and led him out of the steeple-house, bidding the constables to whip him. Then he was dragged out of the town and given up to the rage of the rude multitude, who did so terribly beat him with switches and staves, that at length fainting, he fell down upon the wet common; but recovering again, and being strengthened by an immediate power, he stood up, and stretching out his arms, said with a loud voice, ‘Strike again, here are my arms, my head, and my cheeks.’ Then a mason gave him such a heavy blow over the back of his hand with his rule, that it was much bruised, and his arm so benumbed, that he could not draw it to him again, so that some of the people cried out, ‘He has spoiled his hand for ever.’ But he being preserved through the love of God, stood still, and after a while felt such an extraordinary strengthening power, that he instantly recovered strength in his hand and arm.
[2] Steeple-house.
[3] All the Quakers contemptuously called churches, steeple-houses.
This made the people fall out among themselves; and some said, if he would give them money, they would secure him from the rest. But he, instead of doing so, showed them their false Christianity, and told them, they were more like Jews and heathens, than true Christians; and that their fruits were an evidence of the unprofitable ministry of their priests. Then he felt himself moved to return to Ulverstone, and went into the market there: and as he went, a soldier meeting him, said, ‘Sir, I see you are a man, and I am ashamed and grieved that you should be thus abused.’ But G. Fox told him, the Lord’s power was over all. And this he experienced, when he walked through the people in the market; for none of them had power to touch him then, though some of his friends were abused. And he seeing the soldier among them, with his naked rapier, bade him put up his sword again, if he would go along with him; for he was willing to draw him out of the company, lest some mischief should be done: and yet a few days after seven men fell upon this soldier, and beat him cruelly, because he had taken part with G. Fox and his friends.
G. Fox having performed his service at Ulverstone, came again to Swarthmore, where he found several of his friends dressing their wounds and bruises received by the hearers of priest Lampitt. And now the priests began to prophesy again, that within half a year, the Quakers should all be put down and gone. But they reckoned wrong; for it fared with those people as with trees, which grow best when most lopped. Duris ut ilex tonsa pipennibus, per damna, per cædes, ab ipso, ducit opes animumque ferro.[4]