‘Now I shall speak a little of the carpenter’s mate’s kindness to me: when I had been in irons some days, and my food being taken from me, which was three day’s victuals, that I had left of that which Thomas Swales and Mary Stringer sent me in Bridlington bay, he came in the crowd, and joined himself so near me, that he put about a pint of brandy into my pocket, and no man knew; likewise some meat, and none knew; and told me he would supply me daily, ‘for,’ said he, ‘I have meat of my own, which is not at the king’s charge;’ and said farther, ‘that he had a strict charge given him by his wife and his mother, before he came on board, that if any Quaker came on board with him, he should be kind to him;’ and that he had lately received a letter from them, wherein they charged him to ‘remember his promise, and be kind to Quakers, if any were on board.’ But there being some occasion more than ordinary, he was taken off on board, and I had nothing for three days and three nights; and the two men before spoken of, that were in irons with me, while the commander was with us, the men would lie no where but upon me, and as soon as he was gone, they laid off me, and gave me brandy to drink, and promised me they would not hurt me. Then the lieutenant came at the middle of the night, and found them lying upon me, he asked ‘Why they did lie upon me?’ they said, ‘You would have him killed, so now we will kill him for you;’ then he came down the third time in the morning, and found them lying upon me, for they sat one to watch his coming, and found them lying very close upon me, so that he could see nothing but my feet, I being so pressed and weak, that he could scarce hear my voice.
‘Then the lieutenant went to Sir Edward’s cabin door, and knocked; the boy answered, ‘Who was there?’ He told him, ‘It was the lieutenant that would speak with Sir Edward, for there had been a mutiny in the ship by some men playing at cards, and they had beat the boatswain’s mate.’ He told him, ‘He should have laid them in irons, and not called on him.’ He said, ‘They are already in the bilboes.’ He also said, ‘If it please your highness, Sir Edward, to remember that there is a poor Quaker in yet, that was laid in two weeks since, and they will lie no where but upon him, and they will kill him for us.’ He bid him ‘go to the yeomen that had the keys, and take him out of the bilboes, and put up a flag at the mizen-mast’s head, and call a council of war;’ which was done. Then the captains of the other ships all came on board, to answer the council of war, before eight o’clock in the morning, (it being the first day of the week.) So I being brought before the council of war, the commander asked me, ‘If I would go on board of a hoy that was a tender, and had six guns?’ I refused, and desired to stay on board, and bear the punishment that I had to abide. Then he bid the council of war go on with their business; so they did proceed, and I being set on a bulk head, being so lame with the irons that I could not stand, and hearing them pass sentence of condemnation upon me. The judge was a Papist, being governor of Dover castle, and went to sea on pleasure. So they could not tell at present, what death to put me to. The judge said, ‘I should be put into a barrel or cask driven full of nails, with their points inwards, and so rolled to death.’ But the council of war taking it into consideration, thought it too terrible a death, and too much unchristian-like, so they agreed to hang me. And I hearing them speak several things against me, which I was clear of, had a desire to arise from my knees, where I was set to answer for myself, but I had not any power to arise or open my mouth, but was condemned within myself, insomuch that I had not power to breath unto God. Proffering to rise again the second time, there came a motion within me, and bid me ‘Be still, be still, be still,’ three times; which I obeyed, and was comforted; then I believed God would arise: and when they had done speaking, then God did arise, and I was filled with the power of God, and my spirit lifted up above all earthly things, and wonderful strength was given me to my limbs, and my heart full of the power and wisdom of God, and with glad tidings my mouth was opened to declare to the people the things that God had made manifest to me. With sweat running down, and tears trickling from my eyes, I told them, ‘The hearts of kings were in the hand of the Lord, and so are both yours and mine, and I do not value what you can do to this body, for I am at peace with God and all men, and you my adversaries; for if I might have an hundred and thirty years longer, I can never die in a better condition, for the Lord hath satisfied me, that he hath forgiven me all things in this world, and I am glad through his mercy, that he hath made me willing to suffer for his name’s sake; and not only so, but I am heartily glad, and do really rejoice, and with a seal in my heart to the same.’ Then there came a man and laid his hand upon my shoulder, and said, ‘Where are all thy accusers?’ Then my eyes were opened, and I looked about me, and they were all gone; and one said, ‘There goeth thy chief friend, the judge.’ Then it arose in my heart, that I had news for him from the power of God, and I said, ‘Man, come back, I have news for thee better than ever thou heardst in any coffee house, or elsewhere; and answer for what thou hast done.’ Then came a lieutenant, and said, ‘Sir Edward, this is an hypocrite Quaker.’ I said, ‘Commander I intreat thee to look upon me a little.’ So I loosed my kneestrings and put down my stockings and let him see how the blood and rotten stuff ran down my leg round about. He said, ‘Put up thy stocking, there is enough.’ Then presently came an ancient soldier, and loosed down his knee-strings, and put down his stockings, and put his cap under his knees, and begged his pardon three times. Then said he, ‘Arise up soldier, and speak;’ and he intreated him, and said, ‘Noble Sir Edward, you know that I have served his majesty under you many years, both in this nation, and other nations, by sea, and you were always a merciful man; therefore I do intreat you in all kindness, to be merciful to this poor man, who is condemned to die to-morrow, and only for denying your order, for fear of offending God, and for conscience-sake; and we have but one man on board, out of nine hundred and fifty, but one which doth refuse for conscience-sake, and shall we take his life away? Nay, God forbid; for he hath already declared, that if we take his life away, there shall a judgment appear upon some on board within eight and forty hours, and to me it hath appeared; therefore I am forced to come upon quarter-deck before you, and my spirit is one with his; and therefore I desire you in all kindness, when you take his life away to give me the liberty to go off on board, for I shall not be willing to serve his majesty any longer on board of ship: so I do intreat you once more, to be merciful to this poor man: so God bless you, Sir Edward, I have no more to say to you.’
‘Then came the chief gunner, that had been a captain, and loosed down his knee-strings, and did beg his pardon three times, being upon his bare knees before Sir Edward. Then he said, ‘Arise up, gunner, and speak.’ So he said, ‘If it please your worship, Sir Edward, we know you are a merciful man, and therefore I intreat you in all kindness, to be merciful to this poor man, in whom there remains something more than flesh and blood, therefore I intreat you, let us not destroy that which is alive, neither endeavour to do it; and so God bless you, Sir Edward, I have no more to say to you.’ Then he went away. Then the commander desired me to go down, and take leave of my friends (this day) that were on board; so he gave order, that any that had a mind to give me victuals might, and that I might eat and drink with whom I pleased, and that none should molest me that day. Then came the lieutenant, and sat by me while they were at their worship, and he would have given me brandy, but I refused. Then the dinner came up to be served, and several gave me victuals to eat, and I did eat freely, and was kindly entertained that day; and night being come, a man kindly proffered me his hammock to lie in that night, because I had laid long in irons, and I accepted of his kindness, and laid me down and slept well that night. The next morning being come, it being the second-day of the week, on which I was to be executed, about eight of the clock in the morning, the rope being veered upon the mizen-yard’s arm, and the boy ready to turn me off, and boats having come on board with captains of other ships that were of the council of war, who came on purpose to see me executed. I was thereupon called to come to be executed, then I coming to the execution place, the commander asked the council, ‘How their judgment did stand?’ So most of them did consent, and some of them were silent. Then he desired me freely to speak my mind, if I had any thing to say before I was executed. I told him I had little at present to speak. So then came a man, and bid me go forward to be executed, so I stepped upon the gunnel to go towards the rope; the commander bid me stop there, if I had any thing to say. Then spake the judge, and said, ‘Sir Edward is a merciful man, that puts that heretic to no worse death than hanging.’ Sir Edward turned him about to the judge, and said, ‘What saidst thou?’ ‘I say,’ replied he, ‘you are a merciful man, that puts him to no worse death than hanging,’ ‘But’ said he, ‘what is the other word that thou saidst, that heretic:’ I say, said the commander, ‘he is more a christian than thyself; for I do believe thou wouldst hang me, if it were in thy power.’ Then said the commander unto me, ‘Come down again, I will not hurt a hair of thine head, for I cannot make one hair grow.’ Then he cried, ‘Silence all men,’ and proclaimed it three times over, that if any man or men on board of the ship, would come and give evidence, that I had done any thing that I deserved death for, I should have it, provided they were credible persons. But nobody came, neither opened a mouth against me then. So he cried again, ‘Silence all men, and hear me speak:’ then he proclaimed that the Quaker was as free a man as any on board the ship was. So the men heaved up their hats, and with a loud voice cried, ‘God bless Sir Edward, he is a merciful man.’ The shrouds, tops, and decks being full of men, several of their hats flew overboard, and were lost.
‘Then I had great kindness showed me by all men on board, but the great kindness of the Lord exceeded all; for the day I was condemned to die on, was the most joyful day that ever I had in my life-time, and so remained exceeding joyful, until the very time that I was proclaimed a free man. But soon after troubles came upon me again; for I being laid upon the deck one night, as it was my usual lodging-place, there was something appeared to me, and struck me as it were dead; and I being in great dread and fear, believed our ship was to engage such a day of the month, with the wind at south-east; then appeared also a small cloud to me, about as big as a hat. After being engaged, the same cloud spread, and became a great one, insomuch that it darkened part of the ship; then I stepped over on the starboard side of the ship, into the shrouds, and looked aft, and I saw a thick water arising in the wake of the rudder, then I feared the ship was near ground. This appeared to me three times that night, and I would gladly have put it from me, but I could not. Then I did believe, and was satisfied of the truth of it, then I was at peace and quiet in my mind, but then I was to make it known to the pilot, and I did believe it was death by law to discourage them; so I thought, then I should give them an occasion that they should take away my life; but I could not rest, eat, drink, or sleep, until I had declared it. So I breathed unto God, and desired that he would find me a way to reveal it. So it remaining with me two days and two nights, and being walking upon the deck, and taking notice of the chief gunner of the ship, I was ordered to go to him, and walk with him. Very solitary were both of us, and he perceived I had something to say to him of some weighty matter, so he desired me to speak my mind to him, and I told him, I had such a weighty matter to declare, that it was death by the law to declare it, I desired that he would stand true to me in that respect, and he promised me fidelity in the presence of God, before whom we were, that he would be true to me in all respects, and if one suffered, both should suffer. Then we espied the mate of the ship walking, he being a sober man, we drew near to him, and he perceived we were both afflicted, and desired to know what was the matter? So we told him, we had a weighty matter, and if he would be as faithful to us as we were one to another, we would declare it to him; so he promised to be faithful to us, for he did believe it did concern him. Then we told him the matter; and he was fully satisfied of the truth of it. ’But,’ said he, ‘it doth belong most of all to the pilot;’ so we must speak to him, and he being such a brickle, high-spirited man, we scarce knew how to speak to him, but calling him to us, and walking with him, he took notice of our heaviness, and asked our business with him; we told him, ‘We had a matter to declare to him of great concern, therefore we desired him to be faithful to us, and we would declare the matter to him,’ and he promised to be as faithful to us, as he supposed we were one to another. So they told him the matter; then he asked, ‘Who saw it?’ I told him, ‘I see it.’ Then he fell into a rage, and seemed to fly from his promise, and said, ‘He would go and tell the commander.’ So away he went, and said, ‘He would have me executed speedily.’ I said, ‘Let him do; better I die, than the whole company perish.’ But they said, ‘If thou die, we will all die.’ Then he came to us again near weeping, and told us, that when he came before the commander, his mouth was stopt, that he could not speak a word good or bad. He was very tender, and praised God that he had such a messenger. Then he took me by the hand, and desired me to tell him the name of the sand. I told him I did not know, I never came there; but at that time I looked up with my eyes, and told him whereabouts the sand laid: so he desired me to go to the compass, and he asked me, if I knew the compass? I told him, very well; so I showed him upon what point of the compass the said land laid, and he took a book out of his pocket, and found the sand, and the name of it. Some days after we were engaged on that very point with the Hollanders, and as soon as we were engaged, the cloud appeared to me, and came and darkened the ship. Then I stepped into the main shrouds, and I saw the thick water, which I showed to the pilot, and he called two of the best men to the lead. They called, ‘Five fathom and a quarter.’ Then the pilot cried, ‘Starboard your helm.’ On which the commander cried ‘Larboard your helm, and bring her too.’ The pilot said, ‘He would bring the king’s ship no nearer, he would give over his charge.’ The commander cried, ‘Bring her too.’ The pilot cried to the lead-men, ‘Sing aloud, that Sir Edward may hear;’ (for the outcry was very great amongst the officers and seamen, because the ship was so near aground, and the enemies upon them) so they cried, ‘A quarter less five.’ The commander cried, ‘We shall have our Royal Prince on ground, take up your charge, pilot.’ Then he cried hard, ‘Starboard your helm, and see how our ship will veer;’ so she did bear round up. The men at the lead cried, ‘Five fathom, and a better depth.’ Then the commander cried, ‘God preserve the Royal Prince.’ Then the pilot cried, ‘Be of good cheer, commander.’ They cried, six fathom, then nine fathom, then fifteen fathom, then sixteen fathom. The Hollanders, then shouted, and cried, ‘Sir Edward runs.’ Then he cried, ‘Bring her too again;’ and the fight continued till the middle of the day was over, and it fell calm. The ships being engaged ahead of us, we could see nothing but fire and smoke; so out of that smoke I espied a fire ship designed to lay us on board of the larboard bow. Then I cried to the chief gunner to come to me quickly, and I showed him the fire ship coming to board us on the larboard bow. Then he fired a chace-gun with a ball in her; and as soon as the smoke was gone from the gun, we espied the fire-ship all on a fire, blown up, and what remained of her sallied on board of the Cambridge, and only burned her ancient. The fight continued, and my employ was to carry down the wounded men, and look out for fire-ships, and the commander was mightily pleased with my service, and said ‘It would have been a great pity that my life should have been taken away before the engagement;’ and the chief gunner said, ‘I was instrumental, through mercy, not only for giving notice of the ship coming on ground upon the sand, but also for preventing of the fire-ship that was near to board us, who gave me the first notice, whereof I am witness.’ And the lieutenant said to the commander, that ‘There was not a more undaunted man on board, except his highness.’
‘Eight days after, we were engaged again with the Hollanders, and the officers sent for me upon the quarter deck, and asked me, What I would do that day? I told them, I was willing to do as I had done before; they desired I would do that service, and take that care upon me, only to look out for fire-ships coming on board. I told them I was free to do it, likewise to carry down the wounded men, if there was occasion; so presently we engaged, but not one fire-ship troubled us that day, but we lost about two hundred men. The lieutenant meeting me, he asked me, If I had received any wounds? I told him, I had received none, but was well. He asked me, How came I to be so bloody? Then I told him, It was with carrying down wounded men. So he took me in his arms, and kissed me; and that was the same lieutenant that persecuted me so with irons at the first. Then we came to the Buoy and Nore again, and then went up near Chatham, and the king coming on board, the lieutenant desired me to go and walk upon the deck with him, in sight of the king, that haply some might give him notice of me, hoping I might be brought to a trial, and have my liberty: but I did not understand that he had any intelligence of me. The next day the same lieutenant came to me, and desired me to walk along with him upon the quarter deck. I being somewhat unwilling, told him, I did not use to go upon the quarter-deck, unless I was called by the officers. He said, ‘My uncle hath much business, and doth forget you; so walk along with me, I desire you.’ And I did as he desired me, and he being with me, walked away and left me alone. The commander being there, and several captains with him, he came from his company to me, and laid his hand upon my head, and said ‘Thou hast done well, and very well too:’ so he walked by me, and I blushed. Then he asked me, Why I blushed? I told him I desired to know wherein I had done so well. He said, ‘By encouraging them which should have encouraged both thee and me.’ Then said he, ‘Thou shalt have thy liberty to go on shore.’ I asked him, If I might go on shore to recruit, or go to my own being? He said, ‘I should choose whether I would.’ I told him, I had rather go to my own being. He said, ‘I should do so.’ Then I told him, there was one thing that I requested of him yet, that he would be pleased to give me a certificate under his hand, to certify that I was not run away. He said, ‘Thou shalt have one to keep thee clear at home, and also in thy fishing;’ for he knew I was a fisherman. So he called the captain, and ordered him to write me a certificate, and bring it to him; which he did with speed, but he did not like it, but flung it him again, and ordered him to make me one more legible. Then he brought another, and he signed it, and gave it me, and wished me well, and said, ‘He desired to hear from me if I got well home;’ and I told him, I would send him a letter, and so I did. But soon after I got into London, two press-crews came to me, and said. ‘This is Sir Edward’s Quaker; you are welcome to shore, will you please to go to the tavern with us?’ I told them I would not go, nor drink any thing. Then they wished me well home.
‘Also they proffered me my pay, before I came off on board, and said, ‘I deserved it as well as any man on board.’ But I refused, and told them, I had of my own, that I hoped would serve me home. And the lieutenant was troubled because I would take nothing; he would have given me twenty shillings, but I would not take it.’
Thus ends the remarkable narrative of the sufferings of this faithful sailor, who rather than violate his conscience by being instrumental to destroy other men’s lives, endured with much patience many and sore trials, persevering faithful in his testimony against war and fighting, even to death; to which he was wholly resigned, and from which he was preserved by a singular providence attending him, in those moments of time which he thought would have been his last. But the virulence of the popish judge against him as an heretic, gave the commander, Sir Edward Spragg, who professed himself a protestant, such disgust, that scorning to be made a tool to execute the vengeance of a papist in this case, he delivered the innocent man from the death he was condemned to: being thus preserved alive, he was made instrumental to the saving of the ship, and the lives of many therein: and by the exercise of an undaunted Christian courage and constancy, triumphed over the malice of his adversaries, who conscious of his innocence, at length became his friends and favourers.
A narrative of the Sufferings of John Philly and William Moore, in the Inquisition of Hungary, from the first month 1662, to the seventh month 1663. Taken from a letter written by William Moore to William Caton, dated Amsterdam, 11th month, 1663.