‘On the 29th of the first month, 1662, John Philly and William Moore, being refreshed with the overflowings of the love of God through thee, we took our leave of thee and the rest of our dear friends in Germany; and what a cross it was to my flesh and blood to leave thee and them, and to take such an unknown journey, is best known to him that seeth the secrets of all hearts, and what a capacity I was in, is pretty well known to thyself, yet we passed according to the information thou hadst procured for us of the way, together with what we got elsewhere, and we prospered in our journey, and arrived the 16th of the second month at Cutshort, by the Hottersche[113] brethren, about a day’s journey from Presburgh in Hungaria, where we were pretty kindly entertained by some of them, and there I dealt some books among them, which I had carried with me, and the next day I went alone to another family of them: and in my going thither the Lord preserved me out of the hands of a wicked man which I met withal, who seeing me a stranger, would, it’s like, have laid violent hands on me, or have knocked me on the head for my money, had not the Lord restrained him, and the brethren (so called) wondered I was preserved, for they could not go so far as to the next village, but were in danger. After we had some pretty good[114] service among them, we got the names of some more of their families, and one of them was three hundred miles farther, at a city called Pattock, in Upper Hungaria, but some of them would have dissuaded us from going any farther, but rather only to have visited the families thereabouts, which I could have been free unto, but John was pressed to go forward, and I had not freedom to leave him, he not having their language, which I had.
[113] These Hottersche brethren were a kind of Baptists, who lived in a community, having, like the primitive Christians, their goods and possessions in common. They also refused to swear or fight, and dwelt by hundreds of them together in one family.
[114] Their service was that of preaching to those communities, and endeavouring to promote and advance their growth in the doctrines of christianity.
‘After that we returned to Presburgh, where the Danube divideth itself, and it meets at Comora, where we were taken, which happened as followeth: we finding a boat going with meal to the garrison at New-Hausell, which lies in the way to Pattock, we went to her, and when we came near unto the place, the boatmen asked me, ‘Whether I had acquaintance there?’ I said, ‘No.’ ‘Whether we had a pass?’ I said, ‘No.’ Then said they, ‘It is dangerous going thither,’ because they would be suspicious of us, and to travel farther in that land, they being tributaries to the Turk, we should be in danger of being killed either by the countrymen, or by some of the Turks, and at that garrison they did use to put men to cruel deaths, which have been found, without leave, on the tributary ground. Yet John was desirous to be at that village which was near there, but said the boatmen, ‘He will not take counsel before ye shall remember our words, and repent it when ye cannot help it;’ and their words had the more impression on me, because I had seen a night or two before in my sleep, that which afterwards came to pass at Comora, where we arrived, and were brought to an Hungarian’s lodging, but we could not understand one another; but the next night they sent for a student from the college, who asked me in Latin, ‘Whence we were, and whither we were intended?’ I told him, ‘We came from Great Britain, and desired to be at Pattock.’ Afterwards we entered into a discourse about religion, and when we parted, he said, ‘He wished us well, though there was a vast difference in our judgment,’ &c.
‘The next day we endeavoured to get over the river, and made signs to a countryman with some money, who began to make his boat ready to help us, but an old Dutchwoman came forth, and said, ‘What do ye?’ And told me, ‘The governor would presently cause him to be hanged, if he set us over;’ so we let it rest, and we returned to our former lodging, and the next day I went over the water on the south-side of the town, where I heard there were many Dutch people and soldiers, hoping to find some countrymen to speak with, and some books I took with me, which I would willingly have sent to Pattock; and coming to the soldiers, asked for countrymen, but finding none, I asked leave of the guard, and walked out into the field, where a trooper sat sentinel, discoursed a little with him, and passed on farther, where some were ploughing. And as I returned back, there did meet me a soldier of captain Fusch’s company, with two other, and having a book in my hand, called, ‘A paper sent forth into the world, to show the grounds and reasons why we denied the priests of the world.’ He looked on the title, and began voluntarily to tell me, that ‘Such a place was in Turkey, and if a man went thither, he might have good days there,’ &c. But I said, ‘I will go from whence I came,’ and intending to return to John on the other side the water, the aforesaid soldier came to me again at the water-side, and told me, ‘I must come to the captain,’ and when I came before him he asked for the book, and looking on it, asked, ‘If I was a Quaker?’ I said, ‘Yea.’ And he being in a rage, said, ‘These rogues show no respect;’ and said, ‘I was a young Hus come forth to seduce the people, and make uproars, &c.’ And he caused the soldiers to pull off my clothes, and to search me for letters, and took my money from me: and I spake something to them, to give them to understand they would not be so done by. But he said, ‘When you get clear, you shall have your money again.’ But he did not think that should be, so he sent me to the guard a while, and sent for me again, and searched me more narrowly, and found the books which were inclosed between the linings of my breeches: then I was sent to the guard again, and the marshal was to put iron shackles with a chain upon my foot and hand; and there was a talk as if I should be stuck upon a wooden spit, as some had been who had but gone to the next village without their order; but I turned my mind inward, and was pretty well resigned up to the lord. So they having sent over to the chief officer to inform him, there were two soldiers sent with their burning matches to fetch me, and I little expecting less than present death, had told some soldiers, ‘I had a companion in the inn on the other side, and he would marvel what was become of me if he did not hear.’ Afterwards I was carried to the officer aforesaid, who asked me, ‘If Mary had continued always a virgin?’ To which, when I had answered, ‘Thou rogue,’ said he, ‘if I had but power over thee, I would presently drown thee in this water.’ Afterwards they went to our lodging, and apprehended John also, howbeit free of that crime they imputed to me, which was for going over, and into the garrison. I was put in the Dutch prison, called the Stock-house, and John into the Hungarian’s vault, which was twenty foot long, where they rack people, and there was a private gallows, a pair of stocks, and a filthy tub of excrements; and the aforesaid officer took our portmantle, but afterwards it was given to the marshal, who took what pleased him out of it, with the Bible and papers, and left the rest to another officer, who feignedly, after our commitment, seemed to be troubled that we had no bread, and asked me, Whether John had no money, which I could not deny, and then he went to the other prison, and threatened him to give it him. So John gave him a ducat, which he got changed, and brought us the money, and desired we would give him some of it, and he would be worth it at our hands. John afterwards expecting they would search him for gold, did afterward hide some, and kept some by him.
‘The day following, we were first examined by the inquisitor, Whence we were? Whither we intended? How old we were? Who was the author of our coming forth? What money we had taken up? And John was searched, and the gold found which he had left by him: and I was examined concerning the books, and told, It was a capital crime, and would cost me my life. But I said, ‘What I had done therein, I had done in simplicity,’ &c. And he asked, ‘Who had spoke with us in our lodging?’ I told him, ‘A student,’ with many more words.
‘And after the first examination, one colonel Fusch desired to have me brought forth before him, and he asked me several questions concerning the books; and ‘Who was the first bringer up of this doctrine?’ I told him, ‘George Fox was one of the first preachers of it in this generation,’ and because I owned the books aforesaid to be wrote by the motion of the Spirit of God, he was very bitter against me, and several cunning questions did he ask me, as thereby to ensnare me, but it did not avail. Something he read in one of the books concerning their steeple-houses, as advice to people that they should go no more to them, &c. which seemed to be very odious to him; and he told me, that ‘He would cause all those books and writings to be copied and sent to his prince at Mentz, and when he could spare them the inquisitor should have them.’ Afterwards I was taken to the deputy governor, (a cruel old fox) who asked me several questions, and said, ‘He would send me with a message to the devil;’ and he said, ‘I had done more than if I had killed an hundred men;’ and because I would not take off my hat, he judged that to be a Turkish principle, and I not being free at that time to drink wine, he asked me, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘because I would bring my body into subjection.’ ‘How long,’ said he, ‘will you abstain?’ I said, ‘till night at least.’ ‘That,’ said he ‘is another Turkish point, to fast till night.’ He had also sent for the Hungarian student, and commanded him to tell him in Latin, all what had passed between us in our lodging, which the inquisitor afterwards took to read when we were examined, but he would not read it openly, lest the sitters by should have heard and owned the truth thereof. Afterwards they brought our attempt to go over the water, as a mighty crime against us, and the aforesaid soldier was called to testify against me, whose testimony being false, I withstood him, and told the inquisitor, who did much seek occasion against me, that ‘He should beware what he did, for if he should cause my blood to be shed under such a pretence, it would cry to the Lord for vengeance, and thereby he might draw the wrath of God upon him and others.’ And I desired the other soldiers might be examined, who also had heard what I said; which after some time was granted, and I was put forth, and my adversary and accuser he was kept within, and one of the other was called; and then I thought, ‘Now if the Lord doth not assist me, they may persuade him to speak the same thing.’ But when he came forth, he told me, ‘He did not speak as the other, for that which the other had affirmed, was not true;’ then I thanked the Lord that this pretence failed them. But afterwards the inquisitor told me, ‘The books were enough, though there were nothing else;’ and asked me, ‘Whether I knew not that the catholics had laws to burn and torment heretics, and such as carried such books?’ I said, ‘I should not have expected such dealing among good Christians,’ and so did not tell him. Howbeit, I knew well, that they were cruel and bloody enough.
‘Then he opened a book of the corrupt popish laws, and read therein, how that such persons as carry such books and papers are to be racked, &c. And about this time was John searched yet farther for gold, by the command of the inquisitor, and having taken so far off as one of his shoes and stockings, he was slow in taking off that where the gold was, and the marshal thinking it tedious, and thinking there had been no more, bid him put them on again. And upon a certain time he gave it me in half a little white loaf, when we stood with the soldiers waiting to be called. And they seeing the book called ‘The way to the kingdom,’ that it was printed at Amsterdam, asked me, ‘What books I brought from thence to Paltz, and how many?’ And one morning having sent for one of the priests. He got that written book of George Fox’s of the Apostacy of Christendom, who looking on it, began to be hot and wrathful, saying, ‘How are we (meaning the papists) apostatized, and how can that be proved?’ I said, ‘Friend, it becometh not a spiritual man to be so furious, but gentle, meek, peaceable,’ &c. Then was his countenance dashed, and he had little more to say. The inquisitor asked me farther concerning the sacrament, &c. And I told him how Christ said, ‘The flesh profiteth little, it was the spirit that quickened,’ &c. which seemed strange to him, and he asked the priest, ‘Sir, father, how is that?’ who bethought himself, and said, ‘He did remember there was such a saying;’ and more words passed between us, which would now be too long to relate. Farther, the inquisitor asked me, ‘If I would be a catholic?’ I said, ‘If I should be so for fear or favour of them, the Lord not requiring it of me, I should not have peace in my conscience, and the displeasure of the Lord would be more intolerable than theirs; and as for compelling people, that did but make them hypocrites, and doth not truly change the heart.’ Which the priest could not deny but that it was true. And notwithstanding our innocence, the governor would have us racked, which seemed to me, according to relation, a cruel torment; and in those days I often poured forth my supplication to the Lord with tears. And being almost every day examined until the eighth day, they made ready benches to sit on, lighted the candle, and put John out of his room, and sent for me. The inquisitor sitting there with two more officers, and the marshal and the hangman by them.
‘The inquisitor said, ‘William, that you may not think we deal with you as tyrants, we will lay it before you, that you may tell what you know in time, for if you be racked, you will be but a miserable man, and must have your head cut off besides.’ But I told him, ‘I knew no evil, nor had any such thing in my heart against them.’ Then he read a few lines to this purpose. ‘We, Leopoldus, &c. Emperor, &c. having understood of two impeached persons, John Philly and William Moore, found by our frontier garrisons, our desire is they should be racked, to know their intent.’ And then the hangman, according to order, put on an iron screw hard upon my thumbs, and bid me, ‘Tell out.’ Then he slacked them and screwed them harder again; but that not availing, he was commanded to proceed farther, and so he tied a small cord about my wrist behind my back, and drew me up some degrees on the ladder, and tied my hands to one of them, and another cord about my ancles, with a battel of wood between my feet, lifted up my body quite from the ladder, and at the first pull my left arm gave a pretty loud crack out of joint, being shorter tied above that wrist; then he was bid put it in joint again. So he slacked, and they asked me, having three things especially to ask. 1st. Why did I ask the student, if one should come to them, and say, He intended to buy somewhat of them, if they would then kill him? 2d. Why we had desired to be set over the water at the town, and who was the author? 3d. Why I had written up some of the names of the garrisons, and other places, notwithstanding I had them in the maps?
‘And though he mentioned but three questions at the first, yet he would have forced me to have told, whether J. Philly was an engineer, a gunner, or a minister? Now this suspicion of his being a minister, had an Irishman, it seems, put into their heads, who had almost an irreconcileable hatred or malice in him against Englishmen, as I afterward out of his mouth plainly understood, especially against ministers, as authors of their ruin and exile: and this man was interpreter between me and them. But I answered, and kept to this, that he was an husbandman and a maltman, and I knew him not till he came to Amsterdam. He asked me, ‘If I had a mind to go to the Turks, and to be one?’ I said, ‘I had rather die than be one.’ In the mean time I was so racked, that my chin was so close to my breast, and closed my mouth, that I was almost choaked, and could not well speak any longer, and I should not wish any to experience how painful it was, and yet they would be questioning me. Then I asked them ‘Where is now the Christian love, and do ye now as ye would be done unto?’ And I cried the louder, that the people without might hear and bear witness what they were a doing to me, for the door was shut and guarded, and sometimes when I was slacked, it was almost as painful as the pulling: but something they would have out of me, and I told them, how that they might by such means force one (as I believed many had done) to say more than they knew, to be out of their pain; for I had rather they had proceeded to have beheaded me according to their threatenings, than to have tormented me; but yet that they would not do then, for he (the inquisitor) would have me say yea to it, which it’s likely would have been enough to them, though they had known us to have confessed a lie: howbeit finally I confessed, it was for love to our religion that we were come to those places. Then they left off, as thinking there was crime enough: yet he spake as if I should be racked again on the third day.