About the same time that G. Fox was released, Cromwell called a parliament, which met for the first sitting, in the painted chamber at Westminster, on the 17th of the month called September. Samuel Fisher got an opportunity to come into this assembly, where he heard the protector’s speech, and in it these words, ‘that he knew not of any one man that had suffered imprisonment unjustly in all England.’ And after he had got the conveniency of a standing, he said that he had a word to speak from the Lord to the protector, to the parliament, and the people, and then he began thus:
‘The burden of the word of the Lord God of heaven and of earth, as it came unto me on the 22d day of the last month, and as it now lieth upon me to declare it in his name, even unto thee, Oliver Cromwell, protector, (so called,) of these three nations, England, Scotland, and Ireland; and also to all you who are chosen out of the several parts thereof to sit in parliament this day, to consider of such things as concern the commonwealth thereof; and likewise to the three nations themselves, and all the people thereof, whose rulers and representatives ye are: which word of the Lord, as ye do not deem yourselves too high, or too great, or too good, to be spoken to from the Lord; and as you will not fall under the guilt of that sin of saying to the seers, See not, and to the prophets, Prophesy not, prophesy not unto us right things, prophesy smooth things, prophesy deceits; I charge you all, in the name of the living God, that without interruption or opposition, whether you like it, or like it not, you stand still and hear it: and when I have done, you may do with me as the Lord shall give you leave, or leave me under the power of your hands to do; no law of equity condemning any man before he be heard, especially when he speaks on so high an account as from the God of heaven himself, though to such as are no less than God’s under him here on earth.’
Scarce had he spoken thus much, but some cried, ‘A Quaker, a Quaker; keep him down, he shall not speak:’ yet the protector and the parliament-men were still and quiet. But some others, among whom two justices of peace, had not so much patience; but Fisher, as he related afterwards, believed that the protector and the parliament-men would have given him audience, had not others set him at nought: some saying the protector had spoken long, and was very hot and weary: and that he, [Fisher,] might be ashamed to occasion his stay any longer. Thus Fisher was interrupted, and the protector and parliament-men, rising, went away, though Fisher did not question but the protector would have heard him: for his moderation in hearing what was said, having been experienced before, Fisher was willing to acknowledge his nobility as freely as Paul took notice of the like in Festus; whom he held most noble in that he would hear him, though he thought him mad. Fisher being thus prohibited, published his speech in print, so as he intended to have delivered it, though not one syllable of it was written before. It was pretty long, and contained a sharp reproof to the hypocrisy of those, who, under a show of godliness, made long prayers, kept fasts, and, nevertheless, lived in pride, pomp, and luxury, persecuting those who really were a pious people. And to the protector he said, that unless he took away the wicked from before him, and all flattering false accusers, his throne would never be established in righteousness. In the introduction placed before this speech, he saith that before this burden came upon him, he had prayed God that he might have been excused of this message, thinking that a more unworthy one than himself could not have been singled out; but whatever he did, he could not be rid of it; and though he spent a whole week with fasting, tears, and supplication, yet during the time of that abstinence, he felt a daily supply and refreshment to his spirits, so that he fully resigned to do what he believed was required of him from the Lord; and he felt all fears of the frowns of men removed from him. Some other speeches which he intended to have made to the parliament, but was obstructed therein, he also published afterwards in print.
In the latter part of this year it happened that Humphrey Smith coming to Evesham in Worcestershire, was disturbed in a meeting by the mayor, Edward Young, who said he would break the Quakers’ meetings, or else his bones should lie in the dirt. Thus resolved, he came in the month called October, on a First-day of the week in the morning, into their meeting, in a house where H. Smith was: and several persons after being rudely abused, were hauled out to prison. In the afternoon a meeting being kept in the street, some of the company were by order of the said mayor put into the stocks, and others, of which the aforesaid Smith was one, into a dark dungeon: and though the mayor then said it was an unlawful assembly, but if they would meet in houses he would not molest them; yet on next First-day of the week, he seeing one going to a meeting that was appointed in a house, put him in prison. H. Smith and his friends had some bedding and bed-clothes sent them, but the mayor caused it to be taken away from them; and afterwards when some straw was brought them to lie upon, the jailer would not suffer it; nay, when one came, and asked liberty to fetch out their dung from them, the mayor denied it, and ordered him to be put in the stocks. The place where they were kept, was not twelve feet square, and the hole to take in air, was but four inches wide, so that even by day-light they were fain to burn candle, when they had it. Here they were kept above fourteen weeks, with their own dung in the same room; so that one of them grew sick of the stink; and yet the jailer said, if they had been there for theft or murder, he could have let them have more liberty than now he durst, because of the mayor. James Wall, one of the prisoners, was a freeman of the town, and a shopkeeper, and yet the mayor forbade his wife to stand in the market-place, which for many years she had done. She going to him about it, he began to fawn upon her, and said: ‘I hear that your husband doth abuse you.’ To which she answered, ‘My husband did never abuse me; but as for that judgment which he now holdeth, once I could not own it; but now seeing it is so much persecuted, makes me own it, because the way of God was always persecuted.’ He hearing her speak so, said, she should not have a standing place for five pounds.
About a month after, Margaret Newby and Elizabeth Courton came to this town, and had a meeting at the house of one Edward Pitwayes: but coming in the afternoon to visit the prisoners, the mayor himself laid violent hands on them, and caused them to be put in the stocks, with their legs near a yard one from another; and he would not suffer them to have a block to sit on, though they desired it; yet as one that would seem to have some modesty, he bid the constable fetch a block, and put between their legs, uttering indecent expressions; in this posture they were kept for the space of fifteen hours, and then, in a freezing night sent out of the town, without suffering them to go to any place to refresh themselves. And as to Humphrey Smith, and those with him, they were yet kept a good while in prison.
In this year Alexander Parker was at Radnor in Wales, and bearing there a testimony against the priest Vavasor Powel, he also preached the doctrine of Truth, as occasion offered. It was, I think, about this time, that Ambrose Rigge and Thomas Robinson came to Exeter; from thence to Bristol, and afterwards to Basingstoke in Hampshire. Here, after much trouble, they got a meeting appointed; but before all the people were assembled, the chief priest, with the magistrates, came thither, and causing them to be taken away, tendered them the oath of abjuration. But they denying to swear for conscience sake, were committed to prison: and the jailer nailed planks before the window, to deprive them of the light; neither would he suffer them to have a candle at night. Here they were kept about a quarter of a year; having nothing to lie on but some straw. But this their suffering had such effect, that some of the inhabitants seeing these unreasonable dealings, began to inquire into the doctrine held forth by the sufferers, and so came to be convinced of the truth thereof. They at last being released, Robinson went to Portsmouth, where he preached repentance. Some time after A. Rigge came also thither, and reaped what Robinson in some respect had sowed; though it was not long before he was sent out of town. But returning within a short time, he found opportunity to have a meeting there; and by his preaching some were convinced, and embraced his doctrine.
From thence he went to the Isle of Wight, where some also received the doctrine maintained by him. After some stay he returned to Sussex, where he had great service. And travelling up and down the county, he came to Weymouth and Melcomb-Regis, where speaking in the steeple-house against the priest, he was seized and locked up in a nasty dungeon where there was nothing to lie on but some filthy straw, and a stone to sit on: there was also no house of office; but on the ground lay an heap of dung, where he was also forced to ease himself. But there being an opening at the top of the room, he could see people go along the streets, and thus took occasion, from this subterranean cave, to preach to the passengers with such power and efficacy, that his doctrine entered into the hearts of the hearers and stuck there. This manner of preaching often hath been in England, and I myself, in my young years, have been an eye-witness of it; and have heard the prisoners lift up their voice so, that it could be heard very easily in the streets; which made people that passed by, stand still, and hearken to what was spoken by such zealous preachers. And though these were often hindered of having meetings, yet it was impossible to stop up the fountain from whence their words flowed. Thus it was also with A. Rigge, who, after an imprisonment of eleven weeks, being set at liberty, travelled up and down again; but in many places where he came, a prison was his lot; sometimes even when nothing could be laid to his charge, but that he was gone from his dwelling-place; for the parliament had made a law, that all who were gone from home, and could not give a satisfactory account of their business, should be taken up as vagabonds. Under this pretence, many who travelled to the markets with their goods, were seized by the way; for if it did but appear that such an one was a Quaker, which was presently seen by his not putting off his hat, then there wanted no pretended reason to clap him up in prison.
A. Rigge travelling on, came also to visit some of his friends in prison at Southampton. This was taken so ill, that the mayor, Peter Seal, without examining, caused him to be fastened to the whipping-post, in the market place, where he was severely lashed by the executioner, and then put into a cart, and sent out of the town, in freezing snowy weather; the mayor threatening him, that if ever he returned, he should be whipt again, and burnt in the shoulder with an R. signifying rogue. Notwithstanding this, he was moved to return, and the mayor was very eager to have this executed on him; but the other magistrates would not consent; and not long after the mayor died of a bloody flux. This relation hath carried me a little beyond the course of time. But now I leave A. Rigge for a while, intending to make further mention of him hereafter.
In this year William Caton went again into Scotland, from whence returning, he travelled to Bristol, thence to Plymouth, and so to London; from whence he made a voyage again to Holland, where William Ames and John Stubbs had been, and also found some among the English people at Amsterdam, who had received the doctrine they preached, though afterwards they turned from it again. W. Ames found also some reception among the Baptists there, who at first were pleased with him, but J. Stubbs did not please them so well: as Dr. Galenus Abrahams once told me, who compared Ames to a musician that played a very melodious tune, and Stubbs to a disturber of the harmonious music; though Ames afterwards, for his great zeal, was found fault with also.
W. Caton now arrived at Dort, and from thence repaired to Rotterdam, where, for want of an interpreter that understood English, he was fain to make use of the Latin. But it grieved him exceedingly to meet with some unruly spirits there, that having been in some measure convinced by W. Ames, ran out under the denomination of Quakers, into extremes, both in words and writings. Some of these persons I know, and have seen also some of the books they published in print, in which, under a pretence of plainness, not one capital letter was to be found, even not to proper names, nay, not to names of authors themselves. And since they ran out into several other extravagancies, it was not much to be wondered, that the magistrates clapt them up in Bedlam. The ringleader of these people, was one Isaac Furnier, who formerly, (as I have heard my uncle tell, who had seen it himself,) lived as another Diogenes, using at the fire, instead of a pair of tongs, a split stick; and now conversing among the Quakers, so called, made it a piece of holiness to use the most blunt language, he could think of; how absurd and irregular soever. In fine, he so behaved himself, that the orthodox Quakers rejected his society. He it was, as I have understood, who was the author of that ridiculous saying, ‘My spirit testifieth:’ which, though not approved nor used by the true Quakers, yet hath been so spread among the people in the Low Countries, that it hath been constantly credited, and is not yet quite disbelieved, that the Quakers used to say so of any thing they intend to do; and that if any one, whoever it be, says so, they will give credit to his saying. The abovesaid Dr. Galenus told me, that this man coming to his door, and finding the doctor’s name writ on the post of the door, (as is usual in Holland,) did with his knife, scratch out the letters Dr. signifying doctor. On which the doctor asked him, why he did so? And his answer was, because the spirit did testify so unto him. And being asked farther, if so be that spirit did move him to stab the doctor with the knife, whether he would follow that motion, he answered, (if the relation be true,) as the doctor affirmed to me, ‘Yes.’ But however it be, this is true, that this Furnier was a passionate, and giddy-headed man, whom the true Quakers could not own, though he had translated many of their books out of English into Dutch; and would also preach amongst them. But at length he left them, and turning papist, fell into a dissolute and debauched life.