Not being willing to enter into a promise, he was by the Irish friar, (with a guard of horse and footmen, he brought with him,) carried back to Jaffa, and embarked in a vessel bound for St. John d’Acre; whither being come, a French merchant called Surrubi, took him into his house, and lodged him about three weeks. This man entertained him very kindly, and would say sometimes that it was the Lord’s doings; ‘For,’ said he, ‘when my own countrymen come to me, they are little to me, but thee I can willingly receive.’ After much trouble, Robinson got opportunity, by the help of the said French merchant, who was an ancient man, to return by sea to Jaffa; from whence he went on his journey a-foot, and by the way met three men, two of them riding upon asses, and the other going a-foot; and they asking him for money, one held his gun to his breast, and another put his hands into his pockets, and took some things out. He suffering all this without any opposition, the man that took his things from him put them up again; and one of the three taking him by the hand, led him a little on his way, in a friendly manner, and so left him. At length Robinson came to Ramoth, where he was presently known, and two that belonged to the friars laid hold on him, and hurried him away; but two Turks took him from them, and one leading him by one arm, and the other by the other, they brought him into a mosque, or Turkish temple. Thus innocently entering there, many people came flocking in, and also some of the Mahometan priests, who having caused him to sit down, asked him whether he would turn to the Mahometan religion? But he refusing, they pressed him much, made great promises, and said that he had no need to fear what the Christians might do unto him. Nevertheless he answered he could not turn unto them for all the world. But they continued to strive much with him, and would have him hold up one of his fingers, as a sign of owning them; and one bid him say, ‘Christ is bad;’ but he answered, he knew him to be good, and he was his servant. Then some growing angry, said if he would not turn to their religion, he would die. To which he replying that he would rather die than turn unto them; it was answered, he should then die. And so by their order, the executioner hauled him away to the place where it was expected that he should have been burnt to death with camel’s dung. Here he was made to sit down upon the ground, and was as a sheep among wolves. Whilst he was thus sitting with a retired mind, the Turks began to fall out among themselves, and whilst they were at odds, a grave ancient Turk, a man of note, came to him, and said whether he would turn from his religion or not, he should not die. Then he was brought before the priests again, who asked him, ‘Will you turn?’ and he answering ‘No,’ they recorded in a book, that he was no Roman Catholic, but of another religion; for though he denied to be such a Catholic, yet he had owned that he was a Christian.
The Turks coming now to be more sedate, the aforesaid ancient man ordered his servants to conduct Robinson to his house, where he was friendly entertained, and soon perceived that the friars had thus plotted against him; for he went not into the mosque of his own accord; being led into it; but heaven preserved him. After having been four or five days in the house of the ancient Turk, there came a guard of horsemen, hired by the friars, to carry him to Gaza; for they had pre-informed the bashaw of that place against him; but Robinson being come thither, things took another turn than they expected; for the bashaw being by some Turks made acquainted with the mischievous design of the friars, made them not only pay a considerable fine, but also commanded them to convey Robinson safely to Jerusalem. Whilst he was at Gaza, he was visited by many Turks, Greeks, and Armenians; the latter of which having heard he was a Christian, and that he chose rather to die than to turn from his religion, became very loving, as were the Turks, the Jews also showed themselves moderate towards him. Then according to the forementioned order of the bashaw, he was carried to Jerusalem, and there, by the appointment of the friars, brought into their convent, where at first they seemingly showed love unto him, and one confessed, there was now an evident sign, that he was a good Christian, for he was come through persecution and sufferings; and those things which had been spoken in his prejudice, were manifest to be untrue. Robinson told the friar, it was he and his brethren that had been the cause of his sufferings, and withstood his coming to Jerusalem. To which the other returned, that the English friar had misinformed them by his writing, which had caused them to do what they had done; and that therefore they desired he would now pass by those things, seeing he was come through in such a miraculous manner; for, (continued the friar,) it was the Lord’s work, thus to carry him through, and he might praise God he was preserved.
The next morning a friar came to him, and asked if he would become an obedient child, and go to visit the holy places, according to their custom; he answered, ‘No.’ Then the friar said, ‘Whereas others give great sums of money to see them, you shall see them for nothing.’ But Robinson replied ‘I shall not visit them in your manner, for in so doing I should sin against God.’ This did not please the friar, yet he said they would honour him as much as ever they honoured any Englishman that came thither, if he would conform unto them. But Robinson continued immoveable, and said he should not conform; and as for their honour, he did not matter it. Then the friar became angry, and said they would make him an example to all Englishmen that came thither. To which Robinson returned, ‘I choose your dishonour rather than your honour.’ The friar seeing he could not prevail, went away in anger, and within a short time came again; and other friars being present, one asked him if he would visit their church, and the holy sepulchre, and Bethlehem, with the rest of the holy places, as other pilgrims did? But he told them, at present he had no business to visit them; and in their manner he should not visit them at all, viz. to worship them. Then one said to him, ‘How can you be a servant of God, and will not go to visit the places where the holy men of God dwelt?’ To which he returned, that they under pretence of doing service to God, in visiting the places where the holy men dwelt, did oppose that way, and resist that life, which the holy men of God lived and walked in. Then one of the friars said, ‘What do you preach unto us for?’ To which he replied, that he would have them turn from those evil practices they lived in, else the wrath of the Almighty would be kindled against them. But they did not at all like such discourse, and therefore said, if he would not go and visit the aforesaid places, yet he must give twenty-five dollars, as was the manner of those that visited them; for, said they, the Turks must be paid, whether he would visit them, or not; but if he would visit them, then they would pay it for him. To this he signified, that he could not submit to such unreasonable terms.
Then they brought him before a Turk in authority in that place, who asked him divers questions, to which he soberly gave answers; and they discoursing about the worship of the Christians, the Turk asked also, what was the ground of his coming to Jerusalem. To which he answered, that it was by the command of the Lord God of heaven and earth he came thither; and that the great and tender love of God was made manifest in visiting them; his compassionate mercies being such, that he would gather them in this the day of his gathering. This was the message which Robinson believed he had from the Lord to declare unto them, whether they would hear, or forbear. And afterwards he wrote, that having thus cleared his conscience, he found great peace with the Lord, and therefore he magnified his glorious name, who had gone along with him, and preserved him in many trials. For the friars, who intended him mischief, were commanded by the Turks to carry him again safe and free of charges, to Ramola. Here I leave him, because I do not find how he came home; but that he returned thither in safety, appears to me from the relation he afterwards published of his travels.
1658.
The year being come to an end, I return again to G. Fox, whom we left at Newcastle. Whilst he was there, he, with Anthony Pearson, visited some of the aldermen; and among these one Ledger, who as well as the priests, had said the Quakers would not come into any great towns, but lived in the fields like butterflies. G. Fox desired to have a meeting amongst them; but they would not yield to it. He therefore asked Ledger, whether they had not called his friends butterflies, and said they would not come into any great towns? ‘But,’ said he, ‘now we are come into your town, you will not come to us; who are the butterflies now?’ Then Ledger began to plead for the sabbath day; which made G. Fox say, they kept markets on that which was the sabbath day, for that was the seventh day of the week; whereas that day which the professed Christians now meet on, and call their sabbath, was the first day of the week. No leave for a public meeting being obtained, G. Fox got a little meeting among his friends, and some friendly people at Gateside.
Travelling from thence and passing through Northumberland, and Bishoprick, he came to Durham, where was a man come down from London, to set up a college there, to make ministers of Christ, as they said. G. Fox entering into discourse with this man, said that to teach men Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and the seven arts, was not the way to make them ministers of Christ; for the languages began at Babel; and to the Greeks that spake Greek as their mother tongue, the preaching of the cross of Christ was foolishness; and to the Jews that spake Hebrew as their mother tongue, Christ was a stumbling block. And as for the Romans, who spake Latin, they persecuted the Christians; and Pilate, one of the Roman governors, set Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, atop of Christ when he crucified him. Thus the languages, which began at Babel, had been set above Christ the Word. And John the Divine, who preached the Word, that was in the beginning, said that the beast and the whore had power over tongues and languages, and they were as waters, and in the mystery Babylon, for they began at Babel; and the persecutors of Christ set them over him, when he was crucified by them. ‘Dost thou think,’ said G. Fox to the man, ‘to make ministers of Christ by these natural confused languages, which sprang from Babel, are admired in Babylon, and set atop of Christ, the life, by a persecutor?’ The man, puzzled a little by this, confessed to many things spoken by G. Fox. Then it was showed him further, that Christ made his ministers himself, and gave gifts unto them, and bid them pray to the Lord of the harvest, to send forth labourers: that Peter and John, though unlearnt and ignorant as to school-learning, preached Christ the Word, which was in the beginning before Babel was: and that Paul also was made an apostle, not of man, nor by man, but by Jesus Christ, who is the same now, and so is his gospel, as it was at that day. This discourse had such effect upon the man, that he became very loving; and having considered the matter further, he never set up his intended college.
From Durham G. Fox passed to Nottingham, where he gathered again a scattered people, that having about eight years before been convinced of the Truth, had been led aside by one Rice Jones.
From hence he went into Warwickshire, and passing through Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, he came into Bedfordshire, and so to John Crook’s house, where a general yearly meeting was appointed, which lasted three days: and many of G. Fox’s friends from most parts of the nation came to it, so that the inns in the towns thereabouts were filled. Here was also William Caton, who after the meeting was ended, went with Thomas Salthouse, formerly his fellow-servant in the house of judge Fell, to Westmoreland, Cumberland, and Swarthmore in Lancashire. In the said general meeting, G. Fox made a long speech concerning the several states of man, but more especially for instruction of the ministers of the word, exhorting them at large to be circumspect in their station.
After the meeting was over, there came a party of horse with a constable, to seize upon G. Fox, who then was walking in J. Crook’s garden: and though somebody, when they came to the house, had told them G. Fox was there, yet they were so confounded, that they came not into the garden to look for him, but went away without him.