When I came in I could hardly speak to them, I was so bruised; only
I told them where I left James Nayler. So they took each of them a
horse, and went and brought him thither that night. The next day
Margaret Fell hearing of it, sent a horse for me; but I was so sore
with bruises, I was not able to bear the shaking of the horse without
much pain.
When I was come to Swarthmore, Justice Sawrey and one Justice
Thompson, of Lancaster, granted a warrant against me; but Judge Fell
coming home, it was not served upon me; for he was out of the country
all this time that I was thus cruelly abused. When he came home he
sent forth warrants into the isle of Walney, to apprehend all those
riotous persons; whereupon some of them fled the country.
James Lancaster's wife was afterwards convinced of the truth, and
repented of the evils she had done me; and so did others of those
bitter persecutors also; but the judgments of God fell upon some of
them, and destruction is come upon many of them since. Judge Fell
asked me to give him a relation of my persecution; but I told him
they could do no otherwise in the spirit wherein they were, and that
they manifested the fruits of their priest's ministry, and their
profession and religion to be wrong. So he told his wife I made light
of it, and that I spoke of it as a man that had not been concerned;
for, indeed, the Lord's power healed me again.
The time for the sessions at Lancaster being come, I went thither
with Judge Fell, who on the way told me he had never had such a
matter brought before him before, and he could not well tell what
to do in the business. I told him, when Paul was brought before the
rulers, and the Jews and priests came down to accuse him, and laid
many false things to his charge, Paul stood still all that while. And
when they had done, Festus, the governor, and king Agrippa, beckoned
to him to speak for himself; which Paul did, and cleared himself of
all those false accusations; so he might do with me.
Being come to Lancaster, Justice Sawrey and Justice Thompson having
granted a warrant to apprehend me, though I was not apprehended
by it, yet hearing of it, I appeared at the sessions, where there
appeared against me about forty priests. These had chosen one
Marshall, priest of Lancaster, to be their orator; and had provided
one young priest, and two priests' sons, to bear witness against me,
who had sworn beforehand that I had spoken blasphemy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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