The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By HimselfEllwood, Thomas
History
The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By Himself
Ellwood, Thomas
Ellwood, Thomas, 1639-1713; Quakers -- Biography
His comrade, who for some time was only called the Informer, was named
Ralph Lacy, of Risborough, and surnamed the Cow-stealer.
These agreed between themselves where to make their first onset, which
was to be, and was, on the meeting of the people called Quakers, then
holden at the house of William Russell, called Jourdan’s, in the parish
of Giles Chalfont, in the county of Bucks; that which was wanting to
their accommodation was a place of harbour, for assistance wherein
recourse was had to Parson Philips, none being so ready, none so willing,
none so able to help them as he.
A friend he had in a corner, a widow woman, not long before one of his
parishioners; her name was Anne Dell, and at that time she lived at a
farm called Whites, a bye-place in the parish of Beaconsfield, whither
she removed from Hitchindon. To her these fellows were recommended by
her old friend the parson. She with all readiness received them; her
house was at all times open to them; what she had was at their command.
Two sons she had at home with her, both at man’s estate. The younger
son, whose name was John Dell, listed himself in the service of his
mother’s new guests, to attend on them as their guide, and to inform them
(who were too much strangers to pretend to know the names of any of the
persons there) whom they should inform against.
Thus consorted, thus in a triple league confederated, on the 24th day of
the fifth month, commonly called July, in the year 1670, they appeared
openly, and began to act their intended tragedy upon the Quakers’ meeting
at the place aforesaid, to which I belonged, and at which I was present.
Here the chief actor, Poulter, behaved himself with such impetuous
violence and brutish rudeness as gave occasion for inquiry who or what he
was? And being soon discovered to be the Trepan, so infamous and
abhorred by all sober people, and afterwards daily detected of gross
impieties and the felonious taking of certain goods from one of
Brainford, whom also he cheated of money—these things raising an outcry
in the country upon him, made him consult his own safety, and leaving his
part to be acted by others, quitted the country as soon as he could.
He being gone, Satan soon supplied his place by sending one Richard Aris,
a broken ironmonger of Wycombe, to join with Lacy in this service,
prompted thereto in hopes that he might thereby repair his broken
fortune.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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