The journal of George Fox, vol. 1 of 2 : $b Being an historical account of his life, travels, sufferings, and Christian experiences.Fox, George
Religion
The journal of George Fox, vol. 1 of 2 : $b Being an historical account of his life, travels, sufferings, and Christian experiences.
Fox, George
Fox, George, 1624-1691
When I was come over to the town again, on the other side of the water,
the townsmen rose up with pitchforks, flails, and staves, to keep me out
of the town, crying, “Kill him, knock him on the head, bring the cart,
and carry him away to the churchyard.” So after they had abused me, they
drove me some distance out of the town, and there left me. Then went
James Lancaster back to look after James Naylor; and I being now left
alone, went to a ditch of water, and having washed myself (for they had
besmeared my face, hands, and clothes, with miry dirt), I walked about
three miles to Thomas Hutton’s house, where lodged Thomas Lawson, the
priest that was convinced. When I came in, I could hardly speak to them,
I was so bruised; only I told them where I left James Naylor; 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 so
sore I was 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.
After I was recovered, I went to YEALAND, where there was a great
meeting. In the evening there came a priest to the house, with a pistol
in his hand, under pretence to light a pipe of tobacco. The maid of the
house seeing the pistol told her master; who, clapping his hands on the
door-posts, told him he should not come in there. While he stood there,
keeping the door-way, he looked up, and spied over the wall a company of
men coming, some armed with staves, and one with a musket. But the Lord
God prevented their bloody design; so that seeing themselves discovered,
they went their way, and did no harm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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