Not long after, this John Fox was complained of in the House of Commons, for “having a tumultuous meeting, in which treasonable words were spoken;” which (according to the best information I could get of it) was thus:—He had formerly been priest of Mansfield [Manningford?] in Wiltshire; and being put out of that place, was afterwards permitted by a Common-Prayer priest to preach sometimes in his steeple-house. At length this Presbyterian priest, presuming too far upon the parish priest’s former grant, began to be more bold than welcome, and attempted to preach there, whether the parish priest would or not. This caused a great bustle and contest in the steeple-house between the two priests, and their hearers, on each side; in which contest the Common-Prayer-Book was cut to pieces, and some treasonable words were spoken by some of the followers of John Fox. This was quickly put in the news: and some malicious Presbyterians caused it to be worded as if it had proceeded from George Fox, the Quaker, when I was above two hundred miles from the place where this bustle happened. When I heard of it, I soon procured certificates from some of the members of the House of Commons, who knew this John Fox, and gave it under their hands, that it was John Fox, who had formerly been parson at Mansfield in Wiltshire, that was complained of to the House of Commons, to be the chief ringleader in that unlawful assembly. And indeed this John Fox discovered himself to be an ill man; for when some, who had been his followers, came to be convinced of truth, and thereupon left him, he came to some of their houses to talk with them about it, and they telling him, “he was in the steps of the false prophets, preaching for hire and filthy lucre, like them whom Christ cried woe against, and the apostles declared against, such as served not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies; and telling him also, Christ said, ‘freely ye have received, freely give;’ and therefore he should not take money of people for preaching, especially now times were so hard;” he replied, “God bless preaching, for that brings in money, let times go how they will. Fill my belly with good victuals; and then call me false prophet, or what you will, and kick me about the house when ye have done if ye will.” This relation I had from a man and his wife, who had been formerly his hearers, and whom this John Fox, with others, caused deeply to suffer. For he and some other Presbyterian priests, using to resort to a widow-woman’s house, who had the impropriation, and took the tithes of the parish, she told them, there was a Quaker in that parish, that would not pay her tithes, and asked what she should do with him. They advised her “to send workmen to cut down and carry away his corn;” which she did, and thereby impoverished the man. But to proceed—