the indictment. But after I was gone, the judge asked the jury if they were agreed. And they said, yes, and found for the king against me, as I was told. But I was never called to hear sentence given, nor was any sentence given against me that I could hear of. For I heard that when they had looked more narrowly into the indictment, they saw and were sensible themselves that the indictment was not good; and the judge having sworn the officers of the court that the oath was tendered me at the assize before, such a day, according as was set in the indictment, and that proving to be the wrong day, I should have proved the officers of the court forsworn men again, if the judge would have suffered me to go on to plead to the indictment; which was thought to be the reason why he hurried me away so soon. The judge had passed sentence of premunire upon Margaret Fell before I was brought before him; and it seems when I was hurried away so, they recorded me as a premunired person, though I was never brought to hear the sentence, nor knew of it; which was very illegal. For they ought to have not only had me present to hear the sentence given, but also to have asked me first, what I could say why sentence should not be given against me; but they knew I had so much to say that they could not give sentence if they heard it.

While I was a prisoner in Lancaster-castle, there was a great noise and talk of the Turk's overspreading Christendom, and great fears entered many. But one day as I was walking in my prison chamber, I saw the Lord's power turn against him, and that he was turning back again. And I declared to some what the Lord had let me see, when there were such fears of his over-running Christendom, and within a month after the news-books came down, wherein it was mentioned that they had given him a defeat.

Another time as I was walking in my chamber, with my eye to the Lord, I saw the angel of the Lord with a glittering drawn sword stretched southward, as though the court had been all on a fire. Not long after the wars brake out with Holland, and the sickness brake forth, and afterwards the fire of London; so the Lord's sword was drawn indeed.

Now by reason of my long and close imprisonment in so bad a place, I was grown very weak of body; but the Lord's power was over all, and supported me through all, and enabled me to do service for him, and for his truth and people, as the place would admit. For while I was in Lancaster-prison, I answered several books, as the Mass,

and the Common-prayer, and the Directory, and the Church-Faith, which are the four chief religions that are got up since the apostles' days. And there being several friends in prison at Lancaster and other prisons for not paying tithes, I was moved to give forth the following lines to the world concerning tithes :

In the time of the law, they that did not bring their tithes into the store-house, they robbed God, and then there was not meat in their house; therefore the Lord commanded them to bring them into his house, that there might be meat in the store-house, which was to fill the fatherless, stranger, and widow. But these priests, who are counterfeits, who take people's tithes now by a law, are from the beast; and if any will not pay them, they prison them, or make them pay treble. So these rob the poor people, and rob the fatherless, and the stranger, and the widow is not filled; so their cry is gone up to heaven against these. And many are made almost beggars by these oppressing priests, their cattle and their corn being taken away from them, and they cast into prison. Others are sued at the law by these priests, and have treble damage taken from them, and yet such priests are cried up to be ministers of the gospel. Though when the unchangeable priest was come, the priesthood that was changeable, was denied, as we now deny these. But if any be moved now to cry against them, they are stocked, or beat, or imprisoned, as there are many now in prison at Lancaster, and in other places, by a national law; the like whereof was never done by the law of God, which was delivered to Moses. For we do not read that under Moses his law any suffered imprisonment, or spoiling of their goods for not paying tithes, or was to pay treble damage. Surely, surely, the cry for vengeance will be heard, which arises from the oppressed souls that lie under the altar. And there are many which be prisoners at Kendall, because they cannot pay tithes, as captain Ward, and Thomas Robertson, and the widow Garland, who hath many small children, and these suffer because they cannot pay tithes. Others there be in Kendall-prison, who were moved of the Lord to speak to the priests, whereof one was moved to go in sackcloth, and of late with ashes upon her head. And others have been moved to go in sack-cloth as a lamentation for the miserable estate of this nation, seeing so much crying up of the preaching of the gospel, and yet so much strife, debate, and oaths, and dissension among people; but where the gospel is received indeed, strife and contention

are ended, and oppression is taken off. But oh! the land mourns, because of the oppression of them called ministers! And though the cry of the oppressed hath not entered into the ears of the magistrates; yet is the cry of the poor oppressed people of God entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, who now will be avenged of all his adversaries. And all you unjust law-givers, and unjust judges, to that in all your consciences I speak, to be cleared when ye are judged by the just Judge of heaven and earth, whose terror is gone out, and is gone forth against all the ungodly, and all the oppressors of God's people whatsoever, whether ye will hear or forbear.'

G. F.

After the assize at Lancaster was over, colonel Kirby and some others of the justices were very uneasy with my being at Lancaster, (for I had gauled them sore at my trials there) and they laboured much to get me removed from thence to some remote place. Colonel Kirby threatened that I should be sent far enough, and sometimes he said I should be sent beyond the seas. So about six weeks after the assizes they got an order from the king and council to remove me from Lancaster, and with it they brought a letter from the earl of Anglesea, wherein was written, that if those things were found true against me, which I was charged withal, I deserved no clemency nor mercy; and yet the greatest matter they had against me was, because I could not disobey the command of Christ and swear.

When they had prepared for my removal, the undersheriff, and the head-sheriff's man, with some bailiffs, came and fetched me out of the castle, when I was so weak with lying in that cold, wet, and smoky prison, that I could hardly go or stand. They had me down into the jailer's house, where was William Kirby, a justice, and several others, and they called for wine to give me. I told them I would have none of their wine. Then they cried, Bring out the horses. I desired them first to shew me their order, or a copy of it, if they intended to remove me; but they would shew me none but their swords. Then I told them, there was no sentence passed upon me, nor was I premunired that I knew of, and therefore I was not made the king's prisoner, but was the sheriff's; for they and all the country knew that I was not fully heard at the last assize, nor suffered to shew forth the errors that were in the indictment, which were sufficient to quash it, though they had kept me from one assize to another, to the end

they might try me. But they all knew there was no sentence of premunire passed upon me; and therefore I not being the king's prisoner but the sheriff's, did desire to see their order. Instead of shewing me their order, they haled me out, and lifted me up upon one of the sheriff's horses. And when I was on horseback in the street, the town's people being gathered to gaze upon me, I told the officers I had received neither Christianity, civility, nor humanity, from them. So they hurried me away about fourteen miles to Bentham, and I was so very weak that 1 was hardly able to sit on horseback; and my cloathes smelt so of smoke that they were loathsome to myself, And the wicked jailer, one Hunter, a young fellow, would come behind and give the horse a lash with his whip, and make him skip and leap, that I, being weak, had much ado to sit him; and then he would come and look me in the face, and say, How do you, Mr. Fox? I told him, it was not civil in him to do so; but the Lord cut him off soon after.

When we were come to Bentham in Yorkshire there met us many troopers, and a marshall, and many of the gentry of the country were come in, and abundance of people to stare at me. I being very weak and weary, desired them to let me lie down on a bed, which the soldiers permitted me; for they that brought me thither gave their order to the marshall, and he set a guard of his soldiers upon me. When they had staid there awhile they pressed horses, and raised the bailiff of the hundred, and the constables, and others, and had me to Giggleswick that night, but an exceeding weak man I was. There they raised the constables with their clog shoes, who sate drinking all night in the room by me, so that I could not get much rest. The next day we came to a market town, where several friends came to see me, and Robert Widders and divers friends came to me upon the road. The next day I asked the soldiers whither they intended to carry me, and whither I was to be sent; some of them said beyond sea, others said to Tynemouth castle. And a great fear there was amongst them lest some should rescue me out of their hands, but that fear was needless. Next night we came to York, where the marshall put me up into a great chamber, where there came most part of two troops to see me. One of those troopers, being an envious man, and hearing that I was premunired, asked me what estate I had, and whether it was copyhold or free land. I took no notice of his question, but was moved to declare the word of life to the soldiers, and many of them were very loving. At night the lord

Frecheville (so called) who commanded those horse, came to me, and was very civil and loving, and I gave him an account of my imprisonment, and declared many things to him relating to truth. They kept me at York two days, and then the marshall and four or five soldiers were sent to convey me to Scarborough Castle: indeed these were very civil men, and carried themselves civilly and lovingly to me. On the way we baited at Malton, and they permitted friends to come and visit me: when we were come to Scarborough, they had me to an inn, and gave notice to the governor, and he sent half a dozen soldiers to be my guard that night. Next day they conducted me up into the castle, and there put me into a room, and set a centry on me, and I being so very weak and subject to fainting, they for awhile let me go out sometimes into the air with the centry. They soon removed me out of this room, and put me into an open room, where the rain came in, and the room smoked exceedingly, which was very offensive to me. One day the governor, who was called Sir John Crosland, came to see me, and brought with him one called Sir Francis Cobb. I desired the governor to go into my room, and see what a room I had. Now I had got a little fire made in it, and the room was so filled with smoke, that when they were in they could hardly find their way out again, and he being a papist I told him that was his purgatory which they had put me into. I was forced to lay out a matter of fifty shillings to stop out the rain, and keep the room from smoking so much: but when I had been at that charge, and made the room somewhat tolerable, they removed me out of it, and put me into a worse room, where I had neither chimney nor fire-hearth; and the room being to the sea-side and lying much open, the wind drove in the rain forcibly, so that the water came over my bed and ran about the room, that I was fain to skim it up with a platter. And when my clothes were wet I had no fire to dry them, so that my body was benumbed with cold, and my fingers swelled that one was grown as big as two; and though I was at some charge on this room also, yet I could not keep out the wind and rain. Besides they would suffer few friends to come at me, and many times not any, no, not so much as to bring me a little food; but I was forced for the first quarter to hire one of the world to bring me necessaries; and sometimes the soldiers would take it from her, and then she would scuffle with them for it. Afterwards I hired a soldier to fetch me water and bread, and something to make a fire of, when I was in a room where a fire could be made. Commonly a