north) incensed them against me, and set them on to hale, beat, and bruise me. Then on a sudden the people were in a rage, and they fell upon me in the steeple-house be fore his face, and knocked me down, and kicked me, and trampled upon me, he looking on; and so great was the uproar, that some people tumbled over their seats for fear. At last he came and took me from the people, and led me out of the steeple-house, and put me into the hands of the constables and other officers, bidding them whip me, and put me out of the town. Then they led me about a quarter of a mile, some taking hold by my collar, and some by my arms and shoulders, and shook and dragged me along. And there being many friendly people come to the market, and some of them come to the steeple-house to hear me, divers of these they knocked down also, and brake their heads, so that the blood ran down from several of them. And judge Fell's son running after, to see what they would do with me, they threw him into a ditch of water, some of them crying, knock the teeth out of his head. Now when they had haled me to the common-moss side, a multitude of people following, the constables and other officers gave me some blows over my back with their willow-rods, and so thrust me among the rude multitude, who (having furnished themselves, some with staves, some with hedge-stakes, and others with holm or holly-bushes) fell upon me, and beat me on my head, arms, and shoulders, till they had amazed me; so that I fell down upon the wet common. And when I recovered myself again, and saw myself lying in a watery common, and the people standing about me, I lay still a little while; and the power of the Lord sprang through me, and the Eternal Refreshings refreshed me, so that I stood up again in the strengthening power of the Eternal God. And stretching out my arms amongst them, I said with a loud voice, Strike again; here are my arms, my head, and my cheeks.' There was in the company a mason, a professor, but a rude fellow; he with his walking rule-staff gave me a blow with all his might, just over the back of my hand, as it was stretched out, with which blow my hand was so bruised, and my arm so benumbed, that I could not draw it unto me again; so that some of the people cried out, he hath spoiled his hand for ever having any use of it more. But I looked at it in the love of God (for I was in the love of God to them all, that had persecuted me) and after a while the Lord's power sprang through me again, and through my hand and arm, so that in a moment I recovered strength in my hand and arm in the sight of them all. Then they VOL. I.

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began to fall out among themselves, and some of them came to me, and said if I would give them money, they would secure me from the rest. But I was moved of the Lord to declare to them all the word of life, and shewed them their false Christianity, and the fruits of their priest's ministry, telling them they were more like heathens and Jews than true Christians. Then was I moved of the Lord to come up again through the midst of the people, and go up into Ulverstone market. And as I went, there met me a man, a soldier, with his sword by his side; Sir,' said he to me, I see you are a man, and I am ashamed and grieved that you should be thus abused;' and he offered to assist me in what he could. But I told him the Lord's power was over all; so I walked through the people in the market, and none of them had power to touch me then. But some of the market-people abusing some friends in the market, I turned me about and saw this soldier among them with his naked rapier, whereupon I ran in amongst them, and catching hold of his hand, that his rapier was in, I bid him put up his sword again if he would go along with me; for I was willing to draw him out from the company, lest some mischief should be done. Yet a few days after seven men fell upon this soldier, and beat him cruelly, because he had taken part with friends and me; for it was the manner of the persecutors of that country for twenty or forty people to run upon one man. And they fell so upon friends in many places, that they could hardly pass the high-ways, stoning, beating, and breaking their heads. Now when I came up to Swarthmore, found the friends there dressing the heads and hands of friends and friendly people, which had been broken or hurt that day by the professors and hearers of Lampitt, the priest. My body and arms were yellow, black, and blue, with the blows and bruises I received amongst them that day. And now began the priests to prophecy again, that within half a year we should be all put down and gone,

About two weeks after this I went into Walney island, and James Naylor went with me; and we stayed one night at a little town on this side, called Cockan, and had a meeting there, where there was one convinced. After a while there came a man with a pistol, whereupon the people ran out of doors. He called for me; and when I came out to him, he snapped his pistol at me, but it would not go off. This caused the people to make a great bustle about him; and some of them took hold of him, to prevent his doing mischief; but I was moved in the Lord's power to speak to him; and he was so struck by the power of the

Lord, that he trembled for fear, and went and hid himself. Thus the Lord's power came over them all, though there was a great rage in the country.

The next morning I went over in a boat to James Lancaster's; and as soon as I came to land, there rushed out about forty men with staves, clubs, and fishing-poles, and fell upon me, beating and punching me, and endeavoured to thrust me backward into the sea. And when they had thrust me almost into the sea, and I saw they would have knocked me down there in the sea, I went up into the middle of them; but they laid at me again, and knocked me down, and stunned me. When I came to myself, I looked up and saw James Lancaster's wife throwing stones at my face, and her husband James Lancaster was lying over me, to keep the blows and the stones from off me; for the people had persuaded James Lancaster's wife that I had bewitched her husband; and had promised her, that if she would let them know when I came thither, they would be my death. And having got knowledge of my coming, many of the town rose up in this manner with clubs and staves to kill me; but the Lord's power preserved me, that they could not take away my life. At length I got up upon my feet, but they beat me down again into the boat; which James Lancaster observing, he presently came into the boat to me, and set me over the water from them; but while we were on the water within their reach, they struck at us with long poles, and threw stones after us. By that time we were come to the other side, we saw them beating James Naylor; for whilst they had been beating of me, he walked up into a field, and they never minded him till I was gone; then they fell upon him, and all their cry was, kill him, kill him.

Now 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 church-yard. So after they had abused me, they drove me a pretty way out of the town, and there left me. Then went James Lancaster back again to look after James Naylor; and I being now left alone, went to a ditch of water, and having washed myself (for they had all bedirted and besmeared my face, hands, and clothes, with miry dirt and wet) I walked about three miles to Thomas Hutton's house, where lodged Thomas Lawson, the priest that was convinced. And when I came in,

I could hardly speak to them I was so bruised, only I told them where I left James Naylor; whereupon they took each of them an horse, and went and brought him thither that night. The next day Margaret Fell hearing of it, sent an horse for me, but so sore I was with the bruises I had, that 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 forth 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 abused and cruelly used. But 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 evil she had done me; and so did some 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 nothing of it, and that I spake of it as man that had not been concerned; for, indeed, the Lord's power healed me again.

After I was recovered, I went to Yelland, 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; and the maid of the house seeing the pistol, told her master; who thereupon clapping his hands on both the door-posts, told him he should not come in there. And while he stood there, keeping the doorway, 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.

The time for the sessions at Lancaster being come, I went to Lancaster 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; and so he might do by me. Being come to Lancaster, and 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 Marshal, priest of Lancaster, to be their orator; and had provided one young priest, and two priest's sons, to bear witness against me, who had sworn before-hand that I had spoken blasphemy. When the justices were set, they heard all that the priests and their witnesses could say and charge against me; their orator Marshal, sitting by, and explaining their sayings for them; but the witnesses were so confounded, that they discovered themselves to be false witnesses; for when the court had examined one of the witnesses upon oath, and then began to examine another of them, he was at such loss he could not answer directly, but said the other could say it. Which made the justices say to him, have you sworn it, and given it in already upon your oath, and now say that he can say it? It seems you did not hear those words spoken yourself, though you have sworn it,

There were then in court several people who had been at that meeting, wherein the witnesses swore I spake those blasphemous words which the priests accused me of; and these being men of integrity and reputation in the country, did declare and affirm in court, that the oath, which the witnesses had taken against me, was altogether false, and that no such words as they had sworn against me were spoken by me at that meeting; for, indeed, most of the serious men of that side of the county, that were then at the sessions, had been at that meeting, and had heard me both at that meeting and at other meetings also. This was taken notice of by colonel West, who being a justice of the peace, was then upon the bench; and having long been weak in body, blessed the Lord, and said, the Lord had healed him that day; adding, that he never saw so many sober people and good faces together in all his life. And then, turning himself to me, he said in the open sessions, George, if thou hast any thing to say to the people, thou mayest freely declare it. And I was moved of the Lord to speak; and as soon as I began, priest Marshal, the orator for the rest of the priests, went his way. which I was noved to declare was this, that the holy scriptures were given forth by the Spirit of God, and all people must first come to the Spirit of God in themselves, by which they might know God and Christ, of whom the

That