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stoning and beating me as they dragged me along, so that I was all over besmeared with blood and dirt. And they got my hat from me, which I never got again. Yet when I was got upon my legs again, I declared to them the word of life, and shewed them the fruits of their teacher, and how they dishonoured Christianity. So after a while I got into the meeting again amongst friends; and the priest and people coming by the house, I went forth with friends into the yard, and there I spake to the priest and people; and the priest scoffed at us, and called us Quakers. But the Lord's power was so over them, and the word of life was declared in such authority and dread to them, that the priest fell a trembling himself; and one of the people said, Look how the priest trembles and shakes, he is turned a Quaker also.' So when the meeting was over friends departed; and I went without my hat to Balby, about seven or eight miles and friends were much abused that day by the priest and his people; insomuch that some moderate justices hearing of it, two or three of them came, and sat at the town, to hear and examine the business. And he that had shed my blood was afraid of having his hand cut off, for striking me in the church (as) they called it) but I forgave him, and would not appear against him.

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In the beginning of the year 1652 great rage got up in priests and people, and in some of the magistrates of the West Riding of Yorkshire, against the truth and against friends; insomuch that the priest of Warnsworth procured a warrant from the justices against me and Thomas Aldam, which was to be executed in any part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the same time I had a vision of a bear and two great mastiff dogs; that I should pass by them, and they should do me no hurt; and it proved so for the constable took Thomas Aldam and carried him to York; and I went with Thomas Aldam twenty miles towards York and the constable had the warrant for me also, and said he saw me, but he was loth to trouble men that were strangers, but Thomas Aldam was his neighbour. So the Lord's power restrained him, that he had not power to meddle with me. And we came to lieutenant Roper's, where we had a great meeting of many considerable men; and the truth was powerfully declared amongst them, and the scriptures wonderfully opened, and the parables and sayings of Christ were expounded, and the state of the church in the apostles' days was plainly set forth, and the apostacy since from that state discovered. And the truth had great dominion that day, so that those great men that

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were present did generally confess to it, saying, they believed that this principle must go over the whole world. There were at this meeting James Naylor, Thomas Goodyear, and William Dewsbury, who had been convinced the year before; and Richard Farnsworth also. And the constable stayed with Thomas Aldam till the meeting was over, and then went towards York prison, but did not meddle with me.

From hence I went to Wakefield; and on the first-day after, I went to a steeple-house, where James Naylor had been a member of an independent church; but upon his receiving truth, he was excommunicated. When I came in, and the priest had done, the people called upon me to come up to the priest, which I did; but when I began to declare the word of life to them, and to lay open the deceit of the priest, they rushed upon me on a sudden, and thrust me out at the other door, and fell a punching and beating me, and cried, 'Let us have him to the stocks;' but the Lord's power was over them, and restrained them, that they were not suffered to put me in. So 1 passed away to the meeting, where were a great many professors and friendly people gathered, and a great convincement there was that day; for the people were mightily satisfied that they were directed to the Lord's teaching in themselves. Here we got some lodging; for four of us had lain abroad under an hedge the night before, there being then few friends in that place.

The same day Richard Farnsworth went to another great steeple-house, belonging to a great high priest, and declared the word of truth unto the people, and a great service he had amongst them, for the Lord's dread and power was mightily over all.

The priest of that church which James Naylor had been a member of, whose name was Marshal, raised many wicked slanders upon me, as that I carried bottles about with me, and made people drink of my bottles, and that made them follow me and that I rode upon a great black horse, and was seen in one country upon my black horse in one hour, and in the same hour in another country threescore miles off; and that I should give a fellow money to follow me, when I was on my black horse: with these hellish lies he fed his people, to make them think evil of the truth which I had declared amongst them. But by these lies of his, he preached many of his hearers away from him; for I was then on foot, and travelled on foot, and had no horse at that time, and that the people generally knew. But the

Lord soon after met with this envious priest, and cut him off in his wickedness.

After this I came to a town called High Town, where dwelt a woman who had been convinced a little before, and we went to her house, and had a meeting; and the townspeople gathered together, and we declared the truth to them, and had some service for the Lord amongst them, and they passed away again peaceably. But there was a widow woman in the town whose name was Green, who being filled with envy, went to one that was called a gentleman in the town (who was reported to have killed two men and one woman) and informed him against us, though he was no officer. The next morning we drew up some queries to be sent to the priest; and when we had done, and were just going away, some of the friendly people of the town came running up to the house where we were, and told us that this murdering man had sharpened a pike to stab us, and was coming up with his sword by his side. We were just passing away, and so missed him. But we were no sooner gone but he came to the house where we had been, and the people generally concluded, if we had not been gone he would have murdered some of us. That night we lay in a wood, and were very wet, for it rained exceedingly. In the morning I was moved to come back to that town again, and then they gave us a full relation of this wicked man.

From hence we passed to Bradford, and came to an house, where we met with Richard Farnsworth again, from whom we had parted a little before. When we came in they set meat before us; but as I was going to eat, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Eat not the bread of such as have an evil eye.' Immediately I arose from the table, and ate nothing: the woman of the house was a baptist. So after I had exhorted the family to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, and hearken to his teachings in their own hearts, we departed thence.

And as we travelled through the country, preaching repentance to the people, we came into a market town on the market day, and there was a lecture there that day; and I went into the steeple-house, where were many priests, and professors, and people. The priest that preached took for his text those words of Jeremiah, chap. v. ver. 31;"My people love to have it so;" leaving out the foregoing words, viz. "The prophets prophecy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means." So I shewed the people his deceit, and directed them to Christ, the true teacher within, declaring unto them that God was come to

teach his people himself, and to bring them off from all the world's teachers and hirelings, that they might come to receive freely from him. Then warning them of the day of the Lord, that was coming upon all flesh, I passed from thence without much opposition.

At night we came to a country house, and there was no ale-house near. They desired us to stay there all night, which we did, and had good service for the Lord, declaring his truth amongst them.

The next day we passed on; for the Lord had said unto me, if but one man or woman were raised up by his power, to stand and live in the same spirit that the prophets and apostles were in, who gave forth the scriptures, that man or woman should shake all the country in their profession for ten miles round. For people had the scriptures, but were not in that same light, and power, and spirit, which they were in that gave forth the scriptures; and so they neither knew God, nor Christ, nor the scriptures aright, nor had they unity one with another, being out of the power and spirit of God. Therefore as we passed along we warned all people, wherever we met them, of the day of the Lord that was coming upon them.

As we travelled on we came near a very great and high hill, called Pendle Hill, and I was moved of the Lord to go up to the top of it, which I did with much ado, it was so very steep and high. When I was come to the top of this hill, I saw the sea bordering upon Lancashire; and from the top of this hill the Lord let me see in what places he had a great people to be gathered. As I went down, I found a spring of water in the side of the hill, with which I refreshed myself, having eaten or drunk but little in several days before.

At night we came to an inn, and declared truth to the man of the house, and writ a paper to the priests and professors, declaring the day of the Lord, and that Christ was come to teach people himself, by his power and spirit in. their hearts, and to bring people off from all the world's ways and teachers, to his own free teaching, who had bought them, and was the Saviour of all them that believed in him. The man of the house spread the paper abroad, and was mightily affected with the truth. Here the Lord opened unto me, and let me see a great people in white raiment by a river side, coming to the Lord; and the place that I saw them in was about Wentzerdale and Sedbergh.

The next day we travelled on, and at night got a little fern or brakins to lay under us, and lay upon a common. Next morning we reached to a town, and there Richard

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Farnsworth parted from me, and then I travelled alone again. So I came up Wentzerdale, and at the market town in that dale there was a lecture on the market day, and I went into the steeple-house and after the priest had done, I proclaimed the day of the Lord to the priest and people, warning them to turn from the darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might come to know God and Christ aright, and to receive his teaching, who teacheth freely. And largely and freely did I declare the word of life unto them, and had not much persecution there. Afterwards I passed up the dales, warning people to fear God, and preaching the everlasting gospel to them. And in my way I came to a great house, where there was a school-master, and they got me into the house; and I asked them questions about their religion and worship, and afterward I declared the truth to them. They had me into a parlour, and locked me in, pretending that I was a young man that was mad, and had got away from my relations, and that they would keep me till they could send to my relations; but I soon convinced them of their mistake in that, and they let me forth, and would have had me to stay there; but I was not to stay there. Then having exhorted them to repentance, and directed them to the light of Christ Jesus, that through it they might come unto him and be saved, I passed from them, and came in the night to a little ale-house on a common, where there was a company of rude fellows drinking. And because I would not drink with them, they got up their clubs and were striking at me; but I reproved them, and brought them to be somewhat cooler; and then I walked out of the house upon the common in the night. After some time one of these drunken fellows came out, and would have come close up to me, pretending to whisper to me; but I perceived he had a knife; wherefore I kept off from him, and bid him repent, and fear God. So the Lord by his power preserved me from this wicked man; and he went into the house again. The next morning I went on through other dales, warning and exhorting people every where as I passed, to repent and turn to the Lord, and several were convinced. At one house that I came to, the man of the house (whom I afterwards found to be a kinsman of John Blakelin's) would have given me money, but I would not receive it.

As thus I travelled on through the dales I came to another man's house, whose name was Tennant; and I was moved to speak to the family, and declare God's everlasting truth to them. And as I was turning away from VOL. I.

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