take up arms, or make war against any, it is without any ground from us; for it neither is, nor ever was in our hearts, since we owned the truth of God; neither shall we ever do it, because it is contrary to the Spirit of Christ, his doctrine, and the practices of his apostles, even contrary to him, for whom we suffer all things, and endure all things.

And whereas men come against us with clubs, staves, drawn swords, pistols cocked, and do beat, cut, and abuse us, yet we never resisted them, but to them our hair, backs, and cheeks have been ready; but it is not an honour to manhood or nobility, to run upon harmless people, who lift not up an hand against them with arms and weapons.

'Therefore consider these things, ye men of understanding; for plotters, raisers of insurrections, tumultuous ones, and fighters, running with swords, clubs, staves, and pistols, one against another; we say these are of the world, and have their foundation from this unrighteous world, from the foundation of which the Lamb hath been slain; which Lamb hath redeemed us from this unrighteous world, and we are not of it, but are heirs of a world in which there is no end, and of a kingdom, where no corruptible thing enters. And our weapons are spiritual, and not carnal, yet mighty through God, to the pulling down of the strong holds of sin and satan, who is author of wars, fighting, murder, and plots; and our swords are broken into plow-shares, and spears into pruning-hooks, as prophesied of in Micah iv. Therefore we cannot learn war any more, neither rise up against nation or kingdom with outward weapons, though you have numbered us amongst the transgressors and plotters; the Lord knows our innocency herein, and will plead our cause with all men and people upon earth, at the day of their judgment, when all men shall have a reward according to their works.

Therefore in love we warn you for your souls' good, not to wrong the innocent, nor the babes of Christ, which he hath in his hand, which he tenders as the apple of his eye; neither seek to destroy the heritage of God, neither turn your swords backward upon such as the law was not made for, i. e. the righteous, but for the sinners and transgressors to keep them down. For those are not the peacemakers, neither the lovers of enemies, neither can they overcome evil with good, who wrong them that be friends to you and all men, and wish your good, and the good of all people on the earth. If you oppress us, as they did the children of Israel in Egypt, and if you oppress us as they

did when Christ was born, and as they did the Christians in the primitive times; we can say, the Lord forgive you; and leave the Lord to deal with you, and not revenge ourselves. And if you say, as the council said to Peter and John, You must speak no more in that name; and if you serve us, as they served the three children spoken of in Daniel, God is the same as ever he was, that lives for ever and ever, who hath the innocent in his arms.

Oh, friends! offend not the Lord and his little ones, neither afflict his people, but consider and be moderate. And do not run hastily into things, but mind and consider mercy, justice, and judgment; that is the way for you to prosper, and get the favour of the Lord. Our meetings were stopped and broken up in the days of Oliver, in pretence of plotting against him, and in the days of the committee of safety we were looked upon as plotters, to bring in king Charles, and now our peaceable meetings are termed seditious. Oh that men should lose their reason, and go contrary to their own conscience, knowing that we have suffered all things, and have been accounted plotters all along, though we have declared against them both by word of mouth and printing, and are clear from any such thing! Though we have suffered all along, because we would not take up carnal weapons to fight withal against any, and are thus made a prey upon because we are the innocent lambs of Christ, and cannot avenge ourselves! These things are left upon your hearts to consider; but we are out of all those things, in the patience of the saints; and we know, that as Christ said, He that takes the sword, shall perish with the sword, Mat. xxvi. 52. Rev. xiii. 10.

[This is given forth from the people called Quakers, to satisfy the king and his council, and all those that have any jealousy concerning us, that all occasion of suspicion may be taken away, and our innocency cleared.]

Given forth on the behalf of the whole body of the elect people of God, who were called Quakers, in the year 1660.

Postscript.

Though we are numbered amongst transgressors, and so have been given up to all rude merciless men, by which our meetings are broken up, in which we edified one another in our holy faith, and prayed together to the Lord that lives for ever, yet he is our pleader for us in this day. The Lord saith, They that feared his name, spake often

together, (as in Malachy) which were as his jewels; and for this cause, and no evil-doing, are we cast into holes, dungeons, houses of correction, prisons, (they sparing neither old nor young, men nor women) and made a prey on in the sight of all nations, under pretence of being seditious, &c. so that all rude people run upon us to take possession; for which we say, the Lord forgive them that have thus done to us, who doth, and will enable us to suffer, and never shall we lift up hand against any man that doth thus use us; but that the Lord may have mercy upon them, that they may consider what they have done. For how is it possible for them to requite us for the wrong they have done to us? Who to all nations have sounded us abroad as seditious or plotters, who were never found plotters against any power or man upon the earth, since we knew the life and power of Jesus Christ manifested in us, who hath redeemed us from the world, and all works of darkness, and plotters that be in it, by which we know our election, before the world began. So we say, the Lord have mercy upon our enemies and forgive them, for that they have done unto us.

Oh! do as you would be done by, and do unto all men as you would have them do unto you; for this is but the law and the prophets.

And all plots, insurrections, and riotous meetings, we do deny, knowing them to be of the devil, the murderer, which we in Christ (who was before they were) triumph over them. And all wars and fightings with carnal weapons we do deny, who have the sword of the Spirit; and all that wrong us, we leave them to the Lord. And this is to clear our innocency from that aspersion cast upon us, that we are seditious or plotters.'

Added in the Reprinting,

Courteous Reader,

This was our testimony above twenty years ago, and since then we have not been found acting contrary to it, nor ever shall; for the truth, that is our guide, is unchangeable. And this is now reprinted to the men of this age, many of whom were then children, and doth stand as our certain testimony against all plotting and fighting with carnal weapons; and if any by departing from the truth should do so, this is our testimony in the truth against them, and will stand over them, and the truth will be clear of them.'

This declaration did somewhat clear the dark air that was over the city and country. And soon after the king gave forth a proclamation, that no soldiers should go to search any house but with a constable. But the jails were still full, many thousands of friends being in prison in the nation; which mischief was occasioned by that wicked rising of those fifth-monarchy-men. But when those of them that were taken, came to be executed, they did us that right, to clear us openly from having any hand in or knowledge of their plot. And after that the king being continually importuned thereunto, issued forth a declaration, that friends should be set at liberty without paying fees. But great labour and travel, care and pains was taken in it, before this was obtained, for Thomas Moor and Margaret Fell went often to the king about it.

Much blood was shed this year, many of them that had been the old king's judges being hanged, drawn, and quartered. And amongst them that so suffered, colonel Hacker was one, he who sent me prisoner from Leicester to London in Oliver's time, of which an account is given before. A sad day it was, and a repaying of blood with blood. For in the time of Oliver Cromwell, when several men were put to death by him, being hanged, drawn, and quartered, for pretended treasons, I felt from the Lord God, that their blood would not be put up, but would be required; and I said as much then to several. And now upon the king's return, when several of them that had been against the king were put to death, as the others that were for the king, had been before by Oliver; this was sad work, destroying of people contrary to the nature of Christians, who have the nature of lambs and sheep. But there was a secret hand in bringing this day upon that hypocritical generation of professors, who being got into power, grew proud, haughty, and cruel beyond others, and persecuted the people of God without pity. Therefore when friends were under cruel persecutions and sufferings in the Common-wealth's time, I was moved of the Lord to write unto friends to draw up their sufferings, and lay them before the justices at their sessions. And if they would not do them justice, then to lay it before the judges at the assize; and if they would not do them justice, then to lay it before the parliament, and before the protector and his council, that they might all see what was done under their government; and if they would not do justice, then to lay it before the Lord, who would hear the cries of the oppressed, and of the widows and fatherless, that they had made so. For that which we suffered for, and which

our goods were spoiled for, it was for our obedience to the Lord in his power and in his spirit, who was able to help and to succour, and we had no helper in the earth but him. And he did hear the cries of his people, and did bring an overflowing scourge over the heads of all our persecutors, which brought 'a quaking, and a dread, and a fear amongst and on them all: so that they, who had nicknamed us (who are the children of light) and in scorn called us Quakers, the Lord made them quake, and many of them would have been glad to have hid themselves amongst us; and some of them, through the distress that came upon them, did at length come to confess to the truth. Oh! the daily reproaches, revilings, and beatings, we underwent amongst them, even in the high-ways, because we could not put off our hats to them, and for saying thou and thee to them! Oh! the havock and spoil the priests made of our goods, because we could not put into their mouths and give them tithes ! besides casting into prisons, and besides the great fines laid upon us, because we could not swear! But for all these things did the Lord God plead with them. Yet some of them were so hardened in their wickedness, that when they were turned out of their places and offices, they said, 'If they had power they would do the same again." And when this day of overturning was come upon them, they said, 'It was all long of us.' Wherefore I was moved to write to them, and to ask them, 'Did we ever resist them when they took away our ploughs and plough-gears, our carts and horses, our corn and cattle, our kettles and platters from us, and whipt us, and set us in the stocks, and cast us into prison, and all because we could not conform to their religions, manners, customs, and fashions? Did we ever resist them? Did we not give them our backs to beat, and our cheeks to pull off the hair, and our faces to spit on? Had not their priests that prompted them on to such work, plucked them with themselves into the ditch? Why then would they say it was all long of us, when it was long of themselves, and their priests, their blind prophets, that followed their own spirits, and could fore-see nothing of these times and things that were come upon them, which we had long forewarned them of, as Jeremiah and Christ had forewarned Jerusalem. And they thought to have wearied us out, and undone us, but they undid themselves; whereas we could praise God, notwithstanding all their plundering of us, that we had a kettle, and a platter, and an horse, and plough still.'