God, that his blessing may go along with it, to the convincing of many, as yet strangers to this holy dispensation, and also to the edification of the church of God in general: who, for his manifold and repeated mercies and blessings to his people in this day of his great love, is worthy ever to have the glory, honour, thanksgiving and renown; and be it rendered and ascribed, with fear and reverence, through Him in whom he is well pleased, his beloved Son and Lamb, our light and life, that sits with him upon the throne, world without end. Amen,

Says one that God has long since mercifully favoured with his fatherly visitation, and who was not disobedient to the heavenly vision and call, to whom the way of Truth is more lovely and precious than ever, and that knowing the beauty and benefit of it above all worldly treasure, has chosen it for his chiefest joy, and therefore recommends it to thy love and choice, because he is with great sincerity and affection thy soul's friend, WILLIAM PENN.

The TESTIMONY of MARGARET Fox concerning her late Husband GEORGE FOX; together with a brief Account of some of his Travels, Sufferings, and Hardships endured for the Truth's sake.

Ir having pleased Almighty God to take away my dear husband out of this evil troublesome world, who was not a man thereof; being chosen out of it, and had his life and being in another region, and his testimony was against the world, that the deeds thereof were evil, and therefore the world hated him: so I am now to give in my account and testimony for my dear husband, whom the Lord hath taken unto his blessed kingdom and glory. And it is before me from the Lord, and in my view, to give a relation, and leave upon record the dealings of the Lord with us from the beginning.

He was the instrument in the hand of the Lord in this present age, which he made use of to send forth into the world, to preach the everlasting gospel, which had been hid from many ages and generations; the Lord revealed it unto him, and made him open that new and living way, that leads to life eternal, when he was but a youth, and a stripling. And when he declared it in his own country of Leicestershire, and in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Warwickshire, and his declaration being against the hireling priests and their practices, it raised a great fury and opposition amongst the priests and people against him; yet there was always some that owned him in several places; but very few that stood firm to him when persecution came on him. There was he and one other put in prison at Derby, but the other declined, and left him in prison there, where he continued almost a whole year, and then he was released out of prison, and went on with his testimony abroad, and was put in prison again at Nottingham; and there he continued a while, and after was released again.

And then he travelled on into Yorkshire, and passed up and down that great county, and several received him, as William Dewsbury, Richard Farnsworth, Thomas Aldam, and others, who all came to be faithful ministers of the Spirit for the Lord. And he continued in that country, and travelled through Holderness and the Wowlds, and

abundance were convinced; and several were brought to prison at York for their testimony to the truth, both men and women: so that we heard of such a people that were risen, and we did very much enquire after them. And after a while he travelled up farther towards the dales in Yorkshire, as Wensdale, and Sedbur; and amongst the hills, dales and mountains he came on, and convinced many of the eternal Truth.

And in the year 1652 it pleased the Lord to draw him towards us; so he came on from Sedbur, and so to Westmoreland, as Firbank Chappel, where John Blaykling came with him; and so on to Preston, and to Grarig, and Kendal, and Under-barrow, and Poobank, and Cartmel, and Staveley; and so on to Swarthmore, my dwelling house, whither he brought the blessed tidings of the everlasting Gospel, which I, and many hundreds in these parts, have cause to praise the Lord for. My then husband, Thomas Fell, was not at home at that time, but gone the Welch circuit, being one of the judges of assize: and our house being a place open to entertain ministers and religious people at, one of George Fox's friends brought him hither, where he stayed all night. And the next day, being a lecture, or a fast-day, he went to Ulverston steeple-house, but came not in till people were gathered; I and my children had been a long time there before. And when they were singing before the sermon, he came in; and when they had done singing, he stood up upon a seat or form, and desired that he might have liberty to speak; and he that was in the pulpit said he might. And the first words that he spoke were as followeth. "He is not a Jew that is one outward; neither is that circumcision which is outward: but he is a Jew that is one inward; and that is circumcision which is of the heart.' And so he went on, and said, how that Christ was the Light of the world, and lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and that by this light they might be gathered to God, &c. And I stood up in my pew, and I wondered at his doctrine, for I had never heard such before. And then he went on, and opened the Scriptures, and said the Scriptures were the prophets' words, and Christ's and the apostle's words, and what, as they spoke, they enjoyed and possessed, and had it from the Lord: and said, then what had any to do with the Scriptures, but as they came to the Spirit that gave them forth. You will say, Christ saith this, and the apostles say this; but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of light, and hast walked in the light, and what thou speakest, is it inwardly

from God?' &c. This opened me so, that it cut me to the heart; and then I saw clearly we were all wrong. So I sat me down in my pew again, and cried bitterly: and I cried in my spirit to the Lord, We are all thieves; we are all thieves; we have taken the Scriptures in words, and know nothing of them in ourselves.' So that served me, that I cannot well tell what he spake afterwards; but he went on in declaring against the false prophets, and priests, and deceivers of the people. And there was one John Sawrey, a justice of peace, and a professor, that bid the churchwarden take him away; and he laid his hands on him several times, and took them off again, and let him alone; and then after a while he gave over, and came to our house again that night. And he spoke in the family amongst the servants, and they were all generally convinced; as William Caton, Thomas Salthouse, Mary Askew, Anne Clayton, and several other servants. And I was stricken into such a sadness, I knew not what to do, my husband being from home. I saw it was the truth, and I could not deny it; and I did as the apostle saith, "I received the truth in the love of it:" and it was opened to me so clear, that I had never a tittle in my heart against it; but I desired the Lord that I might be kept in it; and then I desired no greater portion.

And then he went on to Dalton, Aldingham, Dendrum, and Ramside chappels and steeple-houses, and several places up and down, and the people followed him mightily; and abundance were convinced, and saw that which he spoke was truth; but the priests were all in a rage. And about two weeks after James Naylor and Richard Farnsworth followed him, and enquired him out, till they came to Swarthmore, and there stayed a while with me at our house, and did me much good, for I was under great heaviness and judgment. But the power of the Lord entered upon me within about two weeks that he came ; and about three weeks end my husband came home; and many were in a mighty rage. And a deal of the captains and great ones of the country went to meet my then husband, as he was coming home, and informed him that a great disaster was befallen amongst his family, and that they were witches; and that they had taken us out of our religion; and that he might either set them away, or all the country would be undone. But no weapon formed against the Lord shall prosper, as you may see hereafter.

So my husband came home greatly offended: and any may think what a condition I was like to be in, that either I might displease my husband, or offend God; for he was

very much troubled with us all in the house and family, they had so prepossessed him against us. But James Naylor and Richard Farnsworth were both then at our house, and I desired them to come and speak to him, and so they did, very moderately and wisely; but he was at first displeased with them; but they told him they came in love and good will to his house. And after that he had heard them speak a while, he was better satisfied; and they offered as if they would go away; but I desired them to stay, and not to go away yet, for George Fox will come this evening. And I would have had my husband to have heard them all, and satisfied himself farther about them; because they had so prepossessed him against them of such dangerous fearful things in his coming first home. And then was he pretty moderate and quiet; and his dinner being ready, he went to it; and I went in, and sat me down by him. And whilst I was sitting, the power of the Lord seized upon me; and he was stricken with amazement, and knew not what to think; but was quiet and still. And the children were all quiet and still, and grown sober, and could not play on their music that they were learning and all these things made him quiet and still.

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And then at night George Fox came: and after supper my husband was sitting in the parlour, and I asked him if George Fox might come in; and he said, Yes. So George came in without any compliment, and walked into the room, and began to speak presently; and the family, and James Naylor, and Richard Farnsworth came all in: and he spoke very excellently as ever I heard him; and opened Christ and the apostles practices, which they were in, in their day. And he opened the night of apostacy since the apostles days, and laid open the priests and their practices in the apostacy; that if all in England had been there, I thought they could not have denied the truth of those things. And so my husband came to see clearly the truth of what he spoke, and was very quiet that night, and said no more, and went to bed. And next morning came Lampit, priest of Ulverstone, and got my husband into the garden, and spake much to him there; but my husband had seen so much the night before, that the priest got little entrance upon him. And when the priest Lampit was come into the house, George spoke sharply to him, and asked him when God spake to him, and called him to go and preach to the people; but after a while the priest went away this was on a sixth-day of the week, about the fifth month, 1652. And at our house divers Friends were speaking one to another, how there was several con